Candles flicker in a darkened room, where a small group sits in silent meditation. This is the Sandhills Zen Group (SZG), which was founded in 1998 by its current leader, Barbara Muso Penn. The community she leads is predominantly European-American, and many affiliate with religions other than Buddhism. Although there are no official ties, SZG draws on the practices developed by the Ordinary Mind Zen School, which is inspired by Charlotte Joko Beck, leader of the San Diego Zen Center. Penn, who has been sitting regularly for twenty years, studied with Beck in San Diego. 

SZG moved to its current location in the southern piedmont in 1999, and it sponsors meditation sessions on Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00pm, Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00pm, and Wednesday mornings from 6:45-7:45. Each session consists of two periods of zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation). That is followed by a taped Dharma talk by Beck and a discussion by SZG members. Every third Sunday of the month the SZG holds half-day or full-day sittings, and followers do a more strenuous two-day sitting every few months. 
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