The Jukai ceremony in process, on Sunday morning, April
25, 1999. Pat Hawk Roshi is reading from Robert Aitken Roshi's book
"Encouraging Words," the section on the Jukai cermony and on the significance
of the Rakusu, the black sitting garment Joe has sewn and which Roshi has
inscribed with calligraphy and Joe's Dharma name inside. The Roshi is wearing
a beautiful ceremonial rakusu of embroidered yellow cloth. Students wear a
black or brown rakusu. Joe is in this photo not yet wearing the rakusu, but
is wearing the yellow ceremonial Bodhisattva Scarf presented by Ch'an Master
Shih-fu Sheng-yen, in the Bodhisattva Precepts ceremony of Dec., 1997; the
Bodhisattva Scarf is to be worn on ceremonial occasions, and as Joe wears it
to all Jukai ceremonies, he also here wore it to his own. Joe is also wearing
the black Chinese Buddhist robe presented at the same ceremony in NY with the
Bodhisattva Scarf. Visible in this photo also is the Tanto, or "Head of the
Line" officer, of the sesshin which had just ended before the Jukai ceremony
began. On this sesshin (retreat), the Tanto was Carol Neese. This photo and
all photos in this section of the Jukai ceremony are courtesy Leonard Scheff:
Thank you, Len!
The Roshi is here holding Joe's rakusu and is about to
present it to him to wear for the first time. Roshi is telling about the
significance of the Rakusu and the significance of Joe's Dharma name, Tennen
("Natural"). Roshi explained that a dharma name is something "to grow into,"
and is drawn from one's aspiration. Part of the wood ring with several knots
in it which Joe made on his lathe is visible, and is of Palo Verde, a desert
timber Joe collected in Tucson. The white cloth obverse of the rakusu is
facing forward, and some of the black calligraphy on the white cloth is
visible, although the rakusu is still largely bunched together in the Roshi's
hands. The fellow behind Joe and nearer to the camera than Joe is holding a
red rose; he is Brad Stroup.
Joe puts on the rakusu for the first time. Mostly you
can't see the rakusu here, but perhaps just its straps. The golden Bodhisattva
Scarf stands out, however. Behind Joe is a woman who wears a rakusu with a wood
ring that has been painted with many colorful dots. She is Pamela Hartman.
Pat Hawk Roshi and Joe after Joe's Jukai ceremony.
A group picture of the attendees of the sesshin,
April 10-15 in Tucson, after which Joe took Jukai. This photo was taken after
the ceremony, and Joe is here wearing the rakusu.
Ch'an (Zen).
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