Schedule
The actual work changes considerably depending on the season, but the schedule for April to December is like this:
1st to 5th | Five day sesshin |
6th | Free day |
7th to 9th | Regular work |
10th | One day sesshin |
11th | Free day |
12th to 14th | Regular work |
15th | One day sesshin |
16th | Free day |
17th to 19th | Regular work |
20th | One day sesshin |
21st | Free day |
22nd to 24th | Regular work |
25th | One day sesshin |
26th | Free day |
27th to 29th | Regular work |
30th | Big cleaning |
31st (or 30th) | Free day |
4am to 9am | Zazen |
9am | Breakfast |
10am to 3pm | Zazen |
3pm | Lunch |
4pm to 9pm | Zazen |
9pm | Lights out |
4am to 6:10am | Zazen |
6:10am | Breakfest |
6:40am | Cleaning |
After cleaning | Help in the kitchen |
7:30am to noon | Samu (work) |
12:00 noon | Lunch |
after lunch | Samu (work), shower, help in the kitchen |
5:00pm | Dinner |
5:20pm | Dish washing |
5:30pm | Tea meeting |
6pm to 8pm | Zazen |
After 8pm | Free time (be quiet after 9pm) |
Communication is important in a community where the 24 hours of the day are practiced all together. Even if you do not speak Japanese, try to listen to the others very carefully with your heart. Do not expect everyone to understand your English.
Everyone will perform the same activities during the day, including zazen, cleaning, work, meals, bath, in the same way, so watch what the others do and try to fit in harmoniously. You are not supposed to create a schedule of your own.
During breaks or on free days you might be expected to help in the kitchen or do other jobs around the temple. This might be part of the training for the full-time position (in the cooking rotation for example).
From January to March, because of the heavy winter snow, there will be no work outside. Instead the practioners study and take turns giving dharma talks (in Japanese). Please come to Antaiji already in early spring if you want to participate in the study period in winter, so that you will be familiar with the situation here to a certain degree.