The New Earth Gateways to Embodied Enlightenment
“To be Born as the Earth is not the same as being born. It is to realize that these Mountains and Rivers and the whole Earth itself is your true human body.”
- Zen Master Daido Roshi (1931-2009)
Born as the Earth Zen Academy (BEZA)
Our Mission
With a vision to meet the imperative for a shift in human consciousness, Born as the Earth Zen Academy (BEZA) exists to transmit a tried-and-tested, practical spirituality to create a new human story. We are the first school on the African continent, based in Cape Town, South Africa, merging authentic Zen Buddhism and Earth-based wisdom. BEZA is a rites-of-passage initiation school for grounded higher learning. The Academy’s training and curriculum are offered in exchange for your DANA payment. All training is experiential, hands-on, and co-operative. Students work independently, collaboratively, and at their own pace, facilitating long-lasting authentic transformation in themselves and their relationship with the community of all beings.
Your Journey of Transformation through Two Tracks
Guest Track (The 5 GATES) and ADVANCED TRAINING TRACK (Apprentice Gate; Student Gate; Facilitator Gate)
BEZA’s Training Mandala
Progress from The 5 Gates to Facilitator Gate
BEZA’s Training Tracks
1. Guest Track (The 5 Gates)
The Guest Track offers an introduction to our curriculums, teachers, and community. Engage any of these 5 Gateways and progress on to Advanced Training.
PERSONAL DIVINATION SESSION
Divination is an ancient healing craft which has been used for centuries to connect with the ancestral realm and make the invisible world, visible. By way of your ‘ask’ of the invisible world for guidance (to make visible) as to what hidden energies are constellating in your life, you discover how to open the way for inter-generational healing.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
Between 1pm-5pm (SAST)
R900/€135
OPEN SPACE MEDITATION
Meditation is the ultimate sustainability and resiliency practice. To meditate is completely natural. It is through meditation that we begin to train our mind to become less erratic and more focused. During the unfolding stages of your practice you will become increasingly flexible, determined, and clear in body and mind.
Monday – Friday
7am-8am (SAST)
Free
PERSONAL MENTORING SESSIONS
Together we will work with a Medicine Wheel, Buddhist Wisdom, modern myths and dreams, the 4 Agreements and the Protocols of Council to offer you holistic, practical remedies to support the totality of your being. The psychic, physical, mental and emotional attunements become everlasting, self-empowering tools to craft a life of authenticity in a rapidly changing world.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
1pm-5pm (SAST)
R500/€75
NATURE-BASED WISDOM
These private training sessions are a unique opportunity to learn various shamanic practices. It is recommended for you to plan for ongoing weekly or monthly personalized training sessions.
The first session would be to discern where your particular inclination lies in the realm of shamanic practices: Dreamwork; Divination; Rituals; Healing; Intuition; The Medicine Wheel; Myths; Spirit Work etc..
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
1pm-5pm (SAST)
R500/€75
CIRCLE OF CONNECTION
To find solutions to our challenges as a collective we gather in a circle to recognize and honour our shared humanity and interconnectedness. When trust is cultivated, one’s heart’s wisdom and truthful expression has what is needed to build purposeful alignments and effective collaboration. This, in turn, reinforces trust and fosters much needed resiliency, flexibility and reliability in all relationships.
Every Thursday
7pm-9pm (SAST)
Free
2. Advanced Training Track
Advanced Training begins with becoming an Apprentice through the Apprentice Gate. Once at least 2 Elemental Modules have been completed you may progress through the Student gate and then on through the Facilitator Gate.
