Mountain Staff Practices
Members who wish to deepen and extend their practice may want to consider joining our Mountain Staff training program. Members of Mountain Staff take turns in various roles that support the sangha in core practices of weekly zazen, ceremonies and extended sittings. Positions within Mountain Staff include both zendo staffing positions–anja (altar attendant), jiki (timekeeper), jisha (attendant), tanto (monitor), as well as ino (chant leader), and tenzo (cook).
Through Mountain Staff practices, we learn to be responsive in the moment and to deepen our own practice while contributing to the practice of others in the community. These practices are opportunities to practice responsiveness, presence, and humility in real time. We learn to move in rhythm with the sangha, to serve without self-importance, and to deepen our own realization through simple, steady acts. Because Mountain Staff participation is deeply connected to our personal practice, members who are interested in joining Mountain Staff should begin by talking with their teacher.
Mountain Staff Roles
Core Mountain Staff Roles Include:
- Zendo staffing positions
Serving in these positions allows us to deepen our practice by putting it into action. We can become active participants in our practice and the practice of the sangha. We can actively express our gratitude for all that our Zen practice and the sangha have given us. - Anja – altar attendant (Anja Reflections)
- Jiki – timekeeper (Jiki Reflections)
- Jisha – teacher’s attendant (Jisha Reflections)
- Tanto – practice monitor (Tanto Reflections)
- Ino –chant leader (Ino Reflections)
- Tenzo –kitchen (Tenzo Reflections)
Anja Reflections
I enjoy serving as Anja because it gives me an opportunity to foster a sense of reverence and respect in the zendo and for the altar which I hope deepens practice for others. It has deepened my practice by making me more aware of the here and now – the comings and goings of the tanto and jiki as they prepare for the sitting, the call of the densho inviting everyone to sit, the gentle way that everyone finds their seat. It has also deepened my relationships with senior members of the mountain staff who have served as teachers and mentors to me. It gives me a small opportunity to give back to a community that has meant so much to me over the past few years. The Anja sits at 6:30 pm for an evening sitting, so it also gives me a bonus round of zazen. I joined the mountain staff in part to get out of my comfort zone and grow in my practice, and I am grateful that I did so.
– David G.
If you’ve ever read “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman, you’d appreciate that a favorite way of expressing love is through acts of service. When you love someone, there is an inherent desire to offer service to that one; you want to make that one know in ways concrete that you care about him/her. ‘I love you; let me do this for you.’
In my case, one that I love is my zen practice; I love the counting of breaths, I love Buddha’s ways, I love our sangha. So how can I return the love I receive from my Zen practice any better than being of service, in whatever way I can? That might mean serving as a finance committee member, or representing the zendo at Metro Caring, or for me and most recently, giving honor to the zendo as a novice altar attendant, or Anja.
Caring for the altar, and helping provide a sense of peace and light, reverence and a quiet joy so that my zen brothers and sisters may also find peace therein, is for me the least I can do to give back to my practice. Anja, or altar attendant, is a beginning practice for the Mountain Staff, and for me, an exercise in joyful humility.
– Jennifer K.
Mountain Staff has provided me with opportunities to deepen my training, self-awareness, and connections. I began by sitting as Anja or the altar attendant. At first, I was hesitant and carried the chant book around to recite the Kanon. However, it was learning to fill the water bowl just right that brought me to my own realization of the infinite possibilities of our way. I practiced Anja for an entire year and still love to sign up for the position to reconnect and become most intimate with the altar.
– Gabrielle G.
Jiki Reflections
Sitting as Anja allowed me to listen to the bells and observe Jiki or the timekeeper until I was ready to start learning that position. After each sitting, the Tanto (monitor) would provide feedback. I express deep gratitude to my predecessor for showing me ways to accept critiques with grace and curiosity. His unknown guidance and mentorship illuminated a new way to learn from my mistakes. Furthermore, the bells are beautiful! There is an unspeakable magic in their sound and vibration. Every time I sign up for Jiki it feels like I am reconnecting with my old friends Densho, Keisu, and Inkin bell.
– Gabrielle G.
I remember that when I started being Jiki, it took me a while to adjust to sitting facing the sangha. As I got more comfortable with this, I found that this opened up a deeper sense of connection with the sangha, my practice community. As jiki, I am actively participating in the zazen of the community, ringing the bells, striking the clappers, making the sounds that define the periods of time in which we practice. There is a certain sense of power in this—I strike the clappers and everyone starts moving—but also a sense of loving responsibility.
