Welcome To
Zen Meditation International
Working Towards Global Happiness
About Us
We manufacture high quality meditation stools and equipment for the purpose of funding the development of a global network of Zen Meditation Training Facilities called a Dojo in Japanese.
At our Dojo facilities our interest is not centered on who comes first or performs the best with each single task or activity. In our training we place more value on each individual’s improvement from task to task because, for us, personal-growth is everything.
Meditation, from our perspective, must be used in conjunction with physical training and deep psychosomatic stimulus for it to be of greatest value. This is due to the enormous effect integrated training has on creating a new kind of person: one whose personality incrementally transforms to give each individual a more accurate sense of reality, and because of this, enables them to make choices and take the kinds of actions that promote the wellbeing of not only themselves, but of all sentient beings.
More than ever before is there a need to connect people with Nature. Not just as observers but as members of a unique family. For without sunlight, fresh water, organically enriched food and the thrill of discovering new places to swim and pristine forests through which we can run, the human being will become destructive to him/herself and to the World.
What Do We Do?
We have 4 primary Goals:
Zen Meditation International is no ordinary personal development company.
For even though there is a large commercial aspect to all that we do, still, at its heart there
is a strong Spiritual ethic (not religious) which provides the direction along which all our
training, programming and business interests follow.
This Spiritual path or ethic is best expressed by the single word, Dojo, which is an ancient
Japanese term referring to, “a place of Spiritual training.” And what is peculiar to our Dojo is
the practice of using, meditation, martial arts, holistic-health therapies and integrating these
with wildlife encounters as a medium for self-cultivation, conflict resolution and economic
empowerment.
There is much speculation in the modern world about Zen.
People often ask if it is a religion, a philosophy, a spiritual practice or an existential concept.
Quite simply, Zen is a state of being (experience) in which the intellect, emotions and
sensory aspects of the Body-mind complex are suddenly reconnected to the bioenergetic
system such that inner conflict immediately dissolves and transforms our perception.
Building a vibrant community of people who are fun loving, happy, creative, considerate and
responsible is a very important aspect of Zen because of all the enjoyment that socialising
with other people has on our inner state of vibrancy. Many are surprised to learn that Zen
delights in diversity of opinion, practice and action. We acknowledge that there is no single
path that reaches the door to Zen. All we can do as masters is point the way. The student
has to do the work which will uncover Zen’s hidden path.
Japan is fortunate to have kept to the Shinto tradition of celebrating the beginning or
change of each season. These events produce colorful displays of clothing, music and food
that flood the community with a beautiful atmosphere. In following this tradition we have a
calendar of seasonal events that merge meditation with live music, art, sports and
workshops.
Many people have never experienced close up encounters with wild animals, let alone have
had the opportunity to meditate in close proximity to them to experience how their
presence can affect our intrinsic connection. Most of our company directors were once
Wildlife Rangers or involved in Nature Conservation. Between us we still have strong
connections in the wildlife community which enables us to offer unique mediation
experiences to discerning clients.
Zen Meditation International was born out of the need to rescue a suffering wilderness
whilst at the same time provide a plausible solution for the creature who causes most of the
damage mankind itself.
We realised that designing, then manufacturing products, selling them, then using the profit
directly to fund our own projects would allow us to make a considerable difference to the
happiness and welfare of all the plant, animal and marine plant and sea creatures who live
in the areas where our projects are based, like the Addo Elephant & Marine National Park,
the Batau Tribal Rainforest Reserve and Elephant corridor running between the Kruger
National Park and the Mozambique interior.
We started here because it is our own backyard. And because we are Rangers who know the
terrain, the dangers and threats from urban sprawl, agriculture, mining, criminal syndicates and war.
As what we do in Africa takes hold we will start building a web of compassion across the surface of the world, establishing bases on every continent.
We have made every effort to build quality in what we produce, this is the Zen way. We
could just as easily have asked you to send a donation but we appreciate the hard work that
people do to earn a living and wanted to reciprocate. This way we can be co-creators in
broadening the footprint of global happiness.
The profit from sales of all of these products & experiences goes directly into our projects!
What Do We Do?
Dojo
Spiritual place of training
The Dojo is a vital aspect of Zen. This is because it will allow us to demonstrate Zen in a modern context part of which includes its martial arts origin and a unique range of holistic therapeutic and fitness practices.
The Dojo’s aim is:
To improve the vitality and happiness of our students.
To provide a safe environment in which to explore why emotion affects how we think about ourselves.
To create the opportunity to explore how emotion affects our decisions and actions, through the way we interact with others.
To experience how meditation changes these effects inside of us.
Shortly our online Dojo will go live to provide instruction material for people who are unable to train at one of our Dojo facilities.
Nature Conservation?
Shinto forms the foundation of Zen in Japan. It stems from a two thousand year old relationship the Japanese have cultivated with Nature.
Japanese architecture has always involved including natural elements like a court yard or garden as focal points of a home or business environment.
Including Nature is beneficial because plants release many organic compounds into the air that supply us with subtle vital energy.
Whilst meditating in pristine wilderness with Elephants is profound, similar levels of enjoyment can be had by developing an urban-wilderness on one’s own apartment balcony or in the streets below through encouraging the inclusion of trees, flowers, shrubs and natural rock waterfalls.
Ground breaking research in South Africa has already demonstrated how urban gardens dramatically reduce interpersonal violence.
One of the goals of Zen Meditation International is to grow the urban forest and wilderness landscapes outward to meet each other.
Nature Conservation?
