Frequently Asked Questions. & Glossary

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Joel Black
6 years ago
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1 Frequently Asked Questions & Glossary

2 Clouds in Water Zen Center is a community devoted to awakening the heart of great wisdom and compassion. What is Clouds in Water Zen Center? The Clouds in Water Zen Center community is dedicated to spiritual practice in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition, a tradition in which meditation plays a central role. Our lineage is that of Dainin Katagiri Roshi who founded Zen practice in Minnesota in Most of us are lay students. Our practice takes many forms, including meditation, study, liturgy or ritual practice, focused conversation and social interaction, as well as support for families and children. Is membership required for participation? No. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join all activities. Membership is not required, but is the way regular participants express their commitment to the community and provide essential ongoing financial support. How is the Zen Center financed? Clouds in Water supports itself through donations, membership dues, and program fees. Who leads the Zen Center? Our Guiding Teacher, Byakuren Judith Ragir, provides overall leadership for teaching and practice. Ordained priests and other senior students share teaching and other practice support responsibilities. Executive Director, Sosan Theresa Flynn, manages administrative affairs. The staff works with the guidance of the Clouds in Water Board of Directors, the body that has ultimate responsibility for financial and other basic policy decisions. What is a Zen student? We call a Zen practitioner a student because we value the mind of the seeker, one who looks at experience and wishes to investigate and to learn more. What is zazen? Zazen is our practice of seated meditation. It is a practice of abiding in the world as it arises moment to moment with clarity, letting go of the anxious mind that limits us. What does participation in liturgy or chanting services entail? Together we offer our voices and attentive presence in chanting some of the treasured texts of our heritage and, in our words and bows, recommit ourselves to the path of wisdom and compassion for the welfare of all beings. All are welcome to participate in services. Experienced students are happy to help newcomers; chanting and bowing practices are learned through participation. What about robes and clothing? Priests are robed for formal practice activities and lay students may wear practice robes for some activities, but robes are not required for practice at Clouds in Water. Our dress code discourages shorts and encourages loosefitting clothing in muted, dark, or neutral colors, particularly for meditation and services. What are the bib-like garments some wear around their necks? The rakusu is a miniature buddha robe and signifies that the wearer has taken refuge and a vow to follow the Bodhisattva precepts (Buddhist ethical guidelines). Typically, the wearer has practiced for a year or more and studied the precepts with the Guiding Teacher, before making the commitment. The commitment ceremony is called lay ordination, or Jukai. Why shaved heads? By tradition, a student s head is shaved at priest ordination, an outward change in appearance that reflects a willingness to let go of all attachments. Many priests today do not maintain this monastic form, as they are also active in household and community life. What is a Practice Period? Twice a year, periods that may be two or three months in duration are set aside for special emphasis on deepened and consistent practice by those students who choose to participate. For a practice period, a student makes a commitment to a meditation and study schedule that can be managed 2 3

photos by Rebecca Pavlenko. in their life situation, but also provides incentive and support for a level of practice they might otherwise find difficult to sustain.

