- Great Vow Zen Monastery Clatskanie
- Great Vow Zen Monastery Calendar
- Great Vow Zen Monastery Clatskanie
- Great Vow Monastery Oregon
My name is Allie, and I am a 25 year old who just finished a term of 313 days of residency at Great Vow Zen Monastery in Clastkanie, Oregon (under the leadership of Chozen and Hogen Roshi, students of Taizan Maezumi Roshi among others). I arrived at the Monastery at the end of October last year, and my residency ended on the 6th of this month. It was my first time travelling outside of Florida on my own, barring a single Sesshin, and also my first time in Monastic practice – in fact, I’d only been practicing Zen for a few months before I made that jump, but the call was strong, and I did have prior spiritual experience as a solitary Daoist, and meditated semi-regularly before finding the Jax Great Cloud Sangha. However, finding Elliston Roshi, Bill, and the rest of the Great Cloud Sangha had a profound impact on my life, and I would never have found, let alone made the jump to live at, Great Vow if it wasn’t for their support and guidance. It was a pretty crazy leap of faith, but I was struggling a lot with personal issues and spiritual questions that I did not have answers for, and felt a calling toward a life of spiritual practice and service.
It was very challenging adapting to the strict Monastic schedule and new environment, but the Zen Community of Oregon sangha was extremely supportive and caring in helping me adjust and work through the karma and thoughts I had brought with me. Monastic practice is definitely not for everyone, and I’m not sure I’d recommend people jump straight into it with both feet like I did, but I am so grateful I had the opportunity to practice with such a mature and wise sangha, and help contribute to such a beautiful place. During my time at Great Vow I learned sewing, basic cooking, gardening, my practice matured greatly due to an intensive schedule of Zazen, chanting, and study (as well as monthly Sesshin and other retreats), and I grew in my abilities to relate with others and live together in harmony in a communal setting. Now that I am back in Florida visiting family, I plan to use this time to reflect on my experiences at Great Vow, to further develop my independent spiritual practice with the guidance of teachers from ZCO and STO, and to discern what might be the best use of the limited and precious life energy I have been alotted. After a year of residency I still do feel a strong drive to become ordained, but I want to make sure I look deeply inward before I make such a large life decision. Deep bows of gratitude for all the support this Sangha and practice have given me in the journey on this beautiful winding path. I am happy to answer any questions those who read this have about myself, my practice, monastic living in America, the Zen Community of Oregon, or anything else 🙂
Great Vow Zen Monastery (www.zendust.org) is a residential community of lay and ordained people engaged in around-the-clock Buddhist practice.The practice heritage of the monastery is the Soto/Rinzai lineage of Taizan Maezumi, Roshi enriched by the teachings of the Tibetan and Theravada traditions. September 24, 2020 My name is Allie, and I am a 25 year old who just finished a term of 313 days of residency at Great Vow Zen Monastery in Clastkanie, Oregon (under the leadership of Chozen and Hogen Roshi, students of Taizan Maezumi Roshi among others).
“Even as on a rubbish-heap thrown upon the highway, a lily there may grow; sweet-scented, fine.“
Zen Community of Oregon
The Zen Community of Oregon (ZCO or “The Zen Community”) is a community of ordained monks and laypeople who practice Soto Zen Buddhist teachings in two locations (Zen Community). One location, the Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple, is located in Northeast Portland and is designed to provide refuge and calm in a busy urban environment. The other location, Great Vow Zen Monastery, is located in a more rural environment and sits on twenty acres of forestland 80 miles northwest of Portland. The Zen Community of Oregon was founded in order to make the Buddha’s teachings available through a legitimate Zen lineage with the ultimate goal of helping people realize their Buddha nature (Zen Community). The ZCO has a website which provides a comprehensive discussion of the ZCO, its history, purpose and activities. The following information about the ZCO was obtained through the website.
Great Vow Zen Monastery Clatskanie
(Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple)
The ZCO locations provide many services and activities, many of which are open to the public as well as to those who are learning. ZCO also provides multiple ways in which to practice Zen Buddhism. For example, ZCO offers “regular meditation, one-on-one or group interaction with a teacher, workshops and talks, peer-led Dharma discussion groups and short and long silent mediation retreats” (Zen Community). The Zen Community locations offer large grounds, gardens, shrines, retreats, residency programs, memorial gardens, mindful eating, discussions and seminars, and many activities open to the community. The Zen Community not only offers a place to meditate and learn, but also offers short and long term training programs, priest and teacher ordination and “Dharma Holders” (Zen Community).
