I went to the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA) conference
this past October and the keynote speaker was Paula Arai. She is the author of several books – Women Living Zen and her latest book, Bringing Zen Home – the Healing Heart of Japanese Buddhist Women’s Rituals.
Her message of the importance
of rituals in home and lay life and the use of creativity in making them, really
impressed me. It was support for the creative, personal rituals which Clouds
has already been encouraging.
this past October and the keynote speaker was Paula Arai. She is the author of several books – Women Living Zen and her latest book, Bringing Zen Home – the Healing Heart of Japanese Buddhist Women’s Rituals.
Her message of the importance
of rituals in home and lay life and the use of creativity in making them, really
impressed me. It was support for the creative, personal rituals which Clouds
has already been encouraging.
She
was a very feminine speaker. Mostly
the SZBA has had male Buddhist scholars give the keynote speech. It was a breath of fresh air to hear a speaker at this type
of conference talk about: women practicing at home, healing rituals in zen, nurturing
the self and so forth. These topics
are often passed over in the more austere aspects of Zen Practice. Paula Arai has all the credentials of a scholar and yet her
approach was very warm, funny and coming from the heart.
was a very feminine speaker. Mostly
the SZBA has had male Buddhist scholars give the keynote speech. It was a breath of fresh air to hear a speaker at this type
of conference talk about: women practicing at home, healing rituals in zen, nurturing
the self and so forth. These topics
are often passed over in the more austere aspects of Zen Practice. Paula Arai has all the credentials of a scholar and yet her
approach was very warm, funny and coming from the heart.
Both of her books have shared with the West, the
deep practice of women lay practitioners in Japan.
Partially this aspect of Buddhist practice has been overlooked because these
practices do not come from monastic practice or scholarship which has been a main
focus for so many years. But these
predecessors and examples for rituals in lay life can be very helpful for the Western
Buddhist world where many, if not most, are lay practitioners with families, mortgages,
full-time jobs etc.
deep practice of women lay practitioners in Japan.
Partially this aspect of Buddhist practice has been overlooked because these
practices do not come from monastic practice or scholarship which has been a main
focus for so many years. But these
predecessors and examples for rituals in lay life can be very helpful for the Western
Buddhist world where many, if not most, are lay practitioners with families, mortgages,
full-time jobs etc.
You
can have a strong Buddhist life that is not based solely on zazen. This might surprise
some of us. That’s not what we have
previously learned. I have always
seen this in Tomoe Katagiri’s life and practice.
Although she does not do a lot of meditation practice or sesshins, when I’m
with her, her life practices, her daily life, her sewing, her treatment of objects
in her house, always teach me Zen.
can have a strong Buddhist life that is not based solely on zazen. This might surprise
some of us. That’s not what we have
previously learned. I have always
seen this in Tomoe Katagiri’s life and practice.
Although she does not do a lot of meditation practice or sesshins, when I’m
with her, her life practices, her daily life, her sewing, her treatment of objects
in her house, always teach me Zen.
I also saw these
devotional practices when I went to Japan.
There were many practices that people did every day in their homes and on
the street that were quite different than Western practice. Some examples that I saw were:
keeping the altars on street corners cleaned and fresh with flowers. These altars carefully prepared, were ready
for people who stop in their hurry to work, for a moment of connection with the
universal energies. Sometimes they
light a candle or pour water over a Buddha statue’s head. There were also many Temples where people went to pray or light
a candle or whirl a wheel on their lunch breaks.
devotional practices when I went to Japan.
There were many practices that people did every day in their homes and on
the street that were quite different than Western practice. Some examples that I saw were:
keeping the altars on street corners cleaned and fresh with flowers. These altars carefully prepared, were ready
for people who stop in their hurry to work, for a moment of connection with the
universal energies. Sometimes they
light a candle or pour water over a Buddha statue’s head. There were also many Temples where people went to pray or light
a candle or whirl a wheel on their lunch breaks.