3 photos by Rebecca Pavlenko. in their life situation, but also provides incentive and support for a level of practice they might otherwise find difficult to sustain. Such a schedule often combines meditation at home with some degree of weekly participation at Clouds in Water. What is a practice meeting? A practice meeting is a one-on-one meeting with a priest or lay leader. This is an opportunity to ask questions and to deepen understanding through direct dialogue. How can I learn more about Zen Practice at Clouds in Water? An Introduction to Meditation class is offered one evening a month on a regular basis. A very brief introduction to meditation is offered every Sunday morning and once a month during noon time meditation. Please check the website for dates and times at cloudsinwater.org. Classes for new students cover fundamental teachings of the Buddha and other basics of Zen practice. In addition to classes, the daily morning sittings, open meditation at noon, and the Sunday morning service and dharma talk are good resources for learning about Zen Practice. The newsletter, other literature on the rack near our front door, and the website at cloudsinwater.org all offer information about opportunities at Clouds in Water. What is sesshin? Sesshin is an intensive meditation retreat. Clouds in Water sesshins are held generally once a month at the Center in St. Paul, and sometimes at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in southern Minnesota. In addition to meditation periods throughout the day, sesshin includes dharma talks, opportunity for dokusan, liturgy, work and formal meals. Sesshins are generally one, three, or seven days long and usually allow for partial participation. Introduction to Sesshin is offered in conjunction with many of the regular sesshins and provides a one-day opportunity for newer students to experience this practice. More informal retreats, also including Dharma talks, dokusan and liturgy are scheduled occasionally. What is a council practice? Many spiritual traditions have group meetings where silence and speaking interact. Ancient Buddhist and Native American practices have emphasized the value of listening to one another more carefully than we usually do. In council, participants speak in turn, or hold silence as they wish, and pay careful attention to the comments of others. The Clouds in Water community has found this form to be helpful for focused, honest and open communication. Councils often have a topic, which may be a matter of particular community concern, but may also be open to whatever participants want or need to bring forward. Zen Glossary Bodhicitta: 1) Our awakened heart that has three qualities: it is soft and gentle, which is compassion; it is clear and sharp, which is wisdom (prajna); and it is open (shunyata or emptiness). 2) Awakening mind or spirit; a mind that faces in the direction of Buddha; our original spiritual intention. Bodhisattva: 1) An enlightenment being ; a being who has, through practice, woken up yet puts her/his own enlightenment aside to help others to awaken. Compassion is the determining factor for this action. 2) An ordinary human being who takes up a course in life that moves in the direction of Buddha. Buddha: 1) Literally an awakened one ; 2) A person who lived 2600 years ago and saw through the veils of reality that we call the historical dimension, i.e., Siddhartha Gautama; 3) The potential for all of us to be awake, i.e., our Buddha Nature; 4) A synonym for absolute, ultimate reality devoid of color and all other properties. Dana: All aspects of giving. Generosity. The Dana Bowl, or the bowl that holds just enough, is a white ceramic bowl in which we place our offerings, the donation box by the front door is also used. Daiosho: Great Teacher, the honorary title given to a priest at a later stage of his life; title used after the name of each Zen ancestor in chanting the Zen lineage. Doan: Person responsible for leading the chants, ringing of bells and drumming during a Zen service (also the timekeeper during daily meditation practice). Dogen: The founder of the Soto School of Zen in Japan born in 1200 C.E. He also founded Eihei-ji, the principal Soto training monastery in Japan, and wrote the Shobogenzo, a central text in Soto Zen Buddhism. Dharma: 1) The teaching of the Buddha; 2) The truth manifesting in each moment; 3) The cosmic law underlying our world. Buddha s Enlightenment Day: Dokusan: One-on-one meeting between The day when the Buddha had his great a Zen teacher and student as part of the realization after a long period of sitting student s practice. in meditation under the Bodhi Tree. Celebrated on December 8th. Sometimes Eight-fold Noble Path: The path 4 called Bodhi Day. referred to in the fourth Noble Truth 5 which involves the practice of Right View

