What's the difference between
teachers and priests?
OUR TRADITION
Leadership
within Boundless Way Zen
Our lineage : Boundless way Zen's
ancestors
Bylaws
of Boundless Way Zen (pdf).
Click
here to download.
(Revised October 2007)
LEADERSHIP WITHIN
BOUNDLESS WAY ZEN
All
leaders and teachers of Boundless Way Zen acknowledge that they are
ongoing students and that the quality of their leadership derives from
the quality of their practice. As ongoing students, each leader and
teacher commits to continuing her or his study of the great way,
allowing the wisdom of form and emptiness to manifest within and as
engaged lives.
A NOTE ON THE TERM 'TEACHER.'
In most Zen communities in the West, the term teacher
is reserved exclusively for those who have received Dharma
transmission, formal sanction as a teacher within a traditional
lineage. The major exception to this narrow usage has been within the
Kwan Um School of Zen, who use the titles dharma teacher
and senior dharma teacher for people with
functions similar to those described above. In that school, it is
clearly understood that these teachers have not received Dharma
transmission. By also adopting this broader usage, Boundless Way Zen
hopes to help reclaim the term teacher, as well
as many of the aspects of teaching, as functions genuinely shared by
the whole community and not exclusively the work of those who possess
formal Dharma transmission.
The
Leadership Council
A
Leadership Council has been elected according to the bylaws of
Boundless Way Zen. The Leadership Council in collaboration with the
guiding teachers is responsible for establishing the institution of
Boundless Way Zen. They approve the budget, define membership, and
otherwise develop the formal institutional structures of the Community.
Tenure: One year.
Leadership
Council:
Laura Wallace, President
Jan Seymour-Ford, Vice President
Alan Richardson, Secretary
Arlene Duelfer, Treasurer
Steve Garabedian, Member-at-Large
Stephen Wallace, Member-at-Large
James Peregrino, Member-at-Large
Diane Fitzgerald, Member-at-Large
Spiritual
Leadership
As a dynamic network of practice centers there is a need for a variety
of kinds of spiritual leadership. The following positions have been
created to meet those needs.
Practice
Leader
The practice leader is responsible for the general
direction of a particular group or retreat.
Prerequisites: A practice leader should have demonstrated maturity in her or his practice, be familiar with BWZ's forms, be able to lead by example and have communication skills.
Tenure: As the guiding teachers feel appropriate.
Practice
Leaders:
Kate Hartland, Ralph Waldo Emerson Zen Sangha
Sue Allen, Henry Thoreau Zen Sangha,
Stephen Wallace, Spring Hill Zen
Ken Walkama, Wellspring Zen
Jean Erlbaum, Greenfield Zen
David Heald, Dawn Redwood Zen Community
Jan Seymour-Ford, Benevolent Street Zen Sangha
Harold Stevens, Worcester Zen Community - Boundless Way Temple
James Cordova, Worcester Zen Community - First Unitarian
Dharma
Teacher
Dharma teachers share in the
spiritual leadership of BWZ as requested by the guiding teachers.
Dharma teachers introduce BWZ's forms and practices in
classes and lectures. They may also informally speak with other members
of the community about details of practice. They may also give Dharma
talks.
A dharma teacher may not give formal practice interviews (dokusan) or establish personal student-teacher relationships (shoken).
Prerequisites: Are determined by the guiding teachers on a case by case basis. But, a dharma teacher should have demonstrated maturity in practice, be familiar with BWZ's forms, be able to lead by example and otherwise have communication skills. As a general rule a dharma teacher should have been practicing Zen for at least five years, and must have an understanding of the history and forms of Zen Buddhism.
Tenure: As
the guiding teachers feel appropriate.
Dharma Teachers:
Ken Rivard
Jean Erlbaum
Ed Oberholtzer
Harold Stevens
Sue Allen
Kate Hartland
Steve Wallace
Laura Wallace
James Cordova
Senior
Dharma Teacher
Senior dharma teachers share in the spiritual leadership of the
Community as requested by the guiding teachers. In addition to the
responsibilities of a dharma teacher a senior dharma teacher may be
authorized to give practice interviews.
A senior dharma teacher may not establish personal student-teacher relationships (shoken).
Prerequisites: Are determined by the guiding teachers on a case by case basis. But, a senior dharma teacher should have demonstrated maturity in practice, be familiar with BWZ's forms, be able to lead by example and otherwise have communication skills. As a general rule a senior dharma teacher should have been practicing Zen for ten years, and must have an understanding of the history and forms of Zen Buddhism.
Tenure: As the guiding teachers feel appropriate.
Senior
Dharma Teachers:
Jan Seymour-Ford
Josh Bartok
Ken Walkama
Guiding Teachers:
The
Boundless Way Zen Teachers Council
is responsible for the
spiritual direction of the
Boundless Way Zen community.
Guiding
Teachers
David
Dayan Rynick Sensei
Melissa
Myozen Blacker Sensei
James Myoun Ford Roshi.