The location of Shasta Abbey is near Mount Shasta in Northern California. It is situated on sixteen acres of forested land and is a training monastery for monks and a place of practice for lay people.
Buddhist tradition(s) affiliated with it
Shasta Abbey is a monastery of the Order Of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC), an international monastic order of men and women “dedicated to practicing the serene reflection meditation tradition of Buddhism” (Order of Buddhist Contemplatives), also known as Soto Zen.
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett founded Shasta Abbey in 1970.
What is Soto Zen?
Soto Zen involved the original teaching of Buddha and spread to China 600 years later. In the 7th century, Soto Zen developed in Mahayana Buddhist monasteries. When Japan sent Buddhist monks to learn about Chinese Buddhism, two monks (Myoan Eisai and Eihei Dogen) brought Zen Buddhism to Japan. Dogen brought back the lineage of Soto Zen to Japan. However, the spread of Soto Zen did not stop there as it moved further west to the United States before World War II and continues to flourish globally.
Soto Zen practices seated silent mediation without a goal, as it believes that everyone is already enlightened. It focuses on the practice of everyday Zen and encourages awareness of living mindfully in all areas of one’s life. Soto Zen is for those who want to adapt to everything they do.
About the founder
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett was a British roshi known for being the first female to have been accredited by the Soto School of Japan to teach in the west. Master Keido Chisan Koho Zenji was her master in Japan. She first became interested in Theravada Buddhism and joined the London Buddhist Vihara.
She then joined the London Buddhist Society in 1954, where she met scholar D.T. Suzuki. Here she ended up becoming fascinated about Rinzai Zen Buddhism. In 1960, Koho Keido Chisan Zenjo of Sojiji in Japan asked her to become his student back in Japan when he visited the London society. She ended up accepting the offer, and after two years, she studied Soto Buddhism under him.
In November 1969, Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett traveled to San Francisco for a lecture tour. After her tour, she decided to stay in the US and established the Zen Mission Society. In 1970, she established Shasta Abbey, which became the first Zen monastery in the United States to be established by a woman. She served 26 years as Abbess and spiritual director of Shasta Abbey, where she taught both monks and laypeople. In 1972, she then further established Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, England. In 1978, Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett decided to change the name of the Zen Mission Society to the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives.
Relationship with other western and Asian Buddhist communities
As mentioned, the founder, Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, established OBC, which helps establish a framework and ensure a connection between the temples. She was head of the OBC until her death on November 6, 1996.
The community
Their website states that “The Buddha said that this practice is for all. Gender, age, physical disability, social status, financial status, previous religious background – none of these stand in the way of True Practice” (“Lay Practice – Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery”). Their practice schedule is accommodating to those with disabilities. For example, a hearing assistance system is in place for dharma talks, and ramps are available for those who need wheelchair access. The monastery also has a Guestmaster for those with other physical disabilities.
The current reverend master Abbess is Rev. Merian Elbery, ordained in 1977. She received her Dharma transmission in 1979 and was named a master of the order in 1989 from Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett. Additionally, she was chaplain to the Reverend Master Jiyu for over 15 years. She has served the community for many years, having roles such as vice Abbess, Chief Cook, and Proctor & Novice Master. She has contributed to the community in many ways, such as holding Dharma talks and extended retreats.
Daily life in the monastery includes many seated, ceremonial, and working meditation forms. Every day is different, but most start with a morning service and meditation, followed by common ceremonial and practice. There is also time where individual spiritual practice can be done. However, just like everyone else, monks also participate in typical day-to-day activities. They eat meals together, and complete tasks usually carried out to benefit the whole community. Additionally, the monastic community is given times to rest and renew, including activities such as tea time with the laity.
Laymen and women can stay at the Abbey for extended periods and attend retreats. They follow a similar schedule to the monastic community as they both attempt to practice ‘The Middle Way’ in their everyday lives as much as possible.
The community’s constituency
There are no official records that state the community’s constituency. However, Shasta Abbey monastic community seems to be predominantly white, middle-aged men and women.
The residence of this monastic community is estimated to comprise of 26 vegetarian and celibate monks, both male and female. The monastery accepts both lay Buddhists and non-Buddhists interested in the practice.
