Monk to Householder, Householder to Monk – Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun

Thoughtful to Thoughtful

When spiritual energy arises we need substantial direction.

Long Ago

Long ago spiritual travelers sought out some community or some solitary place to find their spiritual heart. It may have been a monastic group or a desert which offered the opportunity of time and freedom from household responsibility.

Householder responsibilities of getting an education, earning a living and rearing offspring requires enormous commitment of time, energy and monies. Solitude and silence are rare and spiritual practice seems to fade into a secondary place. The householder may feel so burdened by everyday responsibility and dismayed by the steepness of the climb. They may give up. It may feel unfathomable.

Those in monastic settings where structure and rule surround the spiritual traveler receive the benefits of guidance and constant watchfulness. Though different, the spiritual traveler in a household needs structure and rule that offer guidance and allows the spiritual traveler to be watchful within commerce, family and the world politick. Nothing is hidden from spiritual practice.

The spiritual burden of a householder is the same today in the 21^st century as it was 2600 years ago. The same load is required for the householder as is required for a monastic. The yoke may be different, more complex but the same afflictions of ignorance bear upon all human beings. The same view of dividing the world lives in the mind of the human being.

Time and place do not alter this truth.

The overburdened life, whether it be within a structured spiritual community or in a household, hampers the structure and rule needed to awaken. Lessening the burdens of life and placing the mind on the spiritual journey is what is required.

The requisites or fundamentals are the same for all those who seek spiritual awakening whether one is a monk or one is a householder. The belongings are different.

The Fundamentals