The Walking of Mountains and Abbots
Gen X'ers Abide
Last weekend I had the good fortune of being a ceremonial attendant (jisha) in mountain seat ceremonies at San Francisco Zen Center to install a new abbess and abbot at Beginner’s Mind Temple and Green Dragon Temple, respectively. The mountain seat ceremony, shin san shiki in Japanese, is a ceremony (shiki 式) where a new abbot ascends (shin 晉), the “mountain” (san 山) of a temple or monastery.
The procedures for Sōtō Zen ceremonies are described in minute detail in a 600-page- plus tome titled the Standard Observances of the Sōtō Zen School (Sōtōshū gyōji kihan), which was “adopted in 1889 as ritual procedures to be followed by all priests when engaging in Soto school observances,” in the pdf I have that’s translated by T. Griffith Foulk and published in 2008 by Sōtōshū Shūmuchō. The table of contents is about 40 pages long, so that gives you an idea of the level of detail and depth of devotion!
In the first part of the ceremony, the new abiding Abbot of Beginner’s Mind Temple, Doshin Mako Voelkel, and the new abiding Abbot of Green Dragon Temple, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler—the shinmei [“new life”]—enter the temple and are welcomed by the assembly. During this part, which took place in the Buddha Hall at Beginner’s Mind Temple (aka, City Center), each of the shinmei offered fragrance, bowed, and made statements to Shakyamuni Buddha, to Daigenshuri Bosatsu (“Great Protector of the Practice Principle”), and to Bodhidharma (first Zen Ancestor of China, representing all the ancestors).
There were six of us ceremonial attendants; each of us with a specific role. The shoko jisha carried a black lacquered box with the shinmei’s numerous statements written on folded pieces of paper. As the zungo jisha, I carried a red lacquered “tower” that held the incense for the shinmei as they made obeisance at each altar, and the shoko jisha gave them their statements. The other attendants were responsible for holding the shinmei’s whisks and staffs and helping them take off their old priest robes (okesa) and put on their new ones.
I confess that I did not even glance at the script, which was 21 pages long, before or during our hours of rehearsal. This was mainly because I did not have the time and also because I wanted my body to feel the ceremony rather than attempt to memorize my role. And fortunately for me, I was able to rely on the highly capable shoko jisha since we attended the shinmei in tandem.
When I first began practicing Zen in 2001, there was an aversion to the prostrating, chanting, and bowing that we do during the morning and afternoon services following periods of zazen. It reminded me too much of the hierarchy and patriarchy of my Roman Catholic childhood. However, to my surprise, I eventually began looking forward to these services and felt a relief when I prostrated—like a heavy sack had been lifted off my back. There is a sense of surrendering—not giving up—but releasing and relaxing each time I prostrate during service. And, in some mysterious way, lowering my body fully onto the ground suffuses my heart-mind with gratitude and wonder.
And wonder and gratitude is how I felt during the ceremonies at Beginner’s Mind Temple and Green Dragon Temple, the latter of which is where Abbot Jiryu was installed on Sunday morning. I don’t know Jiryu that well because our paths have infrequently crossed while living at San Francisco Zen Center. I spent the majority of my time at Tassajara while he’s been living with his family at Green Dragon (aka, Green Gulch Farm).
As the zungo jisha, I had a front row “seat” while the shinmei made their statements. I marveled at how poetic, inspiring, funny, and clear-eyed they each were with so many ardent and expectant people in the assembly. Their presence, devotion, and humility was palpable during all the processions, prostrations, & profferings. While I don’t have room to include all of their statements—I think they each made 17!—I’ve chosen a couple that highlight how fortunate we are to have Mako and Jiryu sitting atop the metaphoric mountain as our guiding teachers.
Below is a statement that Abbot Jiryu made at Beginner’s Mind Temple when paying homage to Daigen Shuri Bosatsu, a spirit that protects the monastery (gogaranjin 護伽藍神):
Daigen Shuri Bosatsu, great protector of the practice principle: we need you here!
Please shrink and multiply and enter into our bloodstreams, become billions of Daigen Shuri antibodies, fighting off our greed, hate, and confusion. Become Daigen Shuri enzyme, digesting our delusion into nutriment for Path.
Please become vast, earth spirit, and protect our temples from floods and fire, all calamity.
And please today protect the Dharma, most of all, from me.
Good thing I had on a mask when Jiryu-san made the above statement because I was smiling heartily at his humor. I don’t know why but smiling as an attendant in a Zen ceremony seems to be frowned upon. While I appreciate solemnity, it’s sometimes tough to keep my jocularity gene in check!
After each of the shinmei made their statements in the Buddha Hall, we processed upstairs to the founder’s hall (kaisando) where there’s a beautiful wooden sculpture of Suzuki Roshi in zazen posture on the altar. More incense offering, prostrations, whisk waving, and statements. From there we entered the hojo (abbess’s room) where the shinmei were formally greeted by the SFZC president and the director of City Center. They showed the shinmei temple documents for them to sign and stamp with their seals proving their Dharma lineage and authorization to teach.
The second part of the ceremony—“Opening the Hall and Presenting the Teaching”—took place back downstairs in the Buddha Hall where Abbess Mako made the statement below before ascending the mountain:
White clouds have no Mind, yet are attracted to mountains.
Although this mountain appears impossibly, excruciatingly high,
It abides in ease and endlessly flows,
With the help of all of you and the entire universe,
I vow to investigate this mountain’s walking with my whole being.
After she stood atop the mountain, she responded to questions from members of the assembly and then made five more statements: for world peace; paying homage to the ancestors; offering gratitude to members, donors, families and deceased members of the temple; and thanking her root teacher (honshi). And then, yep! you guessed it, Mako made several more statements before descending the mountain seat! On Sunday morning, we all gathered again for Jiryu-san’s mountain seat ceremony at Green Dragon Temple.
And, of course, after both ceremonies we feasted on the delicious food lovingly prepared by the amazing kitchen staff and volunteers! So many, many people, seen and unseen, contributed to these glorious ceremonies. (I need to sign off and post this as I have to finish my taxes!). Bowing from rainy San Fran!
thankyou, heather, shoren!, for sharing, lovely to hear what you are 'up to'.... and so wonderful to hear Mako and mountains are walking together along with all the community. deep bowing from 'down-under'... hope to see you all again in this lifetime, if not next! megan
Thank you for sharing this and giving a sense of what it was like to be there.