(Great Vow Zen Monastery)
The ZCO has two leaders, Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays. Both Chozen and Hogen Bays are members of the White Plum Assanga. Their association with The White Plum is an important part of understanding who they are and in understanding the Zen Community of Oregon. The White Plum Assanga is an organization that reportedly contains the lineage of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi, and its members continue the traditions and teachings of Maezumi Roshi (White Plum). This organization exists all across the country in many locations. The Zen Community of Oregon and its locations is part of this broad organization. Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi was born in Japan and, at age eleven, he was ordained as a monk in the Soto Zen tradition of Buddhism (White Plum). Roshi went on to study more traditional subjects also, and he earned degrees in philosophy and oriental literature. He also received approval as a Zen teacher. In 1956, Maezumi Roshi left Japan and traveled to the United States. Upon his arrival in the United States, Maezumi Roshi landed in Los Angeles and became a priest at Zenshuji Temple (White Plum). Zenshuji Temple is the Soto Zen Headquarters of the United States. Maezumi Roshi then embarked on a lifelong mission attempting to create a lasting and substantial foundation for Zen Buddhism so that it could spread in the Western World. In 1967 (White Plum), Roshi established the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Many of the disciples of Roshi studied with him and then carried his teachings to many locations all across America, as well as to Europe and Mexico. In this way, the legacy of Maezumi Roshi followed his dream and spread across the West. Maezumi Roshi also founded a non-profit organization designed to promote Buddhist learning. He died at age 64 in Tokyo, Japan (White Plum).
(Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays)
Great Vow Zen Monastery Calendar
The fact that the Zen Community of Oregon was established by members of the White Plum Assanga, following the teachings of Maezumi Roshi, is important in understanding the type of Zen practices followed by the Zen Community of Oregon. The Zen Community follows the Soto Zen Practices that were passed down through the lineage of Maezumi Roshi (Zen Community) (O’brien). Zen Buddhism was first developed by two Chinese monks, Tozan (Dongshan) and Sozan (Caoshan) (O’Brien). Soto Zen was first introduced by Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) (O’Brien). Dogen focused on the Buddha’s concept of “original enlightenment” (O’Brien). The concept of “original enlightenment” is the Buddha’s assertion that every person is already enlightened, but does not understand that he or she is enlightened. Dogen questioned why Buddhist teachers would seek enlightenment when they were already enlightened. Dogen’s questioning brought him to Zen Buddhism. After studying in the Rinzai tradition, Dogen became dissatisfied and sought teaching elsewhere. In time, Dogen would become known as the founder of the Soto tradition of Zen, which places great emphasis on “zazen” (O’Brien). Zazen is meant to help the practitioner appreciate the present moment completely and not to “seek” enlightenment because enlightenment can be found in the present moment, in the practice of zazen (O’Brien). Dogen called the practice of sitting meditation Shikantaza, which means “just sitting” (O’Brien).
The Zen Community of Oregon includes a statement on its website that “The fundamental practice of Zen Buddhism is meditation, or zazen” (Zen Community). Zazen meditation focuses on posture, breathing, and state of mind. In keeping with the zazen notion that all are enlightened, the Zen Community of Oregon is open to all individuals who are interested in meditation, not just Buddhists. Both the Great Vow Monastery, as well as the Heart of Wisdom Temple, have events for people interested in zazen. The Zen Community of Oregon bases its form of zazen on its practice of the Bodhisattva precepts (Zen Community).
(Zen Community of Oregon)
There are sixteen Bodhisattva precepts that the Zen Community of Oregon follows (Zen Community). These sixteen precepts can be divided into three categories, also known as “The Three Refuges,” “The Three Pure Precepts,” and “The Ten Grave Precepts” (Sixteen Precepts). These precepts are an essential part of Zen Buddhism. These precepts are taken during monk ordinations, weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies. The sixteen precepts help Zen practitioners guide their lifestyle and live in accordance with Zen principles (Sixteen Precepts).
Another important Buddhist concept in the Zen Community of Oregon is sesshin, or “touching the heart-mind,” according to the website (Zen Community). ZCO states that sesshin “is a means of settling the waves of distracted mind to allow absorption to occur and insight to unfold” (Zen Community). Sesshin is a meditation retreat that generally lasts multiple days, usually 6-10 days. Sesshin retreats in ZCO are generally intensive and require full participation and no distraction. During a sesshin retreat, practitioners usually wake up at around 3:50 AM and finish the day at 10 PM. Those participating in a sesshin stay in the monastery and follow the temple rules. There are many different sesshin retreats focused on different types of meditation. ZCO offers sesshins on loving kindness, gratitude, awareness, and other topics (Zen Community). While some sesshins are available only to members of ZCO, there are many that are open to the public. Sesshin is an essential aspect of the Zen tradition at ZCO. Along with Sesshin, the Zen Community of Oregon also hosts many different workshops and events that are open to the public (Zen Community).
