Upaya Zen Center – Buddhism in America

Alicia Devereaux

Overview

The Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico focuses on the practice, service, and training of the Buddhist Zen tradition. Upaya’s mission statement on its website explains that “having a community of diversity” is integral to the fulfillment of its mission, which is to unite wisdom and compassion through a combination of applied practice and social action. The community is mainly composed of Westerners who hope to bring Buddhist values into the Western world. Some specific areas that the Center focuses on are death and dying, prison work, the environment, women’s rights, and peace work. Additionally, the community at Upaya aims to understand and apply the Five Buddha Family Mandala, which stems from traditional Buddhism in India and emphasizes the blending of spirituality, education, livelihood, service, and community. Overall, the Center has a strong emphasis on engaged Buddhism, with the goal of applying their teachings to common social problems.

Founder

Roshi Joan Halifax founded Upaya in 1990 and serves as its Abbot and Head Teacher. The Center’s focus on death and dying comes from Halifax’s long academic history on the subject; after earning her medical anthropology Ph.D., she traveled the globe lecturing on death, and she has also worked alongside psychiatrists studying and helping dying cancer patients. Her work with dying people, their families, and health care professionals has extended into the present as she continues teaching the spiritual, psycho-social, and ethical aspects of caring for the dying. Additionally, she studied for 10 years with Zen Teacher Seung Sahn. Halifax’s many esteemed accomplishments include obtaining a National Science Foundation Fellowship in Visual Anthropology, as well as being an Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Ethnobotany at Harvard, a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress, a Director off the Project on Being with Dying, a Founder of the Upaya Prison Project, a founder of the Ojai foundation, a founder of Nepal’s Nomads Clinic, a teacher in the Kwan Um Zen School, a Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, a founder of Prajna Mountain Buddhist Order, a Lindisfarne Fellow, and a Mind and Life Fellow and Board member. She is also the only woman as well as the only Buddhist on the Advisory Council of the Tony Blair Foundation.

Halifax also published several works based on her studies and teachings. Her books include The Fruitful Darkness; Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist Life in America; Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death; Being with Dying: Compassionate End-of-Life Care (Professional Training Guide); and Seeing Inside. She also co-wrote The Human Encounter with Death with Stanislav Grof. The subjects of these books range from death and dying to shamanism, but all her works center around socially engaged Buddhism.

Contacting Joan Halifax is possible through many forms of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+, and Youtube. Additionally, all of her dharma talks are available for free on the Upaya website in the form of podcasts.

Links to Buddhist Communities

Upaya’s associations with other western and Asian Buddhist centers are integral to its teachings. For example, the Center’s ethics code is based heavily upon those of other Western Zen Mahasangha communities, particularly the Berkeley Zen Center. The code, found on the “Ethics” page of Upaya’s website, states:

I vow to do no harm

I vow to do good

I vow to save the many beings

Upaya’s connections to other Buddhist communities also lies in its members’ many worldly experiences. The Center’s many teachers, visiting scholars, priests, residents, practice mentors, and staff have attained their extensive knowledge and wisdom in part from their travels and relationships with various institutions at which they studied. Joan Halifax her personal studies and experiences—particularly with death and the environment—into the core values and teachings of Upaya. Perhaps most importantly, however, Upaya’s focus on engaged Buddhism stems from a movement that has spanned all across the Western Buddhist world.

Views

SOCIALLY ENGAGED BUDDHISM:

Engaged Buddhism can be traced back to Thich Nhat Hanh’s founding of the Order of Interbeing in the mid-1960s. In traveling from Vietnam to America, Thich Nhat Hanh played a large role in the Western development of Buddhism. This movement of engaged Buddhism emphasizes the application of Buddhist morals to drives for social change, often through political and social activism. Engaged Buddhists look to the bodhisattvas of the Mahayana school of Buddhism as models in their vision of prioritizing helping others over personal enlightenment. Thich Nhat Hanh outlined the 14 Precepts of Engaged Buddhism to serve as a set of guidelines to achieving the movement’s goals and maintaining mindfulness overall. To this day, the engaged Buddhism movement continues to use these precepts to solve ethical dilemmas.

The 14 Precepts of Engaged Buddhism, as listed in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism, are as follows:

Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.
Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.
Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images, and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life Fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.
Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.
Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realize your ideal of compassion.
Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.
Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.
Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realization of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relationships, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.

