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Retreat
Schedule for Public Students
By
Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
This
Page is intended as a general guide for public students sitting retreats
at home under the guidance of a practice advisor or Dharma Teacher. Arrangements
to sit a retreat should be made a week in advance as telephone or email
instruction needs to be scheduled. Please read through the instructions
below and send an email to the practice advisor or Dharma Teacher you
are receiving instruction from to confirm your schedule for the day of
your retreat and include such details as what you intend to do concerning
meals and how you will spend your time during samu (caretaking practice)
and free periods. Please note that once you have begun your retreat you
should not leave your home.
The
following iinstructions are based on the same format for retreats used
at Dainen-ji and include opening and closing a home altar or Butsudan,
the chants used and other forms. If you do not have a Butsudan or the
other practice materials mentioned, or there are details that will need
to be adjusted, changes can be made to the format in consultation with
an instructor. But you should inform them in advance of any changes you
make to the format.
If
you are not familiar with the chants listed below, please just read through
them at the appropriate times.
Summary
of the Daily Schedule
5:00
Wake up, recite Verse of Waking (see below)
5:40
Open altar shelf or Butsudan
5:45
Begin kinhin 15 minutes before the sitting
6:00
Begin sitting
7:45
End sitting, begin breakfast preparation
8:00
Breakfast eaten on a tray in the practice room
8:30
Wash dishes, free period
9:25
Prepare practice room for the mid-morning sitting
9:30
Resume zazen
11:30
Lunch preparation
12:00
Take lunch tray to practice room
12:30
Kitchen cleanup, free period
1:30
Samu period (food preparation for the next day's meals)
2:40
Free period
2:55
Prepare practice room for the afternoon sitting
3:00
Resume zazen
5:30
Supper preparation
6:00
Take supper tray to practice room to eat
6:30
Kitchen cleanup, free period
7:25
Prepare practice room for evening sitting
7:30
Resume zazen
9:10
Closing Chants
10:15
Lights out
Verse
of Waking
As
we wake this morning,
May
all beings Realize each dharma as it is,
Pervading
the ten directions.
SA
MAM SA HAM AH
Preparation
Prior to Each Block of Sittings
Do
“the rounds” to make sure the doors are locked, the answering machine
is turned on if you have one – do what you can to ensure that you will
not be disturbed while sitting.
Dust
the altar shelf or Butsudan. Light the candles. Place a stick of incense
in front of the incense burner, running horizontally along the front edge
of the Butsudan. Make sure that the kaishaku, clock, and gong are placed
next to your seat.
Opening
the Altar Shelf or Butsudan
Walking
clockwise through the room, walk to the Butsudan. Stand in front of it
with your feet together and bring your hands to gassho (palm to palm).
Without first bowing, lower yourself into a kneeling posture (seiza) and
then bow. Straighten, and pick up the stick of incense.
Hold
it vertically between the tips of your index fingers, raise your hands
and place the knuckles of your thumbs against the centre of your forehead
(which will bring the incense stick to an upright and elevated position
above your head).
Bow
forward, straighten, and lower your hands so that they come to rest in
front of the area of the heart. Transfer the incense stick to your right
hand, and hold the tip of it over the flame of the left-hand candle. You
can keep your left hand in gassho while lighting the incense with your
right.
Place
the lit stick between the tips of your index fingers, raise your hands
and place your thumbs against your forehead to bring the incense stick
to an upright and elevated position above your head.
Bow
forward, straighten, and lower your hands so that they come to rest in
front of the area of the heart. Transfer the incense stick to your right
hand and turn the incense stick with a rapid circular motion to extinguish
the flame (it is considered ill-mannered to blow out a stick of incense).
You can keep your left hand in gassho while you do this.
Place
the incense stick in the burner, bring your hands to gassho, and do a
kneeling bow. Straighten; place your hands in shashu, rise, and bring
your hands to gassho to do a final standing bow before the Butsudan.
Unless
you have been given instruction concerning Great Bows by an instructor
at Dainen-ji, this is all you need to do to open the Butsudan prior to
beginning your sitting round and you can now simply take your seat. The
clock should be placed to one side of, or on the zabuton, directly in
front of you. Be sure to time all of your sitting rounds. None of your
rounds should be less than, or exceed, 30 minutes, with the exception
of the last round when you may need to end early to do food preparation.
You
should do a round of kinhin between sitting rounds, walking clockwise
around the room. Begin the kinhin round at your seat and end it when you
again return to your seat. Strike the kaishaku once to signal the beginning
of kinhin; twice to end. If you are alone and need to use the washroom,
you can leave the room during the kinhin period by walking in kinhin to
the rear door. Lay the kaishaku on the zabuton next to the door, retrieve
them when you come back, and continue the kinhin round.
