Unsui: A Diary of Zen
Monastic Life
Presented by Chris Acon, Tracy Backes, Danny
Eastman, Junko Nakamura, Carl Nygaard,
Alison Ryan, and Stephanie Tan
Overview of Buddhism
Developed twenty-five centuries ago in
India with the Buddha Shākyamuni
Two main aspects: “True awareness”
which refers to the Buddha’s religious
experience and Buddha’s teachings
themselves
Various sects of Buddhism have
developed from the two main schools:
Theravada and Mahayana. The sect we
will explore is Zen Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism
Originated in China in 520 A.D. with
Bodhidharma, an Indian Buddhist monk
Bodhidharma stressed the importance of
“true awareness” instead of simply studying
or lecturing on Buddhist scriptures
Founded in Japan by Master Dogen who
emphasized a life’s dedication to the
salvation of living creatures. He preached
universal and humanistic views which were
new to Japan.
Representations of Bodhidharma
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism maintains that it is
crucial to bring “man back to the
center of the Buddhism that is
Buddha’s religious experience,
while…holding all of Buddha’s
teachings in respect as being the
expressions of that original
experience” (Smith, vii).
Japanese Zen Buddhism
Two main sects: Sōtō and Rinzai
Soto: teaches the oneness of zazen
practice or meditation in a perscribed,
cross-legged posture
Rinzai: emphasizes satori
(enlightenment) through hard
discipline of kōan exercise
Unsui: A Diary of Zen Monastic Life
explores the Rinzai sect
Zen Master Hakuin
Established the
kōan method to
bring the student to
satori awareness
Instrumental in
regulating
monastic life in its
present form
Compassion
through preaching,
art, and writing
Zen Buddhism & the West
Unsui aims to provide Western
readers with a realistic introduction to
monastic life
The West’s interest in Zen Buddhism
is moving from mere curiosity to a
more sincere understanding
Westerners are changing from an
intellectual/theoretical interest
towards actual practice
Zendō Life
Zendō life can be
analyzed as a life of
humility, labor, service,
prayer, gratitude, and
meditation
Japanese Zen
Buddhist temples are
often located close to
cities which relates to
the act of begging and
the interdependence it
represents
Important Aspects of Monastic Life
Closeness to nature: Mirrored by Zen gardens
and regimen geared to seasonal patterns
Begging: raises funds for the monastery while
furthering awareness of interdependency of all
existence
Bathing and cleansing: Bathing in silence
emphasizes awareness of attachment and
freedom, impurity and purity
Drinking of tea: Relates to each day and
connects all time
Silence: “Wisdom comes only when men are
reduced to silence.”
Gates: Suggest passageway between secular and
sacred
Unsui: A Diary of Zen Monastic Life
Similar formatting to a
comic book
Daily life of the
monastery is
portrayed in ninetyseven watercolor
sketches
Illustrations are by
Rev. Giei Satō a
Rinzai Zen priest
Comments written by
Rev. Eshin Nishimura,
a former monk
Unsui: A Diary of Zen Monastic Life
Unsui refers to a monk
undergoing Zen
training
Chinese characters
translate to “cloud,
water”
Monks in training
gather around the Zen
master like clouds and
they live their lives
smoothly like a moving
cloud or running water
Sarei: Daily Tea Ceremony
Sarei: Daily Tea Ceremony
12th Century: Japanese Zen
Buddhist monk Eisai visited
China and brought back
origins of tea ceremony
Monks drank tea to stay
awake during long
meditation sessions
Slowly developed into the
sarei that is practiced today
Sarei
Sarei is held each morning as an
informal ritual
Sozarei is the longer formal ceremony
held several times a year
The formal tea ceremony practiced by
the public of Japan was inspired by
these ceremonies
Principles of Sarei
Reverence (kei)
Harmony and peace (wa)
Inner and outer purity (sei)
Quietness (jaku)
‘WABI’ (a combination of the above) is
the ultimate of the tea principles
Rice in Zen Buddhism
Shojin Ryori
Strict vegan diet that the Zen Buddhists followed
No fish or meat was allowed
No garlic, onions, or chives were permitted
Kelp seaweed was used to prepare the dashi stock
Vegetables were thought of as being able to
provide nourishment for the body and soul, yet
took nothing in return
Goals: to promote purity of both the body and the
spirit. This is referred to as “advancement of the
spirit”
Shojin Ryori was only practiced within the confines
of the Zen Buddhist temple
Breakfast
Elder monks would wake up earlier than the other
monks to make breakfast
Soft cooked rice is served – each grain of rice is
thought of as having the same value as Mount
Sumeru (the holiest mountain in the Indian
Buddhist world)
Breakfast
Example of typical breakfast: three bowls of rice,
pickled plums, vegetables
Vegetables were grown by the monks in their own
gardens
Left over rice is then put into buckets, which are
later offered to the spirits, then to the birds and fish
Lunch
All monks receive a bowl of rice that is mixed in with wheat
(three parts of rice, seven parts of wheat)
Also part of the meal is miso soup, vegetables, and pickles
Largest meal of the day
Leftovers are then collected and first offered to spirits, then to
the birds and fish
Dinner is not viewed as a meal, rather it is viewed as being a
“medicine”
Feeding Hungry Spirits
A wooden platform is built and placed on the veranda of the
main hall inside the monastery
Monks will chant scriptures during the evening, while scattering
healing water to call out to the hungry spirit, gaki
Fifteenth of August was an important day, where the Master
and monks perform a ceremony calling for the spirits, and
serving different kinds of foods from nature
Rice and water is then scattered by laymen and monastic
participants in the ceremony
New Year in Japan
Rice cakes were a custom at the end of the year
Tasks of monks were divided into three phrases
Steaming the rice
Pounding it when steamed
Making the round cakes
When hunger comes, I eat my rice
When sleep comes, I close my eyes
Fools laugh at me, but
The wise man understands
-offering teaching from Lin Chi