Merle,
When we attend the traditional 7-day retreats, in addition to our daily
practice, we can get a sample of the life of a monastic in the Zen tradition.
There are very good and attractive things about it, and very, very difficult
things.
But for a lay person, the training is a very good thing to undertake a few
times per year, if you are able. Before going on a 7-day intensive retreat,
it's a good idea to already know the teacher and to be working with the
teacher. The 7-day "sits" can be very, very challenging and difficult; they
can also be wonderful, in that what you put into them is in proportion to how
deeply you go, or how deeply you sink, and settle-in, in your practice with the
group, and how thoroughly you open to the Buddha Mind, if you do.
When I had the opportunity to become a monk, I personally did not feel that the
monastic model was the one that was going to be the most important one for the
West (say, for U.S.A.), so I remained a lay person, and did not take the
monastic vows with my Chinese Ch'an teacher. I felt it was better to remain a
lay person and to try to help to carve out a way for Ch'an practice to find a
home here among just ordinary householders, nonetheless with very good help
from my monastic teacher, or our monastic teachers.
In some of the Japanese lineages, 90-day intensive practice periods are
traditional for monastics. These are the "Ango" periods, twice per year,
Winter Ango and Summer Ango. They are essentially 90-day training retreats.
Wow! Now you know why the monastic Zen folks always appear so physically
poised, and natural. It's like they are in constant "basic-training", half the
year, and then in regular- training the other half. It's amazing to me.
--Joe
> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
>
> joe..this is as i thought i need to do it...thank you for your
> confirmation...
> what a life it would be if i was to go join a zen buddhist.."monastery"...is
> that what they are called?...
> having taken the steps in youth to live life as you would say with
> responsibilities of family this is not an option for me now..
> i sort of envy those buddhist monks and nuns..in their simple robes... shaven
> heads... they appear to be so contented and at ease...
> did you ever consider joining up full time joe in your journey in life?
[snip]
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