When we enter a
temple - or a room of a temple - we pause briefly at the door, make gassho (see below), and bow from the waist, called
monjin in Japanese. This bow expresses our gratitude for the temple or room that allows itself to be used for our
training in the Dharma. In Buddhist practice we take nothing for granted and cultivate gratitude for everything. This
gratitude is another key characteristic of our Serene Reflection tradition. We also make monjin when we leave the room
or temple building.
In greeting each other we make gassho briefly. Gassho is the hand gesture (mudra) of bringing the
palms together upright in front of one's chest in a prayerful or reverential manner. The gassho expresses our mutual
recognition of each other's Buddha Nature and our gratitude for each other's training. It reminds us to be still and
mindful and to appreciate and value the other person, regardless of our likes and dislikes, opinions and judgments. We
often describe the gassho as bringing the two halves of the body or mind together, from duality to unity, from separate
parts to the One True Self.
When we greet the Prior or other monk(s), we stand, if we are seated, and make gassho. Through
this greeting we express recognition and appreciation of the commitment that the monastic has made to follow the
renunciate path of discipleship. We show our gratitude for his or her taking on the external form and training of
Shakyamuni Buddha. Through this act we express our faith in the Unborn, that IT does exist, not only in the distant
past but also in the living presence of a human being right now. By so doing we strengthen our recognition of our own
inherent Buddha Nature and our potential and ability to follow and live in faith from that Nature. We are all disciples of
the Buddha, whether householders or monks - we all seek to liberate others and ourselves from suffering and realize Nirvana.
Recognizing the teacher in this way affirms our trust in the Buddhist Dharma and its ability to accomplish that goal. The
form of the monastic reminds us of our True Purpose in life - to cleanse our karma, hold to the Precepts, and realize our
Unborn Buddha Nature.
* * *
Harmonizing Body-Mind and Buddha Nature,
Part 2: In the Meditation Hall
The meditation hall in the temple represents our heart; the temple enclosing it symbolizes the human
body. Within the hall we are as still and quiet as possible, just as in formal seated meditation we take up a quiet, relaxed
posture so that we can hear and commune with Buddha Nature. The etiquette in a meditation hall cultivates this stillness.
Buddhism teaches that body and mind are one. In formal meditation we focus on the mind, and this practice permeates the body.
At other times we concentrate on bodily movement and activity, and this effects the mind. Mindful awareness is the critical
attribute of both mental and physical training. Without this awareness, formal meditation is dull and empty, and physical
activity becomes dead ritual and lifeless movement. Always we keep the mind BRIGHT.
When we enter the hall, we make monjin (bowing from the waist with hands in gassho) to express our
gratitude for a place or room in which to sit and meditate. If we cross in front of the main altar, we also pause briefly and
make monjin. In laying out a temple we locate the main altar along the central axis running through the temple or hall. The
Founder's Shrine directly behind the altar represents the "place" of the Unborn, the Dharma Cloud. Represented there are
Buddhist masters of our lineage instrumental in establishing and maintaining our direct connection to the Buddha through the
founding of this temple. These masters make possible our encounter with the Dharma in this particular place. The key person
there is Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, and we have some of her relics there in a small wooden stupa. We also have pictures of her
masters in Japan and Malaysia. When we bow in gratitude to the representation of the Unborn Buddha Nature on the main altar,
we simultaneously bow to those human beings represented in the Founder's Shrine who made our training possible.
As we approach our sitting place - chair, cushion, bench - we bow from the waist (monjin) in gratitude
for its lending itself for our use. It represents our lotus blossom upon or in which we sit, our place of awakening. We take
nothing for granted, not even inanimate objects that we "own." We then turn outwards and bow, in gratitude for all the other
sangha members gathered in the hall. If others are already seated on either side of us, they make gassho in return as a
welcome and to signify their willingness to sit together with us.
At the beginning of the meditation period the person leading the sitting strikes the medium-sized
gong three times. In response we make monjin (while seated) toward the wall. This signifies our formal commencement of
meditation and our willingness to "let go" of thoughts, opinions, judgments, feelings, etc. and open our hearts to the
Unborn. Similarly at the period's end the leader strikes the same gong twice, and we again make seated monjin. Doing so
gives form to our gratitude for the time spent in meditation and our commitment to take the meditation into daily life when
we get up. After the prior has left the room, we stand up, respectfully straighten our sitting place, bow again towards it,
and then bow outwards once again to everyone else.
Why so much emphasis on gratitude and bowing? Rev. Master Jiyu once told us that gratitude is the
water that primes the pump of enlightenment. In order to experience the Water of the Spirit and know the Eternal Buddha
Nature for ourselves, we put some "water" - gratitude - in the "pump" of training to bring up the fresh cool water deep in the
well. Gratitude is not only a precipitant of enlightenment; it is a sign of going in the right direction and a means of
getting back on track when we have stumbled or lost our way.
Practicing gratitude also cultivates the positive attitude of mind, the all-acceptance, which
opens our hearts to the Unborn. We cannot underestimate its value - it is the "gateless gate" to eternal life. These various
movements in the meditation hall bring this to mind. We prime the pump and start the Water flowing freely. In learning and
practicing these various points of etiquette, the important thing is the "attitude of gratitude," the perfecting of the Heart,
which underlies all that we do. Worldly or external perfection is not the aim.
* * *
© 2004 Eugene Buddhist Priory
These articles first appeared in a slightly different form in the June-July and August-September 2002 issues of
the Priory newsletters. Permission is granted to reprint for personal and non-commercial use. For other purposes, please
contact the Priory.
Last updated 09/07/2004
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