Dokusan, Daisan and Spiritual Counseling

Mind to mind, heart to heart, being to being!

Interview with a lineage holder is called Dokusan,

with a priest or teacher is called Daisan.

-Hollow Bones Sutra Book

“There are really no masters of Zen... there is sometimes, an insightful and well-trained teacher who can hold up the correct mirror. In this mirror, we can find reflected our true spiritual image, our own spiritual truth…” offers the Hollow Bones Sutra Book.  Why is this so important?  Our understanding and embodiment deepens by setting our intentions, creating healthy practice habits, rehearsing our meditation practice daily, and studying sacred texts.  We do this both at home and in formal practice structures of sangha or community.  While this community provides support and the scaffolding for ongoing development, the guidance of a teacher provides insight and feedback.  A mentor teacher leads the way lovingly with care.

In our lineage, this is done through one on one meetings, which is called dokusan if the teacher is a Roshi or daisan if the teacher is priest.  While other Zen lineages have various titles that distinguish the level of the teachers, Hollow Bones does not have such distinctions.  Jun Po Roshi ordained close to 50 priests and eleven Roshis, though not all have continued to identify as clergy.  Most of the members of the community identified Jun Po Roshi as their teacher until the time he passed away in 2022.  Since then, individuals have been in the process of identifying who can serve in this essential position.

My understanding of Hollow Bones is that dokusan is largely offered on sesshins, retreats or at times during a weekly practice offering.  At Shining Bright Lotus Meditation Society, we are moving to a system used by many sanghas, in which we offer practice periods several times a year. Practice periods are structured periods of committed intensive practice.  During these practice periods, we will offer daisan through meeting with one of our priests. 

By now, you may be asking, what exactly does one do in a one-on-one meeting with a priest? There are two different models. The first is in the role of a teacher.  Daisan provides the opportunity to discuss meditation technique and development, dharma teachings, ethical considerations or other challenges one may face in the study of dharma.

I’ve been a senior teacher at Hollow Bones Zen ever since Jun Po Roshi authorized me to develop the Mondo Zen Facilitator Program in 2019.  Since then, I have been meeting regularly with students of Mondo Zen Facilitation as they have moved from Mondo practitioners to Certified Mondo Facilitators.  I continued to mentor many of these students as they broaden their ability to serve.  My role as teacher continues as I am actively training a new cohort of priests for Fugen Roshi at Dragon Heart Dharma.  For daisan meetings, we discuss skill development, meditation technique, dharma teachings as well as challenges individual students are facing.

The other style of daisan is pastoral counseling, a form of counseling that brings together psychological and spiritual support for the challenges that we face in daily life.  In this style daisan, the opportunity to receive support from a priest trained in compassionate care which includes the theological knowledge of our chosen faith, Zen Buddhism.  Pastoral counseling offers a safe container that fosters honest and open sharing of emotional, psychological or spiritual issues that arise in daily life.  Pastoral counseling is an opportunity to talk with another person, one who is able to listen, reflect and provide emotional and  spiritual care.   

For this style of daisan my training as an integrative physician and Integral Coach provides me with significant experience working with diverse and challenging situation around old age, sickness, and death. i was ordained by Jun Po Roshi six years ago.  My commitment is to listen compassionately and do my best to reflect authentically insights that arise through my understanding.  I feel blessed to be able to witness another being sharing their truth.

During the month of May, we will begin to offer daisan meetings with our clergy at Shining Bright Lotus Meditation Society.  Perhaps you are new to this style of mentorship, or perhaps you have previously met with a teacher and are interested in support from one of us.  Daisan is available for members of our community.  We look forward to being of service.