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Something about Zen
by Mitra Bishop Sensei
©
Sentient beings are numberless; I vow
to liberate them.
Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to put an end to them.
The Dharmas are boundless; I vow to master them.
The Buddha's Way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.
These vows are repeated daily in Zen temples
and monasteries throughout the world. Reminding us of our
intention when we practice, they are basic to our school and
to Buddhism. "Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation
of the Chinese word "Ch'an," which came from the
Sanskrit word "dhyana," meaning meditation. Meditation
is the emphasis of Zen, the core of our meditation practice
being sesshin, a meditation retreat, which usually lasts a
week. In the Rochester Zen Center in New York, and in Sogen-ji,
the temple where I lived in Japan, we have these retreats
each month. In addition, at Sogen-ji we have two in December:
the traditional eight-day Rohatsu Sesshin, celebrating the
Buddha's enlightenment, and a follow-up seven-day sesshin.
Centuries ago Zen divided into the Soto
Sect and the Rinzai Sect, based on the specific emphases of
particular masters. The Rinzai Sect traces its lineage to
the Buddha through Lin Chi (Rinzai), a Chinese master famous
for his strong, dynamic way of teaching. The Soto style is
gentler and puts more emphasis on form. The Rochester Zen
Center, although technically a Soto center, is an amalgam
of both, as the two main teachers of its founder, Roshi Kapleau,
trained in both sects. Sogen-ji's lineage is Rinzai.
In the Rinzai Sect and Rochester's version
of Soto, the primary advanced study is koan work. Certain
koans have become familiar in the West. Breakthrough koans
are those which one works on for years until gaining some
degree of understanding. That understanding is broadened and
deepened through work on subsequent koans. One of the most
famous breakthrough koans is, "What is the sound of one
hand clapping?" It has an answer, but not one that can
be talked about with one's teacher. Koan work must be experiential;
deep meditation is required to solve these koans.
Such intensive meditation is done primarily,
though not exclusively, in sesshin. During a Sogen-ji sesshin,
we begin the day at 3:30 A.M. with sutra chanting for an hour.
After that we go to the zendo (meditation hall) for zazen
(meditation) until breakfast. During that early morning meditation
period, we also have sanzen (dokusan), a brief, private, one-on-one
meeting with our teacher. Our teacher checks our practice,
gives us spiritual instruction, and urges us on. When we live
in a monastery, temple, or center and work directly with a
teacher, we have such private meetings frequently. This is
part of the Zen way, and it is very effective in deepening
our practice. After breakfast we do chores for a short time
and then return to the meditation hall to continue zazen until
lunchtime. Following that is rest period, then teisho (Dharma
talk) by the teacher, more zazen, a short exercise period,
and a light supper. After another short break, we do more
formal zazen for a few hours until we retire around 10:30
P.M.
Zen Training
The emphasis in Zen is on coming to awakening,
deepening that awakening to profound levels, and living our
lives with that understanding. Accordingly, we place somewhat
less emphasis on the precepts than do those schools that focus
Vinaya study. We do not ignore the precepts by any means.
They are a fundamental basis of practice, for practicing with
a confused mind is difficult, and following precepts gives
us clarity and simplifies our life, enabling us to meditate
deeply.
In Japanese Zen we move as a group from
one building to another, marching in file according to seniority,
based on one's date of arrival at the temple and whether or
not one is ordained-not on how long one has been training.
Seniority is a serious aspect of the training in Japanese
temples: the bottom line is that if someone more senior asks
one to do something, one does it.
We have two training periods a year at
Sogen-ji. One is from February 4 to August 4, and the other
from August 4 to February 4. So essentially we are in training
all the time. Kotai, meaning change, occurs on August 4 and
February 4. At this time, the jobs in the temple are rotated,
as are our rooms. During each kotai the women move clockwise
one room around the women's quarters, and our roommates usually
change as well. Learning to work with change is a fundamental
aspect of our practice of Zen, the idea being to be like water,
which can flow with the circumstances. Almost nobody knows
until the day of kotai who is going to do what job for the
next term. There is a very short time in which the people
formerly holding jobs can meet with the people newly assigned
to them, so that the latter have to scramble to understand
their new jobs before they have to do something in their new
capacity a few minutes later. At the same time, everyone rushes
to move her belongings to her new room, which means the previous
occupant has to leave that room first. It's like a grand game
of musical chairs!
Sogen-ji is a double monastery, which
means both men and women train there. This is relatively unique
in Japan, where usually there are either monasteries or nunneries.
At Sogen-ji everyone lives the monastic form whether or not
they are ordained. It is called a temple as well as a monastery,
while the Rochester Zen Center is a "daily practice center,"
an American term encompassing ordained and lay practice. In
the United States, "monk," "nun," and
"priest" have different meanings in different temples.
