Dokusan

Yesterday, after I got back from the recon hike up Springer Mountain, L. came over and we went to dinner at Salsa, a local Cuban restaurant. After dinner, we went to the Alliance Theater and saw "The Guardsman," a 19th-century Hungarian comedy of manners. Strange choice for an Atlanta playhouse . . .

Anyway, that was yesterday. Today, Arthur and I drove up to Chattanooga to attend the Chattanooga Zen Center's Sunday service, where Arthur provided the dharma talk and dokusan. Dokusan, or private instruction, provides an opportunity for Zen students to work directly with a teacher in a confidential, face-to-face setting. In the early days of Buddhism in Asia, interactions between Buddhist masters and their students usually occurred in public gatherings of the monastic community, or in spontaneous interchanges during work and other temple activities. Over the centuries, particularly in Japan, such interactions became increasingly private and formalized. In time, these private meetings, known by the Japanese term dokusan, became an integral aspect of Zen training.

Today in the West, dokusan is an essential element of practice for many Zen students. During dokusan, students may bring up questions relating to practice, may present their understanding, or may simply sit quietly with the teacher. Dokusan may be brief or it may last a while, the length of time being no indication of the quality of the encounter. Maintaining absolute honesty and a respectful confidentiality in the teacher-student relationship, both inside and outside of dokusan, helps to establish the trust so essential to working closely and deeply together. This unique relationship, grounded in the fundamental integrity of Mind itself, can be a great help to the student in dealing with inevitable difficulties and doubts that arise, and helps to foster a meaningful involvement with the practice itself.

Of course, driving up to Chattanooga and back with Arthur, I got the opportunity for two 2-hour dokusans, although the length of time being no indication of the quality, etc.

Anyway, as I predicted Friday, it was an eclectic weekend - a bluegrass concert Friday night (even if we didn't stay for the feature act), Appalachian Trail hiking Saturday (even if only a reconnaisance), a play Saturday night (even if a Hungarian oddity), and a Zen service Sunday (even if in Tennessee). At least I got some more folks signed up for the final hike while I was up in Chattanooga.