4 (Understanding), Right Intention(Thought), Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Note: Right in this sense means perfect or fully bloomed, realizing its potential. Eko: Words of dedication after the recitation or chanting of a Zen text. Emptiness (Shunyata): Openness, boundlessness, the dynamic working of impermanence and interdependence interdependent arising. The teaching that beings and things have no intrinsic existence that there is no independent, unchanging self. Enlightenment: Enlightenment is sometimes described as complete and perfect sanity, or awareness of the true nature of the universe. Four Noble Truths: The formula given by the Buddha of his basic teachings the truth of suffering; the truth of the cause of suffering; the truth of the end of suffering; and the truth of the path. Gassho: A bow from the waist, with hands held palms together in the prayer position. Gatha: A verse of four or more lines. Gathas are chanted during the day in connection with activities such as talks and meals. Han: A wooden plaque (located in Great Patience Hall at Clouds in Water) that is struck twice ten minutes before zazen, once five minutes before zazen, and also as a signal for dharma talks, work periods and the end of the day. Hara: The region in the lower abdomen that is the seat of awareness in zazen. It is located approximately two inches below the navel. Jikido: Leader who organizes and directs work practice known as samu ryo. Jisha: The attendant of a teacher. The Jisha assists the teacher during services, sesshins and interviews with students (dokusan), including attending to the teacher s personal needs. Jukai: The ceremony, witnessed by the community, at which a Zen student receives the Precepts and formally enters the stream of Buddhist practitioners. At Jukai, the student receives a Dharma (Buddhist) name, a rakusu (smallest Buddha robe which the student has sewn by hand), and a lineage chart of Zen ancestors including the teacher conducting the Jukai ceremony. Kalpa: An incredibly long period of time. One kalpa is likened to the length of time it would take for a mountain to be worn down if a bird flew by once every one hundred years and brushed the top of the mountain with a feather from its wing. Karma: A Buddhist teaching that every willed action, which may be accomplished through the body, mind or speech, necessarily produces a result. Actions are seeds that eventually ripen into fruits. Everything that arises in life is the result of all the causes and conditions leading up to it. Kinhin: Walking meditation. Koan: A brief story recording an exchange between Zen master and disciple or demonstrating a master s ground of being. Koans are used to help a student to realization or to help clarify his or her understanding. Mudra: Formal position in which the hands are held during sitting or walking meditation. Oryoki: Formal style in which meals are eaten during sesshin. Each person uses a set of bowls, utensils, and linens and is served at his/her meditation cushion. Oryoki is silent and is a continuation of the meditative experience. Paramitas: The six perfections or virtues practiced by a bodhisattva. They are wisdom, generosity, effort, meditation, patience, and ethical conduct (precepts). Prajna: Wisdom. The wisdom of being and seeing non-dual reality. Insight into knowing what is helpful and what is harmful. Precepts: Guidelines for ethical living. The Three Pure Precepts are: non-injury (avoid doing harm), beneficial actions (do good), save all beings. Roshi: Literally, old teacher. A form of address used with a dharma teacher of experience and accomplishment. Samsara: The world of life and death, of trouble, of pain and suffering, which we create over and over again through greed, anger, and self-delusion. Samu: Regularly-scheduled work practice, generally involving cleaning, maintaining and repairing the Zen Center, under the guidance of the Jikido. Sangha: 1) The community of practitioners seeking to wake up through following the teachings of the Dharma 2) total interconnection and interpenetration. Sesshin: An intense meditation retreat; literally means gathering the mind. Sensei: Teacher; used as a form of address used with a Zen teacher. Shashu: Hand position (mudra) used when walking or standing in the zendo. In Shashu, the left hand is closed with thumb tucked in and rested just below the breast bone, while the open right hand covers the left hand. Shikantaza: Just sitting without trying to achieve or change or grasp anything just sitting upright in the middle of your life as it is. Soto Zen: School of Zen that originated in China and was brought to Japan in the 13th century C.E. by Dogen. Zazen is the central practice in Soto Zen. Clouds in Water s founder and its current guiding teacher are in the Soto Zen lineage. Sutra: A dialogue or sermon conveying the teaching of the Buddha. Tathagatha: Another name for the Buddha. One literal translation is thus come, thus gone. Tenzo: The head cook in a monastery. Tenzo Kyokun: Instructions for the Zen cook written by Dogen. Three Poisons: Greed, hate and delusion, also called attraction, aversion and ignorance. Three Treasures: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Transmission: Formal recognition by an accomplished Zen teacher that a student is authorized to be a teacher. Transmission links the teacher to a lineage of Buddhist teachers which traditionally is traced back to the Buddha. Truth: Relative or Conventional Truth: Our histories, stories, relative to and dependent on something else. Ultimate or Absolute Truth: The ground of being, the ocean of being, in which nothing is fixed; reality itself. Vipassana Meditation: Meditation in which the practitioner stops conventional thinking, stabilizes, and looks deeply. Zafu: The round cushion used in sitting meditation. Zabuton: The rectangular cushion on which a zafu is placed for sitting meditation. Ino: One of the head positions in the Zen community (Sangha) who helps to lead many of the practice activities of the Sangha Zazen: Sitting meditation; see Shikantaza. under the direction of the Guiding Teacher. Zendo: The main meditation hall. 6 7

5 Clouds in Water Zen Center 308 Prince Street, Suite 120 Saint Paul, MN cloudsinwater.org

Dedication. Zen Practice Forms. May the merit of these practices extend to all sentient beings and free them from suffering. Bamboo in the Wind

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