According to its website, the Zen Community offers classes and workshops on a wide array of topics. Many of the classes are opportunities to learn about different Zen Buddhist traditions and practices. The activities in ZCO are very inclusive, offering a chance for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists to participate in activities. On the ZCO calendar, there are generally five to ten events a month open to participation by the community. Because there are numerous events and activities being held in the two temples, there are many types of teachers who guide these different affairs—including the monks, ordained teachers, lay teachers and Dharma Holders (Zen Community).
Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays manage ZCO affairs and are ordained monks (Zen Community). Chozen Bays has been a Zen Buddhist practitioner since 1973. In 1979, she was ordained as a monk by Taizan Maezumi (Zen Community). For many years, Chozen Bays lived in the Zen Center of Los Angeles and was granted the authority to teach the Zen lineage of Maezumi in 1983. Chozen Bays has been the teacher for the Zen Community of Oregon since 1985. She helped establish both Great Vow Zen Monastery, as well as the Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple in 2002 and 2011. She is currently the co-abbot of Great Vow Zen Monastery and continues to teach Soto Zen at the monastery and has published many articles about Zen Buddhism (Zen Community).
Along with Chozen Bays, Hogen Bays is also the co-abbot of Great Vow Zen Monastery (Zen Community). Hogen Bays started practicing Buddhism in 1968 under Philip Kapleau in Rochester, New York. From 1980-1984, Hogen Bays studied under Taizan Maezumi at the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Hogen Bays has been a leader of ZCO since 1985 and has studied with many masters, both in and outside of the Zen tradition. In 2000, Hogen Bays received the Dharma Transmission from Chozen Bays. He continues to teach in the ZCO and also has degrees as a Naturopathic Doctor and in Psychology (Zen Community).
Great Vow Zen Monastery Clatskanie
The Zen Community of Oregon also has one ordained teacher, as well as three Dharma Holders (Zen Community). Dharma Holders are individuals who have been selected to teach and be spiritual leaders in the community. Dharma Holders usually have practiced Zen with leaders from ten to twenty years and have completed many sesshin, as well as a three-year course of study (Zen Community). The only ordained teacher currently at the Zen Community is Jogen Salzberg. Salzberg has been a Zen practitioner since 1997, and he entered Great Vow Monastery for monastic training in 2003. In 2017, Salzberg received the Dharma Transmission from Hogen Bays. Salzberg is a community leader in the Zen Community as well as the Director of Residency (Zen Community). The three Dharma Holders are Patrick Bansho Green, Laura Jomon Martin, and Ed Gensho Welsh. All three of these teachers are an integral part of leading the community and also serve to continue the Soto Zen lineage of Maezumi Roshi (Zen Community).
The Zen Community of Oregon has four Lay teachers as well. Lay teachers are not ordained monks, but are still very knowledgeable of the Soto Zen tradition. The lay teachers in ZCO are Abby Mushin Terris, Larry Fuho Trussell, Kim Hoben Hansen, and Kodo Conover (Zen Community). These teachers have all practiced Zen Buddhism for more than a decade and are given many responsibilities in the community, including leading workshops and sesshin. These Lay teachers also have professions that are unrelated to Buddhism, such as psychotherapist, research scientist, and tax litigator (Zen Community).
The Zen Community of Oregon is a unique monastery that offers its members and its community opportunities for meditation and learning. The Community’s residential programs enable seekers to fully engage in the practice of Zen Buddhism, daily zazen, retreats of all time periods, and monthly sesshins (silent meditation retreats).
(Zen Community of Oregon Teachers)
- By Zeke Tal
Works Cited
O’Brien, Barbara. “A Brief Biography of Eihei Dogen, the Founder of Japanese Soto Zen.” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/eihei-dogen-450198.
The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts | San Francisco Zen Center, www.sfzc.org/teachings/the-sixteen-bodhisattva-precepts.
“Welcome.” The White Plum Asanga, 8 July 2017, whiteplum.org/welcome/.
Great Vow Monastery Oregon
“Zen Community of Oregon.” Zen Community of Oregon, Zen Community of Oregon, 4 Dec. 1970, www.zendust.org/.