Practice
The Serene Reflection Meditation practice is the basis of Buddhist training at Shasta Abbey.
*Meditation*
Shasta Abbey practices Soto Zen, which believes that meditation is a way to harmonize oneself with the source of compassion, love, and wisdom. Meditation is the core of the Soto Zen practice.
“The purpose of Serene Reflection (Soto Zen) Meditation is to come to know and live from the Unborn, the Buddha Nature within ourselves and all things.” (“Meditation – Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery”)
On the website, there are suggestions on how to meditate. Giving advice such as “Meditate in a quiet, well-ventilated room. The room should be neither too bright nor too dark” (“Meditation – Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery”) gives suggestions on how to center yourself and gives suitable positions (shown in the image below), as well as suggest meditating every day for no more than 45 minutes in one sitting.
The image below is from the book “sitting buddha” by Rev. Master Daishin, Throssel’s Aboot.
*Becoming a Buddhist*
According to Shasta Abbey, the preliminary steps of becoming a Buddhist is to meditate and follow the Buddhist precepts. This involves regular meditation practice and adopting the precepts in everyday life. This will help stop suffering, guiding practitioners to find true compassion/wisdom and live in harmony with our true nature.
At Shasta Abbey, they hold annual precept retreats that take a week to complete. They are one of the few temples in the west that give precepts in this traditional way. During this week, participants stay in the temple to entirely focus on the precepts and attend five Jukai ceremonies, which unfold the different aspects of the precept.
*Meditation groups*
The Serene Reflection Meditation group and Bear River Meditation group are the two meditation groups connected to Shasta Abbey. These groups consist of lay practitioners who regularly meet up for meditation, scripture recitation, listening to Dharma talks, Dharma discussion, and Sangha support and encouragement of the practice. Every month, monks from Shasta Abbey visit these groups for retreat, spiritual counseling, and Dharma.
*Retreats*
The retreats focus on the fundamentals of Buddhism. Shasta Abbey offers a range of retreats, including; introductory, refuge, celebratory, meditation, and weeklong retreats. More information is available on their website.
Events
Every Saturday, they have Dharma talks and meditation instructions. However, due to the current covid-19 situation, they have had to host this online. Additionally, they organize at least one retreat every month, all for different purposes. Some examples of retreats include, but are not limited to, Lay minister’s retreat and introductory retreat. Many yearly events take place. For example, every July, they renew their vows and hold Wesak day ceremonies every year.
This information is on their website under the calendar tab. However, note that due to covid-19, the events and retreats may be limited.
How is the community funded?
The idea of expressing generosity is deeply grounded in the practice of Serene Reflection Meditation, where giving offerings to and from the monastic community teaches the spirit of generosity and opening up to the giving and receiving of the teachings.
The community is fully supported by ‘dana’, which is the generosity of spirit. Thus, Shasta Abbey has decided not to have any fees or indicate donation amounts. Like many Buddhist communities, Shasta Abbey relies on anyone willing to donate aid. The financial support they receive provides food, shelter, robes, and medicines for the monks; these essentials are the traditional ‘four requisites’.
Friends of Shasta Abbey (FOSA) is an organization within the community that is committed to holding the Buddhist tradition of having a relationship between the monastic community and the lay community. FOSA aims to provide resources that support and improve the monastic life in Shasta Abbey and offer practical and professional help to the monastery. One way it does all this is by giving revenue from its gift shop directly to the monastery. This allows lay sangha and the monastic sangha to work together to help each other’s spiritual training and paths.
Cecilia Eek Thorstensen
Works Sited:
“Houn Jiyu-Kennett.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 30 Nov. 2004, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houn_Jiyu-Kennett. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
“Introducing Soto Zen — Soto Zen Buddhist Association.” Soto Zen Buddhist Association, www.szba.org/introducing-soto-zen.
“Meditation – Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery.” Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery, 7 Dec. 2021, shastaabbey.org/meditation-instruction/.
Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, 7 Dec. 2021, obcon.org/.
Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery, 21 Nov. 2021, shastaabbey.org/.
“Shasta Abbey.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 10 Mar. 2006, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta_Abbey. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
Throssel, 2 Oct. 2021, throssel.org.uk/.