COMMITMENT CEREMONIES
WAKESA AND TOKUDO COMMITMENT
Wakesa is personal commitment to the path of Buddhist insight and precepts. Tokudo is ordination, a personal commitment to study with a teacher and a sangha.
1) Wakesa Ceremony
Commitment to the insight and precepts of Buddhism is marked by a sewn kneck piece called “Wakesa.”
Precepts.
Aware of the suffering caused by killing, I vow to respect the dignity of other living beings and to do my best not to harm others.
Aware of the suffering caused by stealing, I vow to be trustworthy and generous.
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to honor my romantic commitments and to cultivate lasting, loving relationships.
Aware of the suffering caused by lying, I vow to be truthful and considerate in my speech.
Aware of the suffering caused by the abuse of intoxicants, I vow to keep a clear mind and to study the roots of my cravings.
Mahayana precepts:
I vow to manifest absolute self without attachment to personal self.
I vow to manifest personal self without attachment to absolute self.
I vow to manifest the interplay of absolute self and personal self as the way of the Dharma.
Commitment. Those who wish to undertake the wakesa commitment may confer with Gendo. All are invited to join a group that meets periodically at UVZC to explore the precepts together with others.
2) ORDINATION (Tokudo) guidelines for Upper Valley Zen Center. (With thanks to PSZC)
Ordination is the public commitment to further one’s training in a sangha, with the instruction of a teacher. Zen tradition offers ordination to lay householders, as well as monastics. As a community based, lay practice Center, UVZC offers lay ordination. When a person is ordained, that person begins to represent the tradition in a formal way; and must be ready, qualified and clear about this responsibility.
The lay monk or nun has a responsibility to maintain the tradition, to develop her/himself, and to help the sangha. Unlike the wakesa commitment this is done in close consultation with a teacher. To be ordained means to commit to training with your ordination (tokudo) teacher.
It’s expected that the ordained will train fully in the officer positions, learn the Rinzai Zen form, and wear the robes conferred by ordination for most Zen practice occasions.
Usually the candidate:
Has had at least 5 years practice with UVZC and Gendo, has demonstrated a firm commitment to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Buddha: Has an interest in zazen and a regular zazen practice. Has done many retreats, and is interested in retreat practice.
Dharma: Is a learner. Is interested in not merely knowledge for its own sake, but in self-development and helping others. Has a good connection to Gendo, who will become your ordination teacher.
Sangha: Has demonstrated a commitment to contribute to a sangha and to the wider world. This may show up in different ways: service within the sangha, service outside the sangha, service as a do-er, a talker, a studier, a writer.
Has a commitment to working to become ethically clearer and clearer. Has an appreciation for the ritual forms of Rinzai Zen and commitment to master them.
Post-Ordination training
Teacher interaction: It is expected that the monk or nun in training will attend retreats with their ordination teacher, and meet regularly with her or him. For the first five years it’s expected that the ordained do 7 - 10 days of retreat practice a year, including at least 1 multi-day retreat a year with their home temple..
Residential practice. The ordained person will do some amount of residential practice in consultation with Gendo.
Pastoral Care & leadership training. In consultation with Gendo, the ordained person will commit to practice and/or training in pastoral care, organizational dynamics, and leadership.
Ethical training. The lay monk or nun must be aware that they are an example of Buddhist values, and makes a personal commitment to uphold the Buddhist precepts (above). Though ethical behavior is not always straightforward and no one is perfect, the ordained commits to understanding the effect of their actions on others and their environment, and to working toward positive effects in their lives and the life of the sangha.
Shuso. After five to ten years of training with your teacher, at the discretion of the teacher, the ordained may become a Shuso, or head monk. This will involve leading a retreat with your ordination teacher. After this the monk or nun is expected to take on a more central role at the center, such as leading a retreat with your ordination teacher, taking on a limited teaching role and a more active role in sangha spiritual development.
Mediation Policy.
The ordained person must stay in a teacher-student relationship with their ordination teacher.
In case there is a dispute or grievance, teacher and student should try to work together to resolve the problem. But if needed, either may bring the matter to a mutually agreed upon council of Zen teachers.
If the ordained person chooses to end the teacher-student relationship with their ordination teacher, he or she must work with Gendo to make an alternative plan with another teacher. If the monk or nun leaves without doing that, proceedings may be taken on the part of the tokudo teacher to mediate, and, ultimately, to revoke the robes.
