Zen Training-Monastery Without Walls*
Zen practice can be conducted in isolation from
teachers and centers, and a certain amount of "progress"
in clarifying the mind (seeing things as they are) is possible
in such practice. However, deep thoroughgoing transformation,
the perfection of character manifesting in our everyday life,
is virtually impossible to accomplish practicing on one's own
where, in actuality, the ego is directing the practice. When one
begins to realize the extent of the ferocious and cunning self-preservative
instincts of the ego, one realizes beyond a shadow of a doubt
that one cannot rely on practicing on one's own, in a self-directed
manner, to gain real liberation from the bonds of ego-delusion.
Ego is always egotistical. Self-interest pervades every aspect
of our behavior. The opportunistic ego is ever present, or at
the very least, stands impatiently in the wings waiting to spring
forth onto center stage.
One who feels deeply the urgency of attaining the Great Death
in this lifetime must, therefore, enlist as much help as possible
to dispatch the "feverish clod of ailments and grievances"
that is the ego, one's small self. Training is essential for substantial
ego attrition by bringing to bear, from the outside as well as
from within, reinforcements against the forces of greed, anger,
and delusion that have plagued us since beginningless time. In
order for ego attrition to take place, it is necessary, then,
to work very closely with a teacher and a group of like-minded
practitioners on a regular ongoing basis, subjecting one's self
to the discipline, instructions, and guidance of the teacher and
others who have had longer training and are more advanced in their
practice. Specifically this means:
- the willingness to put aside one's preconceptions, likes, dislikes,
and preferences and to simply bow and serve, doing any kind of
work asked of one;
- accepting a certain amount of discomfort and inconvenience
imposed by the request of the teacher;
- accepting corrections, and when necessary, rebuke in the same
spirit in which it is offered; and
- putting others before one's self by giving time and energy
to serve the Center, and other organizations and persons that
promise no personal gain whatsoever.
These practices or disciplines, in part, form the essence and
design of monastic training.
Monastery Without Walls is a training program that attempts to
adapt important aspects of the monastic approach to the spiritual
work of ego attrition and realization, making them accessible
to the highly motivated lay practitioner. This program offers
the lay practitioner, under the guidance and instructions of the teachers,
the opportunity to work with others in participating in each aspect
of the Center (administrative, maintenance, and zendo) in such
a manner that serves the Sangha, diminishes the ego, settles the
mind, and brings peace to one's self and the world. This training
is the realization of the Buddha Dharma through the proper activity
of maintaining our Center. Such training in all of the Center's
activities involves continual contact with the teachers, working with
other members, giving of one's time and energy, and putting others
before one's self. Maintaining the Center's activities, under
the watchful direction of the teacher and senior students provides
a rich opportunity for practice.
Those accepted into the Monastery Without Walls engage in intensive
training by participating in the practice/training forms to the
degree that their life circumstances and proximity to the Center
allow.
Participants make a specific commitment to some or all of the
following training forms:
- Dokusan
- Shosan
- Teishos
- Every-Minute Zen
- Samu
- All-Day Sittings
- Sesshins
- Doctrinal Study
- Community Outreach
- Art Practice
Also, participants accept a rotation of positions,
assigned by the teachers, in the zendo by way of training, in accordance
with their time availability. The zendo positions often require
considerable training.
Master Hakuin, speaking of the arduous training conditions of
the past, warned: "If the difficulties of training in the
past were right, then the easiness of today is wrong. If the easiness
of today is right, then the difficulties of the past were wrong."
It is hoped that those in the program will see the necessity for
simplifying their lives, diminishing their needs, and living a
rigorous and disciplined life by way of nourishing their spirituality.
