Cooking the Soup - by Nonin Chowaney

The most important thing in Zen practice is to show up at our cushions every day and sit zazen.

But Zen practice is more than only zazen. The Chinese character "za" means, "to sit." The character "zen" is usually translated as "meditation," but this is not quite accurate. The character is actually made up of two separate characters. The one at the left means, "to show, or reveal. " The one at the right means, "single," or "one." So actually, the character "zen" means, "to show or display oneness." Taizan Maezumi, the late abbot of Los Angeles Zen Center, translated it: "to show the oneness or to reveal ourselves as the unity of everything."

So zazen is the core of Zen practice, but Zen is involved in every aspect of our daily lives -- cleaning, cooking, work, reading, everything we do. True Zen practice reveals us moment-by-moment in our natural state, unified and complete. We not only have to "show up everyday" at our cushions, but we also have to "show up every moment" in our lives.

This takes some doing, some training, because our natural state is obstructed or obscured by delusion, which is caused by ignorance, ego-involvement, and selfishness. Buddha's Way and the Zen Path clear away these obstructions and allow us to see into and manifest our true nature. The big question, then, for all of is: how do we train ourselves to walk the Zen Path?

Historically, in all schools of Buddhism and in all countries there have been both lay and monk practitioners of both sexes, but for various reasons that I won't get into here, the monks got most of the publicity! It's fairly clear what monastic practice is, at least in China and Japan. We have records and we also have living examples. But we don't have so many examples of day-to-day, moment-by-moment lay practice, or monk's practice outside the monastery walls either.

So, we have to do the best we can, relying on our teachers and our deepest understanding. Many people ask me how to train outside of monasteries, people who live near our temple in Omaha and those who live far away from any temple. What I tell them is that we have to carry on a consistent daily practice and we also have to "turn the burner up" under it on a regular basis. It's also important to practice under the guidance of a teacher and to have some interaction in a sangha.

As I said before, daily sitting, preferably morning and night, is the core of our practice. It doesn't have to be for long periods, ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning is okay, as long as it's done regularly. The hard part is to sit down; the length of sitting will take care of itself if you sit alone. Choose a length of time you can handle and then sit at least that. If people try to do too much it becomes burdensome and the soon quit.

If you sit at a temple, the time is usually scheduled, so you have to do what is done. Here in Omaha, we sit one-and-a half-hours morning and evening with no formal break. Practitioners may either get up and do kinhin in the Buddha Hall or rest their legs at their place whenever they wish. They can also enter and leave the Zendo at any time.

Also, I say daily sitting, but here, we don't sit on Sunday. So I tell people that I carry on a daily zazen practice but I don't sit every day! Sometimes I'm ill, or traveling, or something comes up that I have to attend to. So be flexible and don't be hard on yourself when you have to miss a day for a good reason.

Carrying on quiet daily sitting keeps the practice soup slowly cooking, and I've found that this is the best way. But sometimes, it's good to "turn the burner up" and to do it regularly, especially in the early stages. I recommend weekly, monthly, and yearly adjustments.

Those who live near a temple can go once a week to sit with others, hear a dharma talk, and interact in a sangha. Most places schedule talks regularly and offer other special events. Those who live far away can take a morning (or evening) once a week to sit for a longer period of time, with others if possible. If not, alone. Afterwards, listening to a tape, viewing a video, or doing a special reading is very helpful.

Once a month, it's also good to do something special. Those who live near temples can avail themselves of what's offered there. For those who live far away, a drive to a neighboring temple might not be feasible every week, but once a month might be possible.

"Turning the burner up" on a yearly basis, means sesshin, or concentrated training. Everyone should be able to get away for one seven-day and one two-day sesshin a year. Take another weekend to do a study retreat, a family weekend, or another sesshin.

In our practice, it's important to interact in sangha and to study under the guidance of a teacher. This is difficult those who live in outlying areas, but we have excellent mail and phone service these days. A letter or phone call can be meaningful contact and can keep the relationship going until student and teacher can meet face-to-face.

Sometimes, we feel that if there's no teacher in our immediate area, it's not possible to have one. Or, we want a teacher to come to us, so we sit back and wait, or try to coax one to come. These are mistakes. There are many good Zen teachers now in America. What we have to do is get off our duffs and go look for one.

Finally, I once thought that practicing Zen is a monastery would be the most difficult way imaginable, something I could never do, and it is difficult, but practicing Zen outside the walls is much more difficult because you have to provide your own structure and your own support. Also, there are many, many distractions. So take some time to experience monastic life. My time in monasteries makes it easier to practice now because the Way was deeply clarified for me in that restricted, uncomplicated setting. Go for a month, three months, or longer. At one time or another, -- after the kids get older, between jobs, or after graduation -- it can be done and will be of great benefit for all beings.

When I was at Shogo-ji, deep in the mountains of Japan, isolated, with a small group of monks, I learned the value of a quiet, consistent, nothing special daily practice and the value of a simple life. But I also know the value of "turning the burner up" occasionally. I treasure sesshins and look forward to them immensely; we do them regularly here. I do so much talking and running around that it's such a relief to sit down in one place and keep my mouth shut for a few days! A while ago, a friend sent me some video tapes, two of the Dalai Lama, one of Thich Nhat Hanh, and one of Theravadan monks in Sri Lanka. What a treasure they were, and such a boost to my practice.

So although the kind of place and practice I treasure most is quiet and ordinary, daily zazen, work, moment-by-moment "showing up." I also value "turning the burner up" occasionally and getting the soup rolling. It blends the ingredients and thickens the pot.