In my home temple, the Rochester Zen Center, I was ordained
as a priest, which means I can conduct certain ceremonies
and run a temple. According to the Japanese system, a priest
can also marry although I am not and do not wish to be. "Monk"
is used for both men and women in some temples. There are
no differences in precepts in my lineage whether one is called
a monk, nun, or priest. The titles "roshi" and "sensei"
pertain to one's status as a teacher, and not to one's ordination.
Many people practicing Zen in Japan are foreigners, while
few Japanese are interested in religious practice these days.
In the nineteenth century the Japanese government declared
that Buddhist monks and nuns could marry, and that took the
teeth out of spiritual practice in many cases. It also hastened
the decline of Buddhism in Japan, a trend which unfortunately
continues to this day. There are "accredited" temples
in Japan where anyone whose parent is a temple priest can
study for six months to three years and receive a certificate
allowing him to inherit his parent's temple and to conduct
ceremonies-usually funerals-to earn a living.
A few serious training temples still exist
in Japan, of which Sogen-ji is one. We are fortunate not to
be a priest-accrediting temple, so we are not thronged by
people who are interested only in getting that certificate.
The people who come to Sogen-ji are serious about practice,
and if they are not, they leave very quickly because it is
a strenuous lifestyle.
The word "sangha" is used in
a broad sense both in Rochester and at Sogen-ji and does not
refer to ordained people alone. Because so many lay practitioners
are serious, it is more difficult to distinguish those of
us who are ordained-who have made formal life-long commitments-and
those who have families and regular jobs in society yet still
meditate regularly each day and spend their vacation time
in sesshin. Lay practice is strong in America and in Europe
and is one of the directions in which Buddhism seems to be
going in the West.
Still, a number of us are called to dedicate
our entire lives to this practice. In my lineage this means
that when we work, we work for the Dharma and not for money.
We can be supported for our work, but it cannot be, for example,
architecture, engineering, secretarial work, or computer work.
Although being a hospice worker would be acceptable, in general
most ways that people earn money are not available to us.
This is an exercise in faith. As long as we remain in the
temple in Japan-which has been in existence for three hundred
years and has a strong base of support-we are supported. Our
basic needs are taken care of through donations to the temple.
In Rochester it is similar. Outside of these temples, however,
we are on our own.
The liturgy or the sutra chanting in Sogen-ji
and in Rochester is done in both English and Japanese. Our
teacher, Harada Shodo Roshi, is very unusual for a Japanese.
The only reason we chant in Japanese at all is because the
temple is in Japan. Lay supporters come sometimes, and Japanese
monks still live at the temple. Otherwise, he would have us
do the liturgy in English, the main language in the temple
after Japanese. Our teacher is intent on translating all the
chants into the languages of the people coming to train, so
that they can chant in their own language. He feels that if
we hear teachings in our own language they register more,
and this is true. If someone staying at Sogen-ji does not
speak Japanese, a Western woman who has learned Japanese well
over the years is happy to translate when needed. Although
Harada Shodo Roshi knows quite a bit of English, the subtle
kind of work that one has to do in the private meetings with
him requires a translator.
The Precepts
Every year at the Rochester Zen Center
three receiving the precepts ceremonies (jukai) for adults
and two for children take place. One is held at Thanksgiving,
because over the years Thanksgiving has been transformed into
a Buddhist holiday in our Zen centers. We also hold jukai
at New Years, and in the springtime at Vesak, the celebration
of the Buddha's birthday.
We take the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.
The first three are called the three general resolutions.
They are 1) to avoid evil, 2) to do good, and 3) to liberate
all sentient beings. These three cover the full range of actions
and are a tough order to follow. The next three precepts are
the three refuges, formulated as a vow. They are: "I
take refuge in Buddha and resolve that, with all beings, I
will understand the Great Way whereby the Buddha seed may
forever thrive. I take refuge in Dharma and resolve that,
with all beings, I will enter deeply into the sutra treasure,
whereby my wisdom may grow as vast as the ocean. I take refuge
in Sangha and in their wisdom, example, and never-failing
help, and resolve to live in harmony with all beings."
The final ten precepts are the ten cardinal precepts. Over
the years in Rochester we have worked refining the translation
of these precepts. They are each put forth as a two-faceted
precept, with something to refrain from and something to enhance.
