ABOUT US
The Formless Way
Zen is often presented as something mysterious. It isn’t.
We are a group of ordinary people gathering together to sit in meditation. We drink tea. We talk. We try to understand ourselves and the world a little better than we did yesterday. That’s where it begins. That’s the simplicity of Zen.
Antei-ji is a Zen community and Temple in Lancaster dedicated to the practice of zazen and the Buddha Way. We have been here in Lancaster since 2014.
The Buddha sat in meditation beneath a tree. Bodhidharma sat in meditation facing a wall. Generation after generation, people have discovered that there is something extraordinary hidden within the simple act of sitting still and paying attention. We are trying to keep that alive. Some members have been practising for decades; others have walked through the door only recently.
We are an independent, non-sectarian Zen Temple. We encourage ANY and ALL Buddhist to sit with us, we encourage ANY and ALL Non-Buddhists to sit with us. Our aim is to Awaken people, not to label them.
If you are curious about meditation, trying to find some peace in your life, interested in Zen, or simply looking for a place where practice is taken seriously without taking ourselves too seriously, you are very welcome.
Come and join us. You don’t have to know anything, you just have to walk through the door. The kettle is on.
An Inspiration
In the early years of the thirteenth century, small groups of monks made a radical decision to live amongst the people in towns and cities. The most famous of these was St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced wealth and privilege to live a humble life. They went into towns preaching peace and love, and seeing to the spiritual and physical needs of others, especially the poor. They considered themselves to be Brothers, or fratres in Latin, from which we get the name ‘Friar’.
They sought to do away with the privilege and prestige that was granted to the monk whilst living in the monastery. This was a radical departure from the form of religious life known up till then.
In contrast to the monastery monks, the monks of St. Francis wanted their communities to be less hierarchical, devoted to love, compassion and peace, and largely based in towns and cities. Instead of avoiding the poor or judging the marginalised, they deliberately sought them out, bringing them hope and self-respect. Instead of being based in a monastery, the monks would travel to wherever they were needed.
