shuso

Serving as shuso at Sanshin

Congratulations on your appointment as shuso for a practice period (ango) at Sanshin Zen Community. You‘re being given the opportunity to assist and support the sangha and its leaders while developing your own leadership skills and finding your voice as a dharma teacher.

Your appointment as shuso is to some degree an acknowledgement of your experience and commitment, but is more importantly a time for you to train seriously in the skills and knowledge you will need to lead your own sangha someday as a fully-authorized member of the Sōtō Zen clergy. Consider yourself student clergy, student teacher, student administrator, student officer, and student of every function in the temple. Today’s Western Sōtō Zen temples rely on their clergy to guide and direct all aspects of their operations, partnering with board members, other staff (if there are any), volunteers, donors and the community. Ango practice, as well as residence in a training temple, is designed to introduce trainees to the skills they need to function as clergy on their own. Where are your skill gaps? How will you put yourself in a position to close them?

You’ve been appointed to serve as a model of practice and deportment for others, both lay and ordained. That means everyone will be looking to you to see what to do. You will find yourself in the position of leading people who are senior to you and probably know more than you do. How will you embody practice in your public and private life? Are you behaving in a way that you would want others to emulate?

An inspiring Zen teacher brings something meaningful to the sangha that both challenges and encourages practitioners to dig deeply into the dharma. Simply doing “book reports,” reiterating what others have said or skimming the surface of important teachings is doing a disservice to the sangha, your ancestors and the dharma. You will need to intersect what you’ve read and heard with your own life and practice and come up with something original and meaningful to say. What memorable, fresh, new insights will you bring to the ango that give practitioners something to chew on? What will you offer that gives them new ways to practice and new ways to understand traditional teachings?

You will have the support of the sangha and Sanshin leadership during this time; you will also be supporting all of us. We will be helping you to grow and mature while at the same time your job is to help all of us to develop our own practice. This is your chance to do some real discernment about what you want to offer in the local and national conversation, where your particular skills and interests lie, and what it will take for you to become the dharma leader you want to be.

The historical role of the shuso
Responsibilities and activities
Determining your theme
Tips for talks: content and delivery

Ranks of Soto Zen clergy in training

Jōza (上座)
Becoming authorized Sōtō Zen clergy starts with shukke tokudo (出家得度). In this ceremony, the novice receives robes, bowls and lineage chart
(kechimyaku) and takes the precepts. One is then an unsui, a trainee. This gives the rank of jōza, except
for children under ten years old, who are called shami.

Zagen (座元)
The next step, after one has been a trainee for at least three years, is completion of hossenshiki (Dharma combat ceremony) while acting as a shuso (首座) during an ango. Hossenshiki is a ceremony in which questions and answers are exchanged. After this ceremony, one is promoted to the rank of zagen.

Shuso forms and ceremonies

Sunday Dharma talks

Following zazen, your jisha will check in with you about putting your notes or books at your place, whether you’d like the white board or a glass of water, etc. A few moments before 10:10, meet him or her at the foot of the stairs. S/he will have your stick of incense.

At 10:10, bow to your jisha, step into the zendo, gassho and bow. Proceed in shashu to the foot of the bowing mat at the main altar. Gassho and bow, walk up to the altar in shashu, step in front of Manjusri and bow. Your jisha will hold out your stick incense directly in front of you; you shouldn’t have to turn to him or her. Offer the incense, gassho and bow and the doan will start an inkin rolldown; return in gassho to the foot of the bowing mat, put down your zagu and lead the sangha in three bows.

Leaving your zagu down, bow in gassho to Manjusri, move to your seat, bow to it, turn and bow to the sangha. Sit down, and the doan will ring the inkin twice to invite everyone to sit. Arrange yourself, put on your mic, and wait for others to settle. Put your hands in gassho to indicate that the doan should start the opening chant.

Following your talk and discussion, thank the group, gassho and bow, and remain in gassho while the doan starts the closing chant. Turn off and remove your mic when convenient. When the chanting has finished, get up, bow to your seat and the room, return to the foot of the bowing mat and lead everyone in three full bows.