I came home
and made a pagoda in my back yard where my family, friends and I could simply walk
out into the woods and light a candle sending energy to people and situations that
we were worried about.
and made a pagoda in my back yard where my family, friends and I could simply walk
out into the woods and light a candle sending energy to people and situations that
we were worried about.
Paula
Arai’s emphasized the power of establishing a sacred space in your home. One of the ways to do this was to have an active home altar. A lot can happen around a home altar with
your family and with your children if we are creative and attentive to what is needed. These are homespun rites woven into our
daily life.
Arai’s emphasized the power of establishing a sacred space in your home. One of the ways to do this was to have an active home altar. A lot can happen around a home altar with
your family and with your children if we are creative and attentive to what is needed. These are homespun rites woven into our
daily life.
For example, I have a small ritual I do everyday
at home. It began when my last child
went off to college. I worry about
my two boys in the world and away from me.
So I began to light candles for my two sons, my husband, myself, Clouds in
Water and the last candle, for people I know in distress, sick or past on. It’s a small thing. Putting new candles in six holders, lighting them, and doing
a little metta for each one but it has held my attention, helped to relieve my anxiety
for nearly two years. Now it seems
so natural to do, that I don’t even notice it as “something extra.”
at home. It began when my last child
went off to college. I worry about
my two boys in the world and away from me.
So I began to light candles for my two sons, my husband, myself, Clouds in
Water and the last candle, for people I know in distress, sick or past on. It’s a small thing. Putting new candles in six holders, lighting them, and doing
a little metta for each one but it has held my attention, helped to relieve my anxiety
for nearly two years. Now it seems
so natural to do, that I don’t even notice it as “something extra.”
Paula Arai emphasized the aspect of warmth and healing
that is sometimes absent in the way we perceive Zen.
She named quite a few aspects of a Healing ritual that were a heart opening
and confirmation for me: A ritual
shows us
that is sometimes absent in the way we perceive Zen.
She named quite a few aspects of a Healing ritual that were a heart opening
and confirmation for me: A ritual
shows us
· The
importance of connecting with interdependence
importance of connecting with interdependence
·
Expressing that our body and minds are one
Expressing that our body and minds are one
·
Connects us with the larger meaning of life and
a larger sense of ourselves.
Connects us with the larger meaning of life and
a larger sense of ourselves.
· Self-nurturing
·
Increases or emphasizes the enjoyment of life
Increases or emphasizes the enjoyment of life
·
Our ability to create beauty in all our activity,
not just art, but in the way we arrange the objects in our life.
Our ability to create beauty in all our activity,
not just art, but in the way we arrange the objects in our life.
·
Cultivating our gratitude
Cultivating our gratitude
·
Accepting reality as it is
Accepting reality as it is
·
Expanding our perspective
Expanding our perspective
·
And embodying compassion
And embodying compassion
What I really felt affirmed by was her saying that
the more personal a ritual was the deeper it affected us. In that sense she supported us in being creative with ritual
and using our knowledge of Buddhist principles as a supporting structure for making
them. We shouldn’t be afraid to create
rituals that fit our family, our person, our particular sangha or our society. Otherwise, we will miss out on the deep
practice of home-based prayer and ceremony.
the more personal a ritual was the deeper it affected us. In that sense she supported us in being creative with ritual
and using our knowledge of Buddhist principles as a supporting structure for making
them. We shouldn’t be afraid to create
rituals that fit our family, our person, our particular sangha or our society. Otherwise, we will miss out on the deep
practice of home-based prayer and ceremony.
We are
coming up to Jukai or Buddhist initiation at Clouds, which is an ancient ritual
and done formally in front of the community.
I see how much this deep ritual affects and encourages practitioners. This same sense of ceremony can be taken
into our daily life and our homes with a little bit of ingenuity.
coming up to Jukai or Buddhist initiation at Clouds, which is an ancient ritual
and done formally in front of the community.
I see how much this deep ritual affects and encourages practitioners. This same sense of ceremony can be taken
into our daily life and our homes with a little bit of ingenuity.