Oakville Zen Meditation
The teacher
About the teacher:
George. Arnaud Painvin, MD, FRCSC, retired cardiac /transplant surgeon is a Zen Master & Dharma teacher. His transmission name is Ven. Ji Gong Sunim ( Korean lineage).
Arnaud was born in Paris France he moved to Canada with his wife following their MD graduation. After post-graduation training in Toronto, he became a cardiac surgeon, transplant surgeon, and critical care specialist and practiced in Houston, Boston, and Toronto before retiring a few years ago. He is married to Catherine. They have lived in Oakville since 1985 and their 2 sons are married. Following a severe stress-related depression and PTSD in 1989, he decided to explore the therapeutic value of Mindfulness Meditation (MM) based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and took 6 months of formal training in MM in 2001 at the Toronto General Hospital. He was so impressed with the medical benefits of MM regarding stress that he decided to practice daily meditation and started teaching this wonderful therapy in 2002. The therapeutic value of meditation led Arnaud to become interested in its spiritual aspect. He became a Zen Buddhist in 2006 after 5 years of practice. In 2013 he received the spiritual transmission from his Korean Zen Master Venerable Hwasun Yangil, and became a Zen Master by the name of Ji Gong.
Zen Master Hwasun Yangil
Arnaud practices and teaches simple, down-to-earth Eastern philosophy adapted to our Western civilization with an emphasis on mindfulness meditation and awareness practice. Our classes are friendly w/o exotic rituals.
Our Associate teacher is Miranda Murphy:
Miranda discovered meditation in 2007 through the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Inspired by the positive changes in her life, she sought to deepen her understanding of meditation, yoga, and Buddhism through various courses, retreats, and readings. For the past three years, she has been actively involved with Zen Oakville Meditation, enhancing her practice under the guidance of Zen Master Ji Gong aka Arnaud Painvin.
After a fulfilling 35-year career in education, primarily as a teacher and administrator in public schools, Miranda has retired and is now cherishing more time with her family and more opportunities to relish the outdoors. She enjoys immersing herself in nature through hiking, camping, swimming, and kayaking. Additionally, her dedicated daily meditation practice has been a cornerstone of her life for several years, helping her cultivate a deeper awareness of her physical and emotional states and navigate life. Miranda is a wonderful Dharma teacher for the benefit of our students, visitors, and...... myself. 🙂
About our meditation class:
We are practicing the purest and most genuine mindfulness meditation called Zen ( Zen is the Japanese word for meditation). No guided meditation which is a North American invention!
Sitting meditation for around 45-50 minutes. during which we focus on our breathing to anchor our restless minds. We sit on chairs, but you may bring your cushion. Sitting meditation is followed by: followed by
Walking meditation: around 10 min. During this, we focus on the landing of each step the same way we focus on breathing during the sitting phase.
Walking meditation for around 10 minutes.
When a thought is popping out,- as it always will- we acknowledge it and go back to our anchor. Struggling to focus on our breathing ( sitting meditation) or each step ( walking meditation) is the norm even among the "pro". After more than 65 years of practice, the Dalai Lama told me that if he is not struggling while meditating, he is not meditating! The beneficial effect of meditation is cumulative, regardless of its quality. So: never judge how well or badly you are meditating. If you do, you will quit.
Following meditation, the Zen Master, associate teacher, or invited member gives a Dharma talk that is teaching. You have the list of all Dharma talks (over 510)
Click on "DHARMA LECTURES" - over 510 since 2014 - on the home page. On this page, enter the Dharma teaching topic of your choice and click on SEARCH ( right upper corner). You will get a list of all Dharma talks related specifically to this subject and presented in various ways.
In the end, we have Q&A and discussion for 20-30 minutes or so
Schedule & venues:
THREE (3) meditation classes with Dharma teaching/week.... free.
VENUE DATE TIME
MAPLE GROVE UNITED CHURCH 346 Maple Grove Drive Oakville. Go around the church to get to the main entrance in the back.
1 - MONDAYS:......... 19:00 (7:00 pm) at the church On time, please
2- WEDNESDAYS......19:00 (7:00 pm)
3- SATURDAYS:........ 10:00 am
We do not pay any rental fee to the church, so, be generous with your donation.
Go to the "schedule page" to find out how to donate. THANKS
For more information please contact us and we will answer.
