“To study the way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be realised by all things.”

A bit about us

We are a group of Buddhists practicing Zazen and following the teachings of Gautama Buddha as passed down to us through the lineage of Nagarjuna and Dogen. Dogen Sangha in London currently has one group meeting every Wednesday evening to practise Zazen and discuss Buddhism at 2 Dukes Avenue, Chiswick from 7.30pm to 9pm and runs a day retreat on the first Sunday of each month in Islington.

Our teacher is Eido Mike Luetchford, who practiced and studied Buddhism in Japan for more than 30 years under the guidance of Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi, himself a student of Master Kodo Sawaki – an itinerant monk famous for his efforts to restore the practice of Zazen to its rightful place at the centre of Buddhism.
Zazen is the simplest form of action. When we are sitting we do not intentionally think about anything or concentrate on feelings or perceptions. We sit in a simple non-discriminating state where our body-and-mind is balanced and undivided. In this balanced state of non-thinking we can find our true nature.
Dogen Sangha was set up in 1977 by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and his students at that time – Mike and Yoko Luetchford, Jeff Bailey, Mike Cross and Larry Zacchi. Since then many of Nishijima Roshi’s Dharma heirs have set groups up in various countries around the world. Although we share a common lineage, heritage and some affiliation, each of these groups is separate and autonomous.