Take up your zagu and stand in shashu until everyone is ready. Gassho and bow to Manjusri; the doan will ring the inkin. Take a small step back and bow in shashu; the inkin will ring and everyone will bow with you. Turn to the right and leave the zendo. You may wish to return to the doorway for announcements.

Entering ceremony

The ceremony is held immediately following weekday morning liturgy on the first morning of the ango, after participants have returned to their seats and bowed together.

Senior dharma teacher, ino or jikido announces that the ango begins that day, the name of the shuso, and explains that the shuso will walk around the perimeter of the zendo to bow to everyone.
Ino or jikido moves to stand facing the shuso, they bow together in gassho, and the jikido leads the shuso around the zendo and back to his or her place. While walking, the ino/jikido and shuso are in gassho and bent over at the waist.
As the shuso passes, each practitioner bows in gassho.
When the circuit is complete, the group moves on to the morning reading from the Zuimonki as usual.

Hereafter, the shuso carries out his or her offering, bows and rounds each weekday morning.

Weekday Morning rounds

Arrive at the zendo a few minutes before 5 am (4 am during sesshin) wearing your okesa and carrying your zagu.
At 5 am, step into the zendo, gassho and bow. Ignoring the side altar, proceed to the foot of the bowing mat at the main altar, gassho and bow.
Step to the left and walk in shashu up to the altar, step to the right in front of Manjusri, gassho and bow. Offer one of the two sticks of incense that lie across the burner, taking care to place it as straight up and down as possible. Gassho and bow again, step to the right, turn to the right and walk back in gassho to the foot of the bowing mat.
Step up onto the tatami, bow and unfold and put down your zagu. Make three full prostrations, take up your zagu, step down from the tatami, gassho and bow to Manjusri.
Move to the right side of the altar as you face it, just to the left of the senior dharma teacher's place. Turn to the right, gassho and bow and walk in gassho at a moderate pace in gassho along the perimeter of the zendo behind the practitioners. When crossing the side altar, turn and do a standing bow to Shakyamuni before resuming your walk. Do the same when crossing Todo-san’s empty chair. Note that your route as shuso is the opposite of that of the doshi.
Finish at the foot of the bowing mat, gassho and bow, then proceed to the shuso’s seat. Gassho and bow to your seat, turn to the right, gassho and bow to the room, and sit down. Take off and fold your okesa. The doshi will enter at 5:05 (4:05 during sesshin), make his or her own bows and rounds as usual, and zazen will begin.

world peace ceremony

Following the Sunday announcements, when the side altar is prepared and everyone is ready, proceed to the foot of the bowing mat at the side altar. Gassho and bow, walk up and step in front of Shakyamuni and bow. Your jisha will hold out your stick incense directly in front of you; you shouldn’t have to turn to him or her. Offer the incense, gassho and bow slightly, then offer powdered incense. Gassho and bow and the doan will start an inkin rolldown; return to the foot of the bowing mat, put down your zagu and lead the sangha in three bows.
Leaving your zagu down, return to the altar in shashu and make another offering of powdered incense. Gassho and bow; the doan will ring the bell. Return to the foot of the mat and make three full bows with bells and deadhit. At the third bow, the doan will announce the Heart Sutra. Finish your bow, stand up leaving your zagu down, and chant standing in shashu.
At “(a bodhisattva relies on) prajna paramita,” gassho and bow (doan will ring the bell) and go up to the altar to make another offering of powdered incense. Gassho and wait for “(all Buddhas of past, present and future rely on) prajna paramita,” then bow as the bell rings and return to the foot of the mat. Make a slight bow in gassho and chant the remainder of the sutra in shashu.
At the bell following “Gate, gate” put your hands in gassho. Remain in gassho while the doan reads the eko and begins “All Buddhas . . . “ Do a standing bow at “All beings . . . “, the doan will ring the bell, and you will move quickly to the altar to make another offering of powdered incense, Gassho and bow just before “Wisdom beyond wisdom . . .”, the doan will being a rolldown on the inkin, you will return to the foot of the mat, and everyone does three full bows.
Take up your zagu and stand in shashu until everyone is ready. Gassho and bow to Shakyamuni; the doan will ring the inkin. Take a small step back and bow in shashu; the inkin will ring and everyone will bow with you. Turn to the right and leave the zendo.