“
― Suzuki Roshi
“Daily sitting is our bread and butter, the basic stuff of dharma.
Without it we tend to be confused.”
― Charlotte Joko Beck
Back in the day, there
were quite a few of us that were drawn to Zen because of its seemingly irreverent and iconoclastic tenor and tone.
To a bunch of 1960's hippies, peaceniks, and radicals, the traditional tales of zen monks seemed "right on!"
“Daily sitting is our bread and butter, the basic stuff of dharma.
Without it we tend to be confused.”
― Charlotte Joko Beck
To a bunch of 1960's hippies, peaceniks, and radicals, the traditional tales of zen monks seemed "right on!"
Those dudes were kicking over water jugs, writing poems lauding drunkeness, unabashedly
proclaiming that Buddha was a "shit stick", raising all sorts of hell. Those Zennies were our kind of people.
Little did I know...
Once I actually connected with a teacher and a sangha, a different reality emerged. I found that the foundation of Zen Buddhism, like that of other spiritual traditions throughout the world, rests squarely on a set of rules. Rather than becoming a member of another tribe of free form hippies, Zen training meant making a personal commitment to a teacher, and observing a clear set of vows and precepts.
Little did I know...
Once I actually connected with a teacher and a sangha, a different reality emerged. I found that the foundation of Zen Buddhism, like that of other spiritual traditions throughout the world, rests squarely on a set of rules. Rather than becoming a member of another tribe of free form hippies, Zen training meant making a personal commitment to a teacher, and observing a clear set of vows and precepts.
When I ordained with Thich Nhat Hanh's Tien Hiep Order, there were the Three Jewels and the 5
Mindfulness Trainings as preliminaries. Then we received the 14 Training vows of the Order. In
the White Plum Sanghas I practiced with, I was faced with Taking Refuge in the Triple Gems, the Four Bodhisattva Vows, the Three Pure Precepts, and the 10 Essential Precepts. .
WTF?
Jeez. Growing up I only had to worry about the Ten Commandments! Now? This was somewhere near twice as many rules. So much for "doing your own thing!"
Or so it seemed.
(READ MORE)
WTF?
Jeez. Growing up I only had to worry about the Ten Commandments! Now? This was somewhere near twice as many rules. So much for "doing your own thing!"
Or so it seemed.
(READ MORE)