Revoking of robes. This is done only as a last resort.
Wakesa is personal commitment to the path of Buddhist insight and precepts. Tokudo is ordination, a personal commitment to study with a teacher and a sangha.
1) Wakesa Ceremony
Commitment to the insight and precepts of Buddhism is marked by a sewn kneck piece called “Wakesa.”
Precepts.
Aware of the suffering caused by killing, I vow to respect the dignity of other living beings and to do my best not to harm others.
Aware of the suffering caused by stealing, I vow to be trustworthy and generous.
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to honor my romantic commitments and to cultivate lasting, loving relationships.
Aware of the suffering caused by lying, I vow to be truthful and considerate in my speech.
Aware of the suffering caused by the abuse of intoxicants, I vow to keep a clear mind and to study the roots of my cravings.
Mahayana precepts:
I vow to manifest absolute self without attachment to personal self.
I vow to manifest personal self without attachment to absolute self.
I vow to manifest the interplay of absolute self and personal self as the way of the Dharma.
Commitment. Those who wish to undertake the wakesa commitment may confer with Gendo. All are invited to join a group that meets periodically at UVZC to explore the precepts together with others.
2) ORDINATION (Tokudo) guidelines for Upper Valley Zen Center. (With thanks to PSZC)
Ordination is the public commitment to further one’s training in a sangha, with the instruction of a teacher. Zen tradition offers ordination to lay householders, as well as monastics. As a community based, lay practice Center, UVZC offers lay ordination. When a person is ordained, that person begins to represent the tradition in a formal way; and must be ready, qualified and clear about this responsibility.
The lay monk or nun has a responsibility to maintain the tradition, to develop her/himself, and to help the sangha. Unlike the wakesa commitment this is done in close consultation with a teacher. To be ordained means to commit to training with your ordination (tokudo) teacher.
It’s expected that the ordained will train fully in the officer positions, learn the Rinzai Zen form, and wear the robes conferred by ordination for most Zen practice occasions.
Usually the candidate:
Has had at least 5 years practice with UVZC and Gendo, has demonstrated a firm commitment to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Buddha: Has an interest in zazen and a regular zazen practice. Has done many retreats, and is interested in retreat practice.
Dharma: Is a learner. Is interested in not merely knowledge for its own sake, but in self-development and helping others. Has a good connection to Gendo, who will become your ordination teacher.
Sangha: Has demonstrated a commitment to contribute to a sangha and to the wider world. This may show up in different ways: service within the sangha, service outside the sangha, service as a do-er, a talker, a studier, a writer.
Has a commitment to working to become ethically clearer and clearer. Has an appreciation for the ritual forms of Rinzai Zen and commitment to master them.
Post-Ordination training
Teacher interaction: It is expected that the monk or nun in training will attend retreats with their ordination teacher, and meet regularly with her or him. For the first five years it’s expected that the ordained do 7 - 10 days of retreat practice a year, including at least 1 multi-day retreat a year with their home temple..
Residential practice. The ordained person will do some amount of residential practice in consultation with Gendo.
Pastoral Care & leadership training. In consultation with Gendo, the ordained person will commit to practice and/or training in pastoral care, organizational dynamics, and leadership.
Ethical training. The lay monk or nun must be aware that they are an example of Buddhist values, and makes a personal commitment to uphold the Buddhist precepts (above). Though ethical behavior is not always straightforward and no one is perfect, the ordained commits to understanding the effect of their actions on others and their environment, and to working toward positive effects in their lives and the life of the sangha.
Shuso. After five to ten years of training with your teacher, at the discretion of the teacher, the ordained may become a Shuso, or head monk. This will involve leading a retreat with your ordination teacher. After this the monk or nun is expected to take on a more central role at the center, such as leading a retreat with your ordination teacher, taking on a limited teaching role and a more active role in sangha spiritual development.
Mediation Policy.
The ordained person must stay in a teacher-student relationship with their ordination teacher.
In case there is a dispute or grievance, teacher and student should try to work together to resolve the problem. But if needed, either may bring the matter to a mutually agreed upon council of Zen teachers.
If the ordained person chooses to end the teacher-student relationship with their ordination teacher, he or she must work with Gendo to make an alternative plan with another teacher. If the monk or nun leaves without doing that, proceedings may be taken on the part of the tokudo teacher to mediate, and, ultimately, to revoke the robes.
Revoking of robes. This is done only as a last resort.