GATEKEEPER APPRENTICE TRAINING
Apprentices enter Advanced Training through participating in one 2-month elemental module, or by journeying through all 5 elemental modules around BEZA’s Medicine Wheel which lasts 10 months.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- Zen & Elemental Meditation Guidance Training
- Advanced Circle of Connection Training
- Personal Divination sessions
- Regular Mentoring sessions
- Prerequisite to enter the Student Track
2 Months of Comprehensive Training per module
2 x R1500/€225 monthly DANA subscription payments per module
GATEKEEPER STUDENT TRAINING
Once at least two modules have been completed Apprentices can apply to become a formal Student of Ekan Nangaku.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- All of the Apprentice Gate above
- Shikantaza Meditation Training
- Zen Buddhist Study group
- Zen Buddhist Dharma talks
- Zazenkai (ZZK) – an all-day, online silent meditation
- Prerequisite to enter the Facilitator/Elder Track
Gatekeeper Student Training is by invitation.
BEZA FACILITATOR/ELDER TRAINING
The Facilitator Training track is open to Students who have completed two cycles around the Medicine Wheel.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- All of the Apprentice Gate above
- All of the Student Gate above
- Facilitator/Elder Training
Gatekeeper Facilitator Training is for committed students who have the calling to become community Elders and Teachers.
Grounded EARTH Module
Way of the Heart
14 May - 28 June 2026
Never before has "Knowing Thyself" been so vitally important. During the Grounded EARTH Module (the third Elemental Gateway in the BEZA Medicine Wheel), we learn practical and spiritual skills to reconnect with Mother Earth - and consequently our True Self.
Zen Master Daido Loori Roshi once said, "To be born as the earth is not the same as being born. It is to realize that these mountains and rivers and the whole earth itself is our true human body." This will be the theme of this Module. Gatekeeper Training in the Earth Element is an initiation into Self. We have all been on a long and winding journey, ultimately searching for ourselves. This is the journey homeward - the Great Return: a Homecoming.
During this Module we learn how to remain centred during these extraordinary times of revolutionary change and powerful transformation. Anchor into the abundance available within your grounded, present self. Become open and available (no matter the situation) with an ever expanding heart while the truer you emerges. Reclaim your sovereign uniqueness as you learn to embody your inherent enlightenment. Study how abundance and karma are related and how to orient yourself at the various stages and cycles of growth. Embrace your healing power as you open to Mother Earth's Love. Celebrate the diversity of all dualities and manifestations as you connect to the unifying, common ground of community, home, identity, and otherness.
Earthen Zen
The Elemental Journal
Experiencing Depression? How Meditation can help.
There are many different forms of depression ranging from chronic mild depression to more severe major depressive disorders like manic depression or bipolar disorder.
Although the exact causes of depression are not known, there are three components that are known to contribute to its development. Factors include chemical or hormone imbalance, genetics and trauma.
The Path of Compassion
In a world where chaos and violence seem to be on the rise, the practice of compassion has never been more crucial. By cultivating a compassionate mind, we can not only bring peace and harmony to our inner selves, but also spread kindness and empathy to those around us. One of the most effective ways to develop compassion is through the practice of Zen, a spiritual tradition that emphasizes mindfulness, meditation, and non-judgmental awareness. In this article, we will explore how Zen can help us embrace compassion and kindness in our daily lives.
Silent Zen Meditation: A Path to Inner Peace and Self-Awareness
Silent Zen meditation is a form of meditation that involves sitting in a relaxed yet alert posture and focusing on the breath while maintaining a quiet and still mind.. In this article, we will explore the history and benefits of silent Zen meditation, the challenges that one may encounter during the practice, and how to integrate it into daily life.
Plant a Tree for €10 (R200)
Regenerating generosity
The first schools formed under the shade and generosity of trees. Your *first entry through any of the branches or BEZA gateways is a commitment to regenerating your personal, internal wholeness. Accordingly, we mirror your commitment by regenerating our collective, external environment by planting an indigenous tree on your behalf.
*When you register for any of our offerings please indicate whether it is your first entry into the Academy’s training matrix.
*Additionally, you will also be asked if you would like to double your regenerative efforts by planting a second tree on behalf of another for €10 (R200)