Etiquette – Personal Responsibility – Strength of Character – Self Control
Etiquette - Freedom is, to sacrifice yourself voluntarily!
Etiquette is a behavior and rule that provides a framework so that one's own words and actions can be consciously carried out and processed and shows that one is under control. Life in the Zen monastery is physically and mentally challenging. The monks and nuns are happy to share temple life with you. If you cannot adapt to the rules, leave the monastery immediately.
General Rules - Important
- Watch your step!
- You adapt to monastic life, not the other way around.
- Be quiet and alert.
- Do not waste your own time and that of others.
- Keep words and personal needs to a minimum.
- Choose your words and actions very consciously and consistently.
- Respect the hierarchy.
- Respect age.
- Don't be an obstacle to others and yourself.
- Leave every place clean and tidy.
- Be on time.
- Eat while eating, work while working, etc.
- Protect your privacy by not telling too much about yourself.
- Protect yourself and others by setting a good example and understanding your role and situation.
- No Fire!
Food - Gratitude
We eat what is served (dairy products, grains, vegetables, meat, fish, etc.). There are no exceptions! Life in the Zen monastery is only made possible through gifts and therefore nothing is wasted or rejected. Because the act of giving is the basis for our practice in the Honora Zen monastery.
Disciple: Killing is the butcher's work; how can such people become enlightened? Bodhidharma: I was only telling you to see the self-nature, not talking about the resulting karma; although one has seen self-nature, one creates karma, but it is different for the confused; that is, the multitude of karma does not lock him up.
Personal Needs - Minimum
Personal needs should only be pursued during free time and breaks. Life in the Zen monastery offers space to re-examine life and death. That is why personal needs are reduced to a minimum!
Cancellation - Termination
The abbot has the right to repeal your stay in the monastery at any time.
Liability - Responsibility
The Honora Zen Monastery assumes no liability for accidents and illnesses. Practitioners in the Zen monastery are responsible for insurance cover (health insurance, liability insurance, etc.). If you have allergies or need to take medication, please inform us before your stay.
Meal - Medicine
The extremely simple food has always been a characteristic of the Zen monasteries. The quick or calm movements while eating do not allow for carelessness.
- No leftover food
- Quiet
- Follow the prior
- Briskly
- It is eaten together
Let's accept this food as medicine to support our weak bodies.
Cook - Tenzo
Besides the abbot, the cook is the most important person in the Zen monastery; he is responsible for the physical well-being and health of the Zen students and guests. The temple cook prepares all dishes wholeheartedly and makes sure that nothing is wasted. He is extremely valued and respected.
Everyday things should be guarded like the apple of your eye.
Zen Practitioners - Students
We have nowhere to rest our heads like drifting clouds and flowing water. Our aim is to awaken the true nature of each and to reexaminate the Logos of the Saints and Wise Ones.
Meditation in motion is a thousand times more valuable than meditation in stillness.
Retreats - Meditation & Devotional Contemplation
- Inner concentration
- Attention or Concern
- Spiritual Collection of Thoughts
- Religious Immersion
- Turning to emptiness and the concrete form in which this spiritual gathering takes place.
The real person without rank or name.
Departure - The Adventure Begins
Whoever wants to enter through this gate, however, is required to have the strong spirit of the seeker as the key and as a qualification for acceptance it is checked whether he is fully equipped with: "Great doubt", "Great willpower" and "Great faith".
The great way of Zen has no gate.
Permission to Enter - Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen!
In Zen, truth begins with one's own choice and is reached through one's own efforts; therefore the practitioner is rejected and not invited.
Watch where you step!
Guest - Host
The silence is a difficult experience. The mind is filled with old images and the walls seem to have a thousand eyes. If the practitioner is lazy, he will be rejected by the Zen monastery and will have to start over. So greeting those in charge and thanking them for their hospitality is a good start.
Meditation Hall - Touchstone
The bow when entering the meditation hall means that the practitioner is making every effort to gain wisdom, which overcomes ignorance and cuts duality.
Barefoot he climbs the mountain of blades.
Greeting the Abbot - Zen Master
The abbot will ask the practitioner his motivation for going to the monastery and promises to help so that the hoped-for awareness is attained.
Thank you!
Daily Routine - Step by Step
The daily rules are puposely very strict to put the practitioners life in good order so that his inner being may attain right awareness. For this reason, the initiates life is filled with admonities from elder monks.
Daily Work - Meditation in Motion
This is a very important etiquette for practitioners. Whispering and chatting while working is unthinkable. "Meditation in motion" and "meditation in silence" are equally valued. Work is a great opportunity to meditate and discover your true self.
A day without work is a day without food.
Oblations - Donation
Our re-examining is only possible through gifts and donations; therefore it encourages individuals to practice for the benefit of all living beings.
A wise man loves money, but knows the right way to use it.
Informal Encouragement - Terrible Hour for the Student
The practitioner is sometimes cited outside by the elders in the middle of the night for his negligence during the day. This is a terrible hour for the student, but very helpful encouragement from the elders.
Like a diamond that is polished by rubbing it with other diamonds.
Zen Interview - Battlefield of Wisdom
The abbot calls practitioners to the battlefield of wisdom for a face-to-face discussion.
From heart to heart!
Genius - Mastery
Every moment in life is seen as an opportunity to achieve enlightenment. Even the small and trivial tasks are not frowned upon, which is why the etiquette provides a good framework.
Do not waste time.
Teacher - Student
In Zen, true knowledge cannot be taught in the usual sense, it can only be experienced beyond words and traditional teachings, since the essence of wisdom cannot be grasped intellectually. The role of a teacher is to be a role model and an incentive for the student, he can show him techniques and ways to enlightenment, but ultimately the student can only achieve them through his own effort.
Something special is between them.
Night Meditation - Nothing is for Free!
When the lights are out, the practitioner can always find a place to meditate quietly and alone until midnight.
Nothing is free.
Durchbruch vom Ich zum Selbst - Heureka!
Every person has to make this experience for himself, at least once in a lifetime!
There is no need for a comment.
Q&A -The Monastic Regime
Here you will find the frequently asked questions and answers (faq). In the monastic regime, where life is strictly organized, humor is a welcome relief and an opportunity for obtaining mutual understanding and camaraderie in the monastery.