Sanctuary as a spiritual practice place.
Sanctuary is modeled after Green Dragon Temple and Green Gulch Farm (Soryu-ji), as a Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, offering training in Zen meditation, philosophy, and work. The mission of the spiritual practice is to awaken the bodhisattva spirit -- the spirit of kindness and realistic helpfulness -- as a living enactment of Buddha's way.
Daily Practice Schedule
4:20 am wake up, morning bell
5:00 am morning zazen
5:45 am morning service
6:00 am morning soji
6:15 am breakfast - noble silence
8:20 am first bell work practice
8:30 am work practice community meeting
9 1030 am work practice - noble silence
1030-1045 break
1045-12pm work practice - noble silence
12 pm lunch
1-4pm work practice
5pm dinner
7pm evening service
730 pm zazen
8 pm Refuges
9 pm lights out
Sitting Meditation is the foundation of the tradition.
Shikantaza is a Zen meditation practice that involves sitting upright and focusing on being present and aware.The term is Japanese for "just sitting". This is the foundation of the spiritual practice.
Apprenticeship Offers Practice with Practicing.
The Sanctuary offers a work trade program for Work -Study Apprentices. Room, board, and a practice place for cultivating a personal and communal spiritual tradition is offered in exchange for work in the areas of Land Stewardship, Farm and Garden, Holistic Wellness and Kitchen. Shared living quarters offers enhanced exposure and practice with community living and co-regulation.
Spiritual practice permeates the day.
Spiritual practice extends into the apprenticeship experience well beyond the formal sitting meditation and service periods, and Zen is laden with ceremony. Individual work teams mark the beginning of their work day at 9am with a ceremony that includes the lighting of incense, the chant of prayer followed by a brief spiritual reading. Thus follows a team meeting, planning for the day and individual assignments. During the workday, Noble Silence is observed.
The bells sync us up.
The community is harmonized by the use of various musical instruments both during service and zazen as well as throughout the day. The multiple bells and gongs permanently stationed throughout the campus are used as tools for cultivating meditative awareness, such as during zazen, as well as for practical purposes such as signaling mealtime.
Sanctuary is located in a critical watershed restoration area on the slopes of Haleakala volcano on Maui, Hawaii. The particular region of the island that Sanctuary currently occupies is historically untouched watershed ecosystem. Sanctuary endeavors to bring a thriving and resilient o'opu forest ecosystem back to the region. Learn about Sanctuary restoration here.