Oryoki Meal

In Zen training we learn to recognize our Buddha nature and to allow it to manifest freely in everyday life situations. The joy and happiness found within naturally bring about an unconditional love for all life. However, in order for this to happen it is essential to cut through conditioned patterns of thinking, feeling and conduct, since these keep us locked into an egocentric perspective. Therefore Buddhist practitioners take refuge in the Three Treasures - the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Most effective when addressed together, these Treasures are reliable buoys in the sea of confusion. They are intricately interwoven and can be appreciated on many different levels. Most obviously they stand for the face to face relationship between teacher and student (Buddha), the actual training that is required (Dharma), and a close association with other practitioners (Sangha). At Zen River the Three Treasures are articulated into Four Elements of Training: 1) Meditation, 2) Ritual, 3) Study and 4) Social Interaction.

1) Meditation is the main focus of Zen River and serves as a base for all other elements. The lineage that Tenkei Roshi represents belongs to the Soto school of Zen, but is also influenced by Rinzai school training methods. Maezumi Roshi, his teacher's teacher, received transmission from masters of both schools and taught his students accordingly. That means that besides shikantaza meditation, koans are practiced extensively. This combination has the advantage of providing a broad range of methods so that the needs of individual students can be met. In shikantaza one learns to stop interfering with the natural functioning of the mind and to become aware of the basic goodness inherent in all of us. In its simplicity it is the most natural and at the same time the most difficult practice. Finding more space within, we dare to allow more room for people and situations to speak to us directly, so our responses become more natural and fitting. This wonderful ability can be experienced on many different levels, and is for most people hard to appreciate fully without actively questioning conditioned patterns of thoughts and feelings. Koans have proven to be very helpful in this respect. These are recorded dialogues between masters and students of old that express the teaching in a nutshell. In actual practice they are used as meditation devices. The teacher gives the student a koan as a question to be resolved in zazen (meditation) and expects a lively response in dokusan (private interview). Non-rational in character, the koan cuts through dualistic thinking and allows students to experience themselves and the world as one undivided whole. More advanced koans deal with the apparent variety within this unity, the inseparability of these two aspects, and the way we can express this paradox in loving speech and beneficial action. The complete curriculum transmitted in the White Plum Lineage involves a series of introductory koans, the collections of the Mumonkan, Hekiganroku, Denkoroku, Shoyoroku, Tozan's Five Ranks and the Precepts.

2) Ritual is seen as an essential counterpart to meditation. Both elements of training complement each other in many ways. For example, whereas in zazen the emphasis is more on our individual responsibility and independence, in ritual the emphasis is more on communal responsibility and our inevitable mutual dependency. This corresponds with the basic tenet of Mahayana Buddhism that we all can realize buddhahood through our own efforts and yet can only do so with the help and vision of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Looking at it from another angle, we could also say that in zazen we are in a prime position to receive Buddha wisdom, whereas in ritual we have an opportunity to give back freely. At Zen River, besides a morning service every day - which includes the offering of incense, bowing and chanting - there are also midday and evening services during Ango training periods and sesshin. In these services all participants play an active role, and over time learn to take on certain positions like Ino (chant leader), Doan (bells), Mokugyo (wooden drum), Dennan (handing out sutra-books) etc. Special services like Fusatsu (atonement ceremony), Segaki (ceremony for hungry ghosts) are held regularly and others including Jukai (lay-ordination), Tokudo (monk-ordination), weddings and funerals, whenever the need arises. Oryoki (formal meals in the zendo) is practiced during retreats. In these ceremonial activities we learn to pay meticulous attention, to express gratitude, and to connect physically with the tradition. It allows us to diverge from standard behavioral norms and communicate a deep sense of interconnectedness in a well-tested choreography. In that sense they serve as active group meditations and counterbalance the stillness and solitude of zazen. Most importantly, these ancient rituals can give us cues on how to move through life, as ordinary activities, like getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, washing up, parking the car, saying hello and shaking hands, can all be seen as ritual. Recently the arts, particularly music, painting and gardening, have found their way into the programme as another form of ritual.

3) The study of Buddhist texts is used as yet another way to open the mind. The objective is not so much to become experts on Buddhist literature, but to see how scriptures of the various time periods of Buddhism can help us wake up to our innate wisdom. In combination with actual meditation training with a living teacher, the words of the old masters start to resonate on ever deeper levels and also serve as a testing device for true understanding. On Wednesday nights during the regular daily schedule and on every day during sesshin, Tenkei Roshi gives Teisho (alive presentation of dharma) often using a koan, a short text by Dogen Zenji (like chapters from Eihei Koroku) or other examples of dharma literature for inspiration. At Zen River a growing library gives ample opportunity for individual reading and there are various weekly study groups. In one that meets every Sunday morning, a Buddhist classic is read one chapter at the time and discussed in the light of its practical application. The emphasis is on works by Dogen Zenji (mostly Shobogenzo in various English translations), with commentaries by modern masters if available. On Monday nights the River of Zen group goes through excerpts of Buddhist texts in a historical sequence, from the early Indian sutras to the Chinese koans, the Japanese literature and works of contemporary teachers. The Right Speech group, held on Tuesday afternoons, allows students to present their understanding on a particular subject. Sometimes this subject is chosen beforehand, for example certain chapters of the Nikayas, the Lotus and other sutras, and sometimes Tenkei Roshi spontaneously raises an issue that suits the occasion. Either way it provides an opportunity for everyone to practice speaking up and to learn expressing the dharma in live words.

4) Social interaction as Zen practice explores ways to manifest our true nature in the everyday world - in other words, where it really counts. Working together as a sangha, we can - in a conducive environment - learn to express wisdom and compassion, and then to integrate these into our individual life situations. It also gives chances for personal transformation in a milieu that tolerates and encourages change. By creating space within us we learn to allow situations to speak for themselves, rather than to judge them by means of projections. Over time one's own vision and calling start to become apparent, which leads to a more skillful navigation of life's twists and turns. At Zen River resident monastics and non-resident members practice together and the programme tries to provide a matrix for training that can also be maintained at home. Samu (temple-cleaning, kitchen duties, renovation projects, gardening, sewing, administration etc.) is a big part of this element of training, as are the reception of guests, special celebrations, and events such as the Open House and the Family Week with special activities for children. From the time it moved into the Uithuizen property, in November 2002, Zen River has reached out to the local community and already enjoys many fruitful connections. Public services are held every Sunday night. On a nationwide and international level social interaction includes hosting representatives and guest teachers from abroad and a student-exchange programme, particularly with training temples in Japan.

Revised June 2009