They are:
- Not to kill, but to cherish all life
- Not to take what is not freely given,
but to respect all things
- Not to lie, but to speak the truth
- Not to engage in improper sexuality,
but to live a life of purity and self-restraint (How this
precept is kept depends on one's life circumstances)
- Not to take substances that confuse
the mind, but to keep the mind clear at all times (It is
worded in this way because so many things besides liquor
can confuse the mind)
- Not to speak of the misdeeds of others,
but to be understanding and sympathetic
- Not to praise oneself and disparage
others, but to work on one's own shortcomings
- Not to withhold spiritual or material
aid, but to give them freely where needed
- Not to indulge in anger, but to exercise
restraint
- Not to revile the Three Treasures
of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, but to cherish and uphold
them
In addition to our precept-taking ceremonies
and repentance and confession ceremonies, we work on these
precepts in our formal practice by using a long series of
koans. Because the precepts are so profound and can be seen
in many ways and at many levels, more than fifty koans are
dedicated to precept work, and it takes quite awhile to get
through them. The precepts are examined from many different
perspectives, beginning with the literal interpretation, proceeding
through the Mahayana understanding, and so on all the way
to their ultimate nature. In this way, we discover multiple
layers of understanding about each precept. To speak on the
precepts at all is difficult, because they are much more profound
than words can express. As soon as we say one thing, another
can also be said that comes at an angle to it and is correct
at a certain level.
Because we are still limited beings, we
make mistakes and transgress our precepts. To purify and restore
our precepts, we do a confession and repentance ceremony before
each sesshin, before each precept-taking ceremony, and at
other times as well. This ceremony has become a basis of serious,
deep practice in Rochester. Lay people are included in it,
unlike the custom in the strictly monastic traditions in Southeast
Asia, Tibet, and China. It has taken Westerners some years
to grasp the spirit of these ceremonies. Early on our understanding
was rather superficial, so many people attended only because
it was required. However, we have been transformed by Dharma
talks and practice, so now these confession and repentance
ceremonies have become deep and moving. We come out of them
feeling cleansed and inspired by people's struggles to keep
the precepts.
In Rochester, our confession and repentance
ceremony is based on the writings of Dogen, the Japanese master
who brought the Soto lineage from China. Before the ceremony
begins, the leader, who is a senior ordained person, talks
about the purpose of repentance and the spirit of the ceremony.
The ceremony opens with chanting and a moment of silence.
The leader then recites a piece that speaks of openly confessing
before the Buddhas and ancestors in order to purify ourselves.
After this, a stick of incense is lit and placed in a small
incense pot, which is passed from person to person. If we
have nothing to confess in that particular ceremony-which
rarely happens-we offer the incense pot for a moment and then
pass it on. If we have something to confess, we do so. The
confession has two parts: revealing our wrongdoings and resolving
not to continue those habitual patterns of behavior in the
future. When we finish our confession, other people may bring
up faults or wrong actions they have observed in us. If nothing
is brought up, we pass the incense pot to the next person.
The core of the ceremony is the repentance gatha, "All
evil actions I have committed since time immemorial, stemming
from greed, anger, and ignorance, arising from body, speech,
and mind, I now repent having committed." It is done
nine times toward the end of the ceremony just to cover whatever
we might have missed in our specific confession. Revealing
our mistakes in this way is very helpful for lightening the
heart and effecting change within us.
The Ordination Ceremony
It takes a long time before one is permitted
to be ordained in the Zen tradition, although in Japan exceptions
are made in the case of children expected to inherit a parent's
temple. Various levels of ordination exist. Especially in
the Soto Sect, lay people traditionally take the receiving
the precepts ceremony as a personal and public commitment
to Buddhist practice. At this lay ordination one takes the
sixteen bodhisattva precepts and receives a lay rakusu (miniature
Buddha's robe) and a lay Buddhist name.
Zen Buddhist monks, nuns, and priests
also take the sixteen bodhisattva precepts. However, while
lay people keep them within the context of a householder's
lifestyle, fully ordained people are expected to exemplify
them as fully as possible for the rest of their lives. In
addition, a fully ordained person in the Zen Buddhist tradition,
as practiced in Rochester, vows to dedicate his or her life
to the Buddhadharma, and in receiving the ordination robes
vows to use them for the welfare of all beings. Something
about this level of ordination is difficult to put into words.
It resembles the difference between living with someone and
getting married. When one is fully ordained the commitment
is greater, although the precepts we take are the same.
Because this commitment is intended to
be life-long, the full ordination is approached in stages.
First one receives the novice ordination, in which the same
precepts are taken and one's hair is cut, but neither the
robes nor the ordination name are given. A trial period follows,
during which the novice must live as an ordained person but
can choose not to take the final ordination or even to return
to lay life. By the same token, the teacher can choose not
to give the final ordination or to delay it.
Taking lay ordination simply requires
the firm wish to do so, but reaching the point of taking novice
ordination demands much more. At the Rochester Zen Center
one must have reached a certain level of practice and kept
the full practice schedule while living at the Center for
a minimum of two years. One then requests one's teacher to
grant the ordination. The teacher usually ignores or refuses
any number of requests to test the student's seriousness and
dedication. After receiving novice ordination, one continues
to practice and live in the community, and after a year or
two, one's progress is evaluated to determine if full ordination
will be given.
