| issue number one - September, 2000 Nonduality
Salon Magazine
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Zen Bamboo Warning Stick
by
OH (aka Old Hag, Indra, Amrita Nadi...)
Mirror:
"Do teachers actually whack their students on the
head with a stick?"
Hello, Mirror dear: This whacking by teachers is only in
Zen Buddhism, not in the other schools (Theravada,
Vajrayana (Tibetan), Pure Land, etc.). It is part of the
Zen tradition, and has been used for hundreds of years as
a means to "wake up" the student, or at the
least, to urge them on, in their sitting (it is primarily
used when a student is meditating (zazen). The old
masters used all kinds of "violent" methods to
jolt their students out of their delusions - whacking
them seemed the primary one - it reportedly produced many
enlightened beings. (The book Skye quoted from is over 20
years old, i believe, and the dialogue is from a
monastery in Japan.)
This practice has not been accepted too freely in the
West, it seems - i think probably because we associate
whacking with abusive parents rather than loving
teachers. ,^)) hmm...of course, there were the nuns...lol
The Zen monastery that i stayed in in the U.S. (ZMM)
modified the practice to a monitor walking up and down
behind the meditators. Here is their definition: "The
kyosaku (long flat stick carried by zendo monitors during
periods of zazen) is used only when a sitter explicitly
requests it for relief of shoulder, back or neck tension.
Its use is an expression of compassion. To request the
kyosaku, put your hands in gassho as the monitor
approaches your seat. When the monitor stops in front or
behind you, the two of you gassho, together. Offer one
shoulder by bending your head to the side, and then offer
the other. After the monitor has struck both acupressure
points, bow again and the monitor will move on. The use
of the kyosaku serves to keep the atmosphere in the zendo
crisp and awake."
i was a bit leery of staying there initially because of
the"stick", but soon got used to hearing it -
there was no feeling of violence connected to it any
time. There was this constant urgency to wake up, very
often with verbal reminders. "Keep going - you can
do it! This is the most important time of your
life!" etc. The last week of every month (sesshin),
one sits zazen from 5AM until 10 PM every day, (with
teachings, interviews, walking meditation, morning and
evening rituals as breaks), and this encouragement is
welcomed.
The call of Zen Buddhism is a sense of urgency to use
every moment of our lives, in this, the greatest endeavor
a human being can undertake. Every evening, in a Zen
monastery, the head monk recites this gatha: "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....(here he goes up an octave)...Do not squander
your life."
After my stay at the Zen monastery, i went immediately
over to the Tibetan Buddhist monastery where i usually
visit. They welcomed me with knowing smiles, telling me
that they are often a haven for those who have survived
the Zen stay. "Everyone from ZMM comes here for a
little R & R." The contrast was obvious: at the
Zen monastery, everything is immaculate, impeccable, and
a tight schedule is followed every minute.
At the Tibetan monastery, there are teaching and chanting
schedules and you can go or not - your whole routine is
up to you. At the Zen monastery, they have meals that are
ritualized, so even your eating is a meditation - quite
beautiful actually for a hundred people to eat in
silence, in unison, in the zendo.
The Tibetan center lays out a sumptuous buffet, and you
take what you want - seconds fine, and eat out on a patio
overlooking distant mountains, with deer chomping away on
the green slope before you. If flies swarm, you just
brush them away, and talking to one another is fine.
i would imagine that each tradition serves it purpose for
particular student's needs. i was more familiar with the
Tibetan, and with Hindu ashrams, so going to the Zen
monastery was an excellent opportunity to see if i had
the balls or not ,^)). As someone mentioned, rather like
basic training. Rough while going through it, but a sense
of accomplishment afterwards. And even more importantly,
for some of us indulgent, spoiled Westerners, like old
woman, a source of self discipline.
One of the things i learned in the Zen monastery was how
to clean something. Hoboy! You are set a
"chore" for 4 hours a day. A monk monitors your
work. For example, five of us were assigned to clean the
kitchen for the 4 hours. i would scrub the countertop -
my assigned section - diligently, making sure it was as
clean as could be, and bow before the monk when i thought
it was done. She would come over and inspect, and point
out all the crevices and cracks i had missed. When as a
group we felt we were finished, she might stand there,
survey our work, and then say, "you know, i think it
might be a good idea to take everything out of the
cabinets, clean the surfaces, wash and dry everything,
and put it back." And off we would go.... So,
anyway, i have looked at straightening up my garbage pile
a lot differently since then.,^))
Well, i have been rambling. Hope some of this is helpful.
All of above is just reporting. For old woman, only
whacking she does is in her dreams when Richard (Gere)
visits pile.
"....Within light there is darkness, but do not try
to understand the darkness. Within darkness there is
light, but do not look for the light. ...the absolute
works together with the relative like two arrows meeting
in mid-air. 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 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 day or night."
From Idenity of Relative and Absolute, chanted in some
Zen rituals
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