Meals
Take
your meal tray to the practice room. Place the tray to one side of your
seat, and mindfully take your place. Stand the tray in front of you, bring
your hands to gassho, do a seated bow and then recite the Meal Chant before
beginning to eat. You do not need to use kaishaku or gong as accompaniment
as you recite the chant.
Recite
the Chant twice without chanting the last line, “Prajnaparamita!” On the
third recitation, chant the entire Chant, including the last line. With
your hands still in gassho, do a final seated bow before beginning to
eat.
Gokan-no-ge
(the Five Rememberances)
This
meal arises from the labour of all beings,
may
we remember their offering.
Delusions
are many, attention wanders,
may
we justify this offering.
Greed
arises from self-cherishing,
may
we be free in moderation.
This
offering sustains us, gives us strength,
may
we be grateful.
We
use this strength and attain the Way.
Prajnaparamita!
As
you eat, please apply your practice to this activity. Eat mindfully, but
at a reasonable speed. Sometimes students confuse mindfulness with doing
things more slowly, becoming ponderous. It should not take more than ten
minutes at most to eat a bowl of rice with eggs; for larger meals with
multiple courses, 20 minutes at most.
After
you have finished eating, place utensils neatly on the tray, cover your
dishes with the napkin, bring your hands to gassho, and recite The Four
Great Vows in English.
The
Four Great Vows
All
beings without number I vow to liberate.
Endless
obsessions I vow to release.
Dharma
gates beyond measure I vow to penetrate.
Limitless
Awakening I vow to unfold.
Do
a seated bow with your hands in gassho at the end of the chant, move the
tray to one side of your seat and use the forms to mindfully take care
of your zafu and zabuton.
Closing
the Butsudan or Altar Shelf
Stand
and walk to the Butsudan (clockwise) with your hands in shashu. Facing
the Butsudan, feet together, bring your hands into gassho and without
bowing, lower yourself into seiza (a kneeling posture).
Using
your right hand to cup the back of each candle to prevent wax from being
blown on to the lacquered finish, blow them out, extinguishing the left
candle first. Having done this, do a seated bow (gassho monjin) to the
Butsudan and with your hands still in gassho, rise and do a final standing
bow.
With
your hands placed in shashu, you can now retrieve your tray. The tray
may only be a few feet from the Butsudan, but you should walk clockwise
to reach your seat. Pick up the tray and walk to the door. With the tray
in your hands, bow into the room before leaving.
Kitchen
Cleanup
Wash
your dishes and leave the tray on the kitchen counter, ready for the next
meal.
Free
Periods
Following
each meal, after you have finished cleaning your dishes, you will have
a free period. This is not a break or recreation period but rather an
unstructured time in which to extend your practice.
You
can make yourself some tea or coffee if you wish. You can sit outside,
or walk about the grounds of your home, but you should not leave the grounds.
You should not read anything unless you have been instructed to do so.
If
you encounter other people, apply functional talking - meaning that you
should only express what really needs to be expressed - for example, to
ask or answer a question.
Samu
Period
At
1:30, please recite the Samu Chant before beginning the tasks you will
be working with.
Samu-no-ge
Verse
of Caretaking
Before
the Buddhas and Awakened Ancestors,
standing
in the midst of all beings,
I
vow to dedicate this caretaking practice to the liberation of all beings.
May
all beings be happy, may they be peaceful, may they be free.
May
all beings be happy, may they be peaceful, may they be free.
May
all beings be happy, may they be peaceful, may they be free.
Please
be sure to finish samu on time (including putting away any materials associated
with the task) by 2:40 to allow a 15-minute free period.
Closing
Chants and Lights Out
Your
retreat ends with the Closing Chants at the conclusion of the evening
sitting (9:10 p.m) unless you are continuing your retreat over a few days.
Closing
Chants
Shi
Gu Sei Gan: the Four Great Vows
SHU
JO MU HEN SEI GAN DO
BON
NO MU JIN SEI GAN DAN
HO
MON MU RYO SEI GAN GAKU
BUTSUDO
MU JO SEI GAN JO
All
beings without number I vow to liberate.
Endless
obsessions I vow to release.
Dharma
gates beyond measure I vow to penetrate.
Limitless
Awakening I vow to unfold.
If
you are planning to continue your retreat the next day, then immediately
following the Closing Chants please set up your bedding. If you are sleeping
in your practice room you should arrange your bedding so that your head
is towards the Butsudan (altar) rather than your feet.
Sit
in seiza and with your hands in gassho, recite the Shushin-ge before going
to sleep.
Shushin-ge
Closing Chant
As
we enter into sleep this night,
may
all beings calm all things
and
uncover the Stainless mind of clarity.
Makura
Om.
Makura
Om.
Makura
Om.
Lights
should be out at 10:15 p.m.
 
©
1999-2004 White Wind Zen Community. All rights reserved.
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