THE STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE OF ZEN:
WHY IT IS NECESSARY

(Please note: If you have not done the Introduction to Zen evening, we suggest you don’t read this page until you have done so, as it will make more sense to you then.)

Now that you have had the experience of Zen meditation with a sangha, in a zendo, you will surely be aware that Zen is a rather disciplined practice. There is a certain way to sit, a certain way to hold your hands, a certain way to walk and so forth. Why is this so?

Ultimately, Zen is about seeing into the nature of reality- the true nature of reality and not just what appears on the surface. It is about seeing ‘who I really am’, not ‘who I think I am or think I should be’. But in order to do this, one must first be in the present moment – with the ‘just this’ and the ‘just now’ of the present moment. This is an extremely difficult thing to do. The reason is that our mind keeps taking us out of the present moment into either the past or the future; we so rarely seem to be in the present. Either we’re re-writing the past, what it could have been and so forth, or we’re worrying about or planning or imagining the future And, if we are in the present moment, most of the time our mind views the ‘just this’ and the ‘just now’ of that moment as unacceptable, criticizing and judging, wanting it to be something else or wishing that it not change.

Zen trains us to remain in the present moment, to accept the present reality just as it is, and thus, gives us the chance to see through the trappings of that moment into what it really is. Seeing into the nature of reality (kensho in Japanese) is called awakening or enlightenment.

However, remaining in the present moment requires discipline and structure. And that is why, in the zendo, we begin with the disciplines of the body, hands, walk and so forth. Only when the body is relatively still, only when the prescribed structures are accepted and mindfully carried out, can the mind begin to move towards stillness.

Learning to accept reality as it is, is the very core of Zen practice. In its foundational stage, this is all that we are meant to do in our practice. And, in zazen, this simply means to come back, over and over and over, to the reality that is the belly breathing a breath. Anything else is too much.

Zen is not a feeling, it is not an idea, it is not some goal to be reached, it is not bliss being realized. It is about practicing coming back over and over and over to the ‘just this’ and the ‘just now’, and not following the illusions and the seductions of the mind. It is about developing ‘our muscle’ of awareness and attention which, with practice, will eventually hold us in the ‘just this’ naturally and effortlessly.

However, as with anything else, in order to do it we have to – do it. There are no short cuts in Zen . As an ancient Zen master said: "If you practice Zen, you must actually practice it". And the structure and discipline of Zen is the tool which helps us do it; to stay the course, in order that we can wake up to who we really are and so live free and generous lives. For once we can develop the ability to remain with the ‘just this’ in zazen, we will discover that we can remain with whatever happens in our lives – no matter what it is – and find that it is always – all right.

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JUKAI

Jukai means “to receive the precepts”. It is a Zen practitioner’s formal entry into the Way of the Buddha. The program consists of a study and preparation period followed by the jukai ceremony which usually takes place in May. A person usually needs to be sitting with the sangha for a year to be eligible for the program.

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ZEN COUNCIL PRACTICE

The Native American practice of council, used in a growing number of White Plum sanghas, is an important part of our growth as a Zen community. It takes place once a month (please check schedule)

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THE ALTAR

The altar is a metaphor for each of us.
On it is found objects that signify the four elements of which we are all composed:
Fire...the candle
Air....incense
Water....the water bowl
Earth....the flowers
It also holds a statue of the Buddha.
Buddha, which means the enlightened one, is....our enlightened self.

Therefore, whenever we bow to the altar we are, in effect, bowing to our whole self.
This can be a teaching in itself.

In addition to the above, our altar holds the Remembrance Book in which we write names of people or other sentient beings we wish to hold in our practice. The Remembrance Book can be found on the small table outside the daisan room before each sitting (except in the weekday morning sittings) for you to write in names if you wish. It is carried up and placed on the altar at the beginning of the sitting. The names are not read aloud.
More on the Remembrance Book can be found on its front page.

Also, lying in front of the altar, is the shippei, the teaching symbol given to a Zen teacher on transmission.

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CHANTING

Profound teachings, in any tradition, are always chanted, and Zen is no exception.
We chant one of the Short Verses at the beginning and close of our all sittings (except at the daily morning sittings) as well as before a Dharma Talk.
On your way into the zendo, please take one of the Short Verses cards from the holder by the zendo door and keep it under your mat until ready for use.
We chant the Heart Sutra or The Great Sutra of Perfect Understanding, which is the heart of Mahayana teaching, at the close of our sittings on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Sheets are distributed.
On zazenkai days and at sesshin, we also chant, in addition to the above, The Sandokai or The Identity of Relative and Absolute.
And, on special occasions such as the celebrations of the Buddha’s Enlightenment and the Buddha’s birth, the Ancient Lineage of the White Plum Asangha is chanted by Sensei.

Here are the chants for you to look over and to learn by heart if you continue sitting with us.

Gata of Purification
All the evil karma ever created by me of old
On account of my beginningless greed, hatred, and ignorance
Born of my conduct, speech and thought
I repent of it now

Gata on Opening the Sutra
The Dharma, incomparably profound and infinitely subtle
Is rarely encountered even in millions of ages
Now we see it, hear it, receive and maintain it:
May we completely realize the Tathagata’s true meaning

Great Vows For All
Creations are numberless–
I vow to free them.
Delusions are inexhaustible–
I vow to put an end to them.
Dharmas are boundless–
I vow to perceive them.
The Enlightened Way is unsurpassable–
I vow to embody it


Evening Gata
Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken....
Awaken....
Take heed.
This night your days are diminished by one.
Do not squander your life.



Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra
(The Great Sutra of Perfect Understanding)
Avolokitesvara Bodhisattva (The Awakened One Of Compassion),
doing deep prajna paramita,
Clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions,
thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
O Shariputra (a disciple), form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no
other than form; Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form;
Sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
O Shariputra, all dharmas are forms of emptiness, no born, not destroyed;
not stained, not pure, without loss, without gain; So in emptiness there is
no form, no sensation; conception, discrimination, awareness,
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena;
No realm of sight…no realm of consciousness.
No ignorance and no end to ignorance
No old age and death and no end to old age and death;
No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path;
No wisdom and no gain. No gain and thus the bodhisattva lives prajna
paramita with no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear,
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is nirvana.
All past, present and future Buddhas live prajna paramita,
And therefore attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (perfect enlightenment)
Therefore know, prajna paramita is the great mantra, the vivid mantra, the
best mantra, the unsurpassable mantra;
It completely clears all pain–this is the truth, not a lie.
So set forth the Prajna Paramita Mantra,
Set forth this mantra and say:
Gate! Gate! (Gone, Gone)
Paragate (Gone Beyond)
Parasamgate! (Fully Beyond)
Bodhi! Svaha! (Awake, Rejoice)
Prajna Heart Sutra.

IDENTITY OF RELATIVE & ABSOLUTE (Sandokai)
The mind of the great sage of India is intimately
Conveyed from West to East.
Among human beings are wise ones and fools,
But in the Way there is no northern or southern patriarch.
The subtle source is clear and bright.
The tributary streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion.
To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
Each and all, the subjective and objective spheres are related
And at the same time independent.
Related, yet working differently, though each keeps its own place.
Form makes the character and appearance different.
Sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort.
The dark makes all words one,
The brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their nature as a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, wind moves, water is wet, earth hard.
Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes the salt and sour.
Each is independent of the other.
Cause and effect must return to the great reality.
The words high and low are used relatively.
Within light there is darkness,
But do not try to understand that darkness.
Within darkness there is light,
But do not look for that light.
Light and darkness are a pair,
Like the foot before and the foot behind in walking.
Each thing has its own intrinsic value and is
Related to everything else in function and position.
Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box and its lid.
The absolute works together with the relative
Like two arrows meeting in midair.
Reading words you should grasp the great reality.
Do not judge by any standards.
If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened:
Do not waste your time by night or day.

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SUGGESTED READING

These books, among others, are available in our library for reference.
However, only members are able to borrow books.
Books can be purchased at East/West Books, 76 5^th Avenue (between 13^th and 14^th Streets).

The Still Point: An Introduction to Zen Meditation
John Daido Loori
An excellent basic primer on the "technicals" of Zen practice

On Zen Practice
Taizan Maezumi and Bernie Glassman
Basic Zen teachings from Maezumi Roshi and other Zen teachers

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Shunryu Suzuki
A Zen classic, comprised of various talks given by Suzuki Roshi

Everyday Zen and Nothing Special
Charlotte Joko Beck
Zen in everyday life

Buddha
Karen Armstrong
An excellent book on the life of the Buddha

Zen Around the World
Annellen and C, Alexander Simpkin
A concise history of Zen
No longer in print but available second hand through Amazon

The Buddhist magazines:
Tricycle
Buddhadharma
Shambhala Sun

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WARM UP EXERCISES

Please note:
We have an illustrated version of Warm Up Exercises created by members of our sangha. If you would like a copy, please ask the practice leader or the jitsu any time you are at the zendo.

Warm-Up Exercises

It’s a good idea to loosen up before sitting (or during breaks in longer sitting) whenever possible. The following sequence of poses will take about 15 min. Always consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

One: Begin in a standing position, feet about hip-distance apart. Take a nice, slow inhale, and as you exhale, slowly roll your upper body down toward the floor, starting with the top of your head. You can keep your knees bent, and only go as far as you comfortably can. Take hold of opposite elbows with your hands, and let your head dangle freely. Stay with a few breaths, and when you’re ready, release your elbows and slowly roll back up with your inhale, letting your head come up last.

Two: You can also do this forward bend with the support of a chair. Roll down slowly until your arms rest on the chair seat. Breathe a few breaths, and when you’re ready, roll slowly back up on the inhale.

Three: You’ll need a little bit of wall space for this. Sit on the floor, and with either your right or left side in contact with the wall, scoot your seat as close to the wall as you can. Bring your legs up the wall and let your upper body rest on the floor. Stay here and breathe for a few minutes.

More Stretches

Begin in your usual zazen posture. It need not be cross-legged. You can do these seated poses while sitting on a seiza bench or chair.

One: Cross your hands behind your head and with your elbows out, and as you take a nice slow inhale, arch your back a little and look up toward the ceiling.

Two: As you exhale, round over. You can repeat steps one and two a few times, matching the movements to the breath.

Three: As you inhale, bring your arms straight up and alongside your ears.

Four: As you exhale, take an easy twist to your right. You can place your left hand on your right knee, and your right hand behind you to help keep you upright.

Five: As you inhale, return to facing front with your arms alongside your ears. As you exhale, take an easy twist to the left.

Six: As you inhale, return to facing front, bring your arms back up alongside your ears, as you exhale, take a gentle side bend to the right. Inhale to come upright, then as your exhale, take a gentle side bend to the left.

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