Clergy roles and training within the Sanshin lineage
As a member of the Soto Zen clergy, you will have internalized the practice and tradition, become capable of transmitting it to others, and vowed to make your own practice and supporting and assisting others in their practice the central focus of your life. As one who inherits the spirit of our dharma family, you carry out these activities within the context of the Sanshin style.
There are many ways to engage with the core elements of the Sanshin style, and diverse and complementary activities can serve as dharma gates. All dharma leaders have their own abilities, interests, skills, talents and experiences to share with practitioners, and this body and mind and these causes and conditions are the ground of our practice. This is what we work with in leading others. Our task is to make real the essential teachings that underlie the Sanshin style in ways that are appropriate and meaningful for the people in front of us and contribute to the development of strong, healthy and vibrant sanghas. At the same time we must not lose touch with the spirit of what our teachers were and are trying to emphasize. The transition from practicing along with Okumura Roshi to becoming a network of viable and self-sustaining practice communities that embody the Sanshin style is a significant challenge.
But being clergy is more than giving whiz-bang dharma talks and swanning around in pretty robes. We need to be competent in all aspects of the role, whether or not we think we’ll need those skills. Administration, for instance, is an area many novices would rather ignore. However, when it comes time to start or take over a temple, Zen center or sitting group, we need to know about governance documents, organization development, budgets and strategic planning as well as how to recruit directors and work with a board. We may plan never to do formal pastoral care, but we still need skills in spiritual direction simply to listen to and care for the people we encounter in the workplace or on the bus. Academic study might not be one’s favorite thing, but we need some competency in basic research and writing if we’re to give the occasional talk or even write an article once in awhile for the sangha’s newsletter.
Whatever your aspiration, taking novice vows is a career change that puts your practice and training at the center of your life. While you may still hold a job in the world, you will no longer be putting a priority on career advancement. Rather than being a worker who happens to practice, you’ll have become a clergy member who happens to work in the world.
Within Sanshin, laypeople can and do take responsibility for some aspects of practice operations. It’s just as common to see a lay practitioner or an ordained person serving as jikido, jisha or zazen instructor. Lay sangha members can certainly represent Sanshin. However, there are some functions that are reserved for people in robes. Okumura Roshi asks laypeople who organize their own sitting groups to be careful not to become formal teachers for others. At Sanshin the laity do not serve as doshi, give precepts, conduct dharma workshops, officiate at funerals or lead sesshin.
As part of your discernment process before ordination, you will have given some consideration to what kind of dharma leadership you’re interested in and well-suited to provide, and will have formulated your personal vow(s) (別願 betsugan). There are various ways to serve as clergy; not all novices will stay in Bloomington for the long term and not all will ultimately run temples. Once training and authorization requirements are complete, you may choose to work in hospital or prison chaplaincy, academic research and teaching, the arts, writing and publishing, social work, health care or many other arenas. All of these can be appropriate vehicles for making available the teachings and practices of the Sanshin lineage. Of course, you may choose to become a traditional Soto Zen clergy member and spend your time caring for a temple and sangha.
There are many ways to engage with the core elements of the Sanshin style, and diverse and complementary activities can serve as dharma gates. All dharma leaders have their own abilities, interests, skills, talents and experiences to share with practitioners, and this body and mind and these causes and conditions are the ground of our practice. This is what we work with in leading others. Our task is to make real the essential teachings that underlie the Sanshin style in ways that are appropriate and meaningful for the people in front of us and contribute to the development of strong, healthy and vibrant sanghas. At the same time we must not lose touch with the spirit of what our teachers were and are trying to emphasize. The transition from practicing along with Okumura Roshi to becoming a network of viable and self-sustaining practice communities that embody the Sanshin style is a significant challenge.
But being clergy is more than giving whiz-bang dharma talks and swanning around in pretty robes. We need to be competent in all aspects of the role, whether or not we think we’ll need those skills. Administration, for instance, is an area many novices would rather ignore. However, when it comes time to start or take over a temple, Zen center or sitting group, we need to know about governance documents, organization development, budgets and strategic planning as well as how to recruit directors and work with a board. We may plan never to do formal pastoral care, but we still need skills in spiritual direction simply to listen to and care for the people we encounter in the workplace or on the bus. Academic study might not be one’s favorite thing, but we need some competency in basic research and writing if we’re to give the occasional talk or even write an article once in awhile for the sangha’s newsletter.
Whatever your aspiration, taking novice vows is a career change that puts your practice and training at the center of your life. While you may still hold a job in the world, you will no longer be putting a priority on career advancement. Rather than being a worker who happens to practice, you’ll have become a clergy member who happens to work in the world.
Within Sanshin, laypeople can and do take responsibility for some aspects of practice operations. It’s just as common to see a lay practitioner or an ordained person serving as jikido, jisha or zazen instructor. Lay sangha members can certainly represent Sanshin. However, there are some functions that are reserved for people in robes. Okumura Roshi asks laypeople who organize their own sitting groups to be careful not to become formal teachers for others. At Sanshin the laity do not serve as doshi, give precepts, conduct dharma workshops, officiate at funerals or lead sesshin.
As part of your discernment process before ordination, you will have given some consideration to what kind of dharma leadership you’re interested in and well-suited to provide, and will have formulated your personal vow(s) (別願 betsugan). There are various ways to serve as clergy; not all novices will stay in Bloomington for the long term and not all will ultimately run temples. Once training and authorization requirements are complete, you may choose to work in hospital or prison chaplaincy, academic research and teaching, the arts, writing and publishing, social work, health care or many other arenas. All of these can be appropriate vehicles for making available the teachings and practices of the Sanshin lineage. Of course, you may choose to become a traditional Soto Zen clergy member and spend your time caring for a temple and sangha.
