Simplicity Zen Practice Paths

The following are the roles and milestones available within Simplicity Zen community:

Participant – A participant is an informal designation that represents someone who attends public Simplicity Zen events and meditation sessions. There are no minimum participation requirements. People are free to participate as little or as much as it makes sense for them. Participants are also welcome to meet with Simplicity Zen teachers in an ad hoc basis as desired.

Formal Student – A formal student makes the following commitments 1) Meet weekly with a Simplicity Zen teacher. 2) engage in sitting meditation for at least 25 minutes a day (5 out of 7 days a week). 3) engage in “working/cleaning meditation” for at least 20 minutes a day (5 out of 7 days a week) . 4) Have the aspiration to participate in at least 12 days of meditation retreats a year.

Receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts – Once a student has finished formal study of the Boddhisattva precepts with a Simplicity Zen teacher, they are welcome to participate in a Bodhisattva Precept Initiation ceremony. In this ceremony, students affirm their commitment to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and vow to live life guided by the values encoded in the Bodhisattva precepts. In this ceremony, students receive a blue or black rakusu, ceremonial meal bowls and bloodline precept lineage documents.

Householder Ordination – “Householder” means someone who practices Zen outside of a monastery within full participation with family life, careers, bills and other “real world” obligations. In this ceremony, students vow to deepen their practice by turning their attention outward to facilitate the practice and spiritual growth of other people. Service activities of ordained students might include leading sitting groups, working as chaplains or making deeper commitments to participating in local Zen communities. This ceremony also represents a “renunciation” of the common human obsession of always needing to feel good and always needing to avoid discomfort at any cost.

Head Student – “Head Student” is a role that a student can fulfill during a practice period. They help lead the practice period and participate in a “Dharma Inquiry Ceremony”. This milestone represents a student’s first steps towards guiding the practices of other people.

Dharma Holder – “Dharma holder” is a milestone that is available to someone has been ordained, has an established dharma service project and has participated as a head student during a practice period. Dharma holders are empowered to meet students in private one-and-one meetings and to also give the precepts to students in the Bodhisattva Precept Initiation ceremony. Dharma holders can wear either black or gray rakusus.

Assistant Koan Teacher – If Dharma Holders are koan students and have completed the curriculum up through the Blue Cliff Record, they may be authorized to begin leading other students in koan practice as an assistant koan teacher. This is an optional milestone. Simplicity Zen students are not obligated to practice with koans.

Precept Transmission – This is the first step of “Dharma Transmission” and makes someone a formal member of a teaching lineage that dates back to ancient China. Those who receive precept transmission can lead Bodhisattva Precept Initiation ceremonies, ordain students, lead practice periods, appoint head students and confer “Dharma Holder” status on another student. Teachers who receive precept transmission are encouraged to wear a brown rakusu.

Dharma Transmission – Full Dharma Transmission includes all of the empowerments of Precept Transmission and additionally authorizes a teacher to give their own students Dharma Transmission.

Inka Ceremony – “Inka” is a Japanese word that means “certificate of authorization”. Dharma transmitted teachers who have completed the full Simplicity Zen koan curriculum and have established themselves as Zen teachers can be given the additional title of “Senior Koan Teacher” through the Inka Ceremony. Senior koan teachers can empower Dharma Holders as Assistant Koan Teachers and can confer “Senior Koan Teacher” status to other Dharma Transmitted teachers who have themselves completed the full koan curriculum.