Ways In
There is more than one way onto this ground, depending on where you are starting from.
Start with a conversation
For many people the first step isn't a course or an assessment — it's a conversation. Book a free 30-minute consultation, whether you are unsure which path is yours or already ready to enter apprenticeship. We'll talk about where you are and what you are looking for; if the fit is mutual and the moment is right, we arrange the Shokenko ceremony and begin. Nothing is decided in advance.
If you are new to Zen
The ground everyone stands on is the Orientation to Zen material — Zenwest's foundational program covering the basic forms of practice: sitting, bells, bowing, chanting, the arc of a Zen session. It is freely available, and you may work through it on your own.
From there, two doors open — self-directed or guided:
- Work through it yourself, then book the Practice Assessment — the checkpoint that confirms you can hold the practice in form.
- Be guided through Entering the Gate of Zen — a four-week live cohort with me that walks you into the forms together, in real time. $397 + GST.
Both doors open onto the same ground: eligibility for Zenwest membership, for formal apprenticeship, both, or neither. Nothing is assumed.
The Practice Assessment
The Practice Assessment is the checkpoint for anyone who has come to the forms on their own — whether you are a beginner who has worked through the Orientation material, or a practitioner arriving with an established sitting practice from another teacher, centre, or tradition. The gate is not where you trained. It is whether you can hold the practice in form.
Before booking, review the Orientation to Zen instruction materials — not as a course, but as a way of meeting this sangha's forms. Knowing how to sit is not the same as knowing how we sit.
The assessment itself is a two-hour session with me: three periods of Zazen with kinhin. Its purpose is simple — to confirm that you can hold the basic practice in form. $200 + GST.
Upon successful completion, you are eligible for Zenwest membership without completing the guided cohort.
Before Shokenko
Before Shokenko, three Zen Mentorship meetings are required — at $150 + GST each. Not apprenticeship yet. Mentorship. These meetings give sufficient contact for me to assess genuine engagement before the formal relationship begins. If the fit is mutual, Shokenko follows.
If you are not seeking Zenwest membership — if what you want is a formal training relationship with me while continuing your practice in your own context or sangha — the same gate applies. The Practice Assessment establishes the form foundation; the Mentorship meetings establish the relationship. What comes after is a conversation.
When the usual steps may be set aside
These steps are the usual path — they provide a sound formation for the benefit of the whole community, and are not intended as obstructions. In cases where I am confident that the ground of practice is sufficiently solid — perhaps because we have practiced together, or through referral by a teacher whose word I trust — I may set some or all of the usual steps aside and invite someone directly into apprenticeship. This may be offered, but it cannot be requested; and the forms of this lineage and this temple are learned regardless of which gate a person came through.
If you are discerning
Come to a Tuesday sit. Attend a Dharma talk. Listen to the Living Zen Podcast. Work through the free Orientation to Zen material. There is no pressure and no timeline. The door stays open.
Teàrlach Eshū Kilgour, Oshō — Abbot, Zenwest Buddhist Society