VEGETARIANISM:

Upaya strongly values vegetarianism and combines its practice with the Center’s focus on environmentalism. According to their website, the community dines on organic vegetarian meals that are frequently prepared using produce “from local family farms using sustainable farming methods and local vendors.”

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY:

Upaya uses products that are recycled, biodegradable, and organic. The Center utilizes composts. The residents also share facilities and transportation. In addition, laundry is line-dried rather than machine-dried. Many residents walk or bike the short distance to Santa Fe rather than drive. The center emphasizes water and energy conservation, as well.

RELATIONSHIPS AND INTIMACY:

Upaya’s ethical code promotes the Center as a non-celibate sangha. The community views sexuality as a natural part of life and allows intimacy as long as it does not interfere with teachings. The code, found on Upaya’s website, lays out some basic rules:

No priest, senior Dharma teacher or transmitted teacher who is married or in a committed relationship should engage in sexual activities with any person outside of their stated commitment.

Any priest, senior Dharma teacher or transmitted teacher who finds a romantic relationship beginning with a member of the sangha should inform the HEAR Committee of this relationship and seek guidance as to the most healthful way to proceed.

If the people involved are in a teacher-student relationship, a choice must be made between either pursuing that personal relationship or continuing the teacher-student relationship, but not both. The HEAR Committee should help in this decision-making process. A resolution should be achieved with as little delay and as much openness and transparency as humanly possible.

Practice

In order to achieve its goals, Upaya offers various training, retreats, and programs. According to the mission statement featured on the Center’s website, these programs are “traditional, experimental, and systems-based” and aim to “meet the needs of people, society, and the environment.” As the name of the Center suggests, the main focus of Upaya is Zen practice, and its website defines Zen as “a path of awakening: awakening to who we really are, and awakening the aspiration to serve others and take responsibility for all of life.” On the “What is Zen?” page, Roshi Enkyo O’Hara elaborates by explaining that Zen is “not about getting away from our life as it is; it is about getting into our life as it is.” At Upaya, Zen is used to recognize the lack of separation between the self and others. This is done through zazen, the seated practice of Zen. Zazen requires attention to posture, breathing, letting go of urges and distractions, and maintaining consistent practice. At Upaya Zen Center, zazen is frequently done in large groups because the community considers social interaction crucial to Zen. Along with this helpful introduction to Zen, the Upaya website offers a few “essential teachings” of their Buddhist practice, including the Three Treasures, the Three Pure Precepts, and the Ten Grave Precepts.

Residency

Flagstone paths wind through Upaya’s residential areas.

The rooms at Upaya are made to house individuals, couples, families, or small groups. The exterior of each residential building is traditional adobe. The interior of each home is tastefully decorated with a unique blend of Asian and Southwestern styles. Rooms feature kitchen, dining, study, business, and living areas, as well as mountain views.

Prajna Mountain Forest Refuge

The Refuge encourages a relationship with nature and emphasizes the importance of community and environmentalism.

Founded by Joan Halifax in 2002, the Prajna Mountain Forest Refuge sprawls across 50 acres of meadow and forest. It lies under the Truchas peaks in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, 50 miles north of Santa Fe, amidst three million acres of national forest. The refuge serves as the base of the Prajna Mountain Buddhist Order, and the land features a lodge, three cabins, and campsites for visitors and Buddhists on retreat. Those who retreat at the Prajna Mountain Forest Refuge maintain a mindful way of living by eating simply, practicing zazen, and building gardens and other improvements to the area.

Bibliography

Halifax, Joan. “Joan Halifax.” Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/upaya/>.

“Joan Halifax.” TED.com. TED Conferences, LLC, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/speakers/joan_halifax>.

“Engaged Buddhism.” ReligionFacts.com. 19 Nov. 2016. Web. Accessed 29 Nov. 2016. <www.religionfacts.com/engaged-buddhism>.

Thich Nhat Hanh, and Fred Eppsteiner. “The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism.” Lion’s Roar. Lion’s Roar Foundation, 24 June 2016. Web. 27 Nov. 2016. <http://www.lionsroar.com/the-fourteen-precepts-of-engaged-buddhism/>.

Upaya Zen Center. Upaya Zen Center, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2016. <https://upaya.org/>.