I have had the honor of shaving the heads
of some women before their novice ordination. We do the main
shaving privately, first shaving a big Zen circle on her head.
The circle is important in Zen Buddhism, the clip on our robes
also being circular. It symbolizes our Buddha nature, which,
like a circle, is perfect just as it is; one cannot add to
or take away from it. Then, we shave the rest of her hair,
except for a tiny topknot that the teacher will cut during
the ordination ceremony.
After bathing in solitude in a traditional
Japanese bath scented with incense for the occasion, the novice-to-be
dresses in a white underkimono. Then, in the ceremony proper,
she goes before the teacher and after repenting her wrongdoings,
is given the first robe. A pause occurs as we go back and
help her put it on. When she returns, she prostrates in turn
before the senior member of the ordained sangha, her parents,
the invited lay people, and the rest of the sangha. She then
goes before the teacher, who shaves off the little topknot
of hair with the words, "Now the appearance is ruined."
She receives the rest of her clothing-the outer robe and so
on-puts them on, takes the precepts, and does more prostrations.
Following this is a grand dinner for the sangha and guests
to celebrate the joyful occasion.
One woman's parents came from Germany
for her ordination, the first parents of a Westerner being
ordained at Sogen-ji to do so. Most Western parents are somewhat
aghast when their child chooses to abandon a promising career,
shave her head, and wear strange clothes for the rest of her
life. When I was ordained in Rochester, my two children, now
adults, came, which made me very happy. My parents and siblings
for various reasons did not. I do not believe my mother ever
came to terms with my ordination before she died, but my father
and I experienced a wonderful meeting of hearts recently.
I was deeply touched that he was finally able to accept my
decision and my way of life completely.
Many Westerners eventually accept the
ordination of a family member. As more of us take these robes,
it will become more acceptable. My children grew up in Buddhist
countries and went to temples with the Buddhist nanny who
worked for us. So when their mother was ordained as a Buddhist-something
no other American mother does-my children were fine with it.
Their support touched me deeply.
People often ask me why I became a priest.
I have tried to put words to that feeling ever since it happened
and have not been able to do it. The best I can say is that
I was searching for something as a child. When I was nine
years old, my grandmother gave me a Bible with my name engraved
in gold on it. I set up an altar under the basement stairs
in our house in Cleveland and searched through that Bible
for meaning; but it was beyond me in those days. As I grew
up, my family wanted me to become an art teacher, which I
did, and then went into graphic design, architecture, and
engineering, all of which I enjoyed. I raised a family, which
was fulfilling; but something was still missing. Finally,
I encountered Zen Buddhism and after ten years was ordained.
At that time, everything fell into place. This was right for
me: the square peg finally found the square hole after trying
to fit in round holes all my life. I have never regretted
this decision, even for a second.
I know lay people in the Rochester Zen
Center and in Sogen-ji who are just as dedicated to practice.
I think the difference might be that I have committed the
rest of my life to it; I am not going to do anything else.
I will not go back to engineering or architecture, though
I may do some in the process of whatever my Dharma work is.
Becoming enlightened is a personal possibility
for everybody. Everyone is there already; it is simply a matter
of uncovering our misperceptions, cleaning our glasses, and
seeing clearly what is already there-that we are already just
as perfect as that circle, except that due to delusion and
our misperceptions, we act otherwise. I would like to close
with Dai E Zenji's "Vow for Awakening":
"Our only prayer is to be firm in
our determination to give ourselves completely to the Buddha's
Way, so that no doubts arise however long the road seems to
be. To be light and easy in the four parts of our body, to
be strong and undismayed in body and in mind. To be free from
illness, and drive out both depressed feelings and distractions.
To be free from calamity, misfortune, harmful influences,
and obstructions. Not to seek the Truth outside of ourselves,
so we may instantly enter the right way. To be unattached
to all thoughts, that we may reach the perfectly clear bright
mind of prajna wisdom and have immediate enlightenment on
the great matter of birth and death. Thereby we receive the
transmission of the deep wisdom of the Buddhas to save all
sentient beings who suffer in the round of birth and death.
In this way we offer our gratitude for the compassion of the
Buddhas and patriarchs. Our further prayer is not to be extremely
ill or to suffer at the time of departure. To know its coming
seven days ahead so that we may quiet the mind to abandon
the body and be unattached to all things at the last moment,
wherein we return to the Original Mind in the realm of no
birth and no death, and merge infinitely into the whole universe
to manifest as all things in their true nature and, with the
great wisdom of the Buddhas, to awaken all beings to the Buddha
Mind. We offer this to all Buddhas and bodhisattva-mahasattvas
of the past, present, and future, in the ten quarters and
to the Maha Prajnaparamita."
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