As I have gotten deeper into jiki practice over the years, I have fallen deeply in love with the sound and timing of the bells. It is a form of music. Bringing my full loving attention to the subtleties of these sounds is a way of bringing my full loving attention to my fellow practitioners and to the practice of Zen itself.
And as jiki, my sitting practice during the rounds is more or less undisturbed. I just have to keep enough awareness to notice that the red light on the timer is blinking. Then I have to make some sounds so that the round can end and we can have kinhin, but that often feels like coordinating a beautiful dance. Then, when the dance is over, I can sit down and resume my zazen.
– Clark D.
Jisha Reflections
I am continuing my training by learning Jisha or attendant. In this role, I have been stumbling, clicking, forgetting, connecting, organizing, communicating, and more for over a year. Jisha has truly shown how being in the moment, the right here and now, is the only way to know how to respond to any situation. Jisha has given me the chance to honor our teachers by preparing their rooms and presenting their talks. Likewise, the joy of greeting and getting to know each Sangha member. I love training as Jisha because it continues to strengthen my understanding of our interconnectedness. Your lights make my light brighter.
– Gabrielle G.
One of the things I love about serving as jisha is the interactions with other people, especially newcomers who walk through the door for the first time. It is my job to make them feel welcome and to orient them to the basics of our practice forms so that their initial experience can be as smooth as possible.
I also love the deeper connections with the teachers that I have developed through organizing and supporting the dokusan process. Serving as Jisha affects my zazen more than being jiki does because I have to pay attention to what is happening during dokusan, whose turn is next, etc. However, there is a sense of loving compassion in this that I have come to appreciate. It has also taught me that thinking well about the current moment can be a part of zazen. This has helped me to bring my zazen into the world and integrate it into my daily life.
– Clark D.
Tanto Reflections
As Tanto, it is my responsibility to make sure that the atmosphere in the zendo is as still, quiet, and focused as it can be in order to support the practice of each participant. At the same time, this needs to be done with a light touch, as compassionately and gently as possible. I am also responsible for the lighting, the temperature, all of the little details. Letting this responsibility be a part of my zazen, rather than an interference to my zazen, has been quite useful.
– Clark D.
Ino Testimonials
Participating in Mountain Staff positions of service has been a “force multiplier” for my practice. The key has been to focus on the practical aspects of the positions, rather than the intricate details of each or the meticulous practice they require. I found the Ino practice especially rewarding. As I have aged, memory has not been my best friend; Ino practice has helped me sharpen my focus and concentration, so that when I take my seat with the instruments, and take a deep breath or two, there is only the practice—the resonance of chanting, calling upon the ancestors, offering the community’s merit for the many beings, and resting in the vows that call us to this practice. “As we walk the ancient path.”
– Jim L.
On page one of the Zen Center of Denver Sutras and Chanting Book, it says, “Chanting is a form of practice. Conscious awareness of the meaning of the words is not as important as the mind state created by chanting. By engaging deeply in the ancient sounds, we enter the timeless.”
I’ve served in all of the positions within the Mountain Staff Training Program at the Zen Center of Denver, including many years as Ino, or Lead Chanter. As a lifelong musician, that quote resonates deeply with me. It expresses the essential truth of what our chanting liturgy at the Lotus in the Flame Temple brings to life. This is what I love about the unique practice of leading chanting – whether during daily sittings, chanting services, or special ceremonies.
For much of my life, I struggled with stage fright and performance anxiety—whether singing, conducting, or playing my French horn. Ino practice was no different at first. Coordinating the pitch of the chants while learning to strike the temple bells and the wooden fish drum with precision was intimidating, to say the least. But over time, this practice became a gateway. It helped me move beyond fear and into that timeless mind state where all that remains is the sound of chanting and the rhythm of the instruments – effortless, complete, and alive.
Serving as Ino has been a profound and transformative part of my Zen practice. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone drawn to this path to step forward and take up this role. It is a powerful way to deepen your training, serve the sangha, and discover the beauty of disappearing into sound.
– Bill H.
Tenzo Reflections
Zen Master Dogen’s Instructions for the Tenzo begins with these lines:
From ancient times, communities of the practice of the way of Awake Awareness have had six office holders who, as disciples of the Buddha, guide the activities of awakening the community. Amongst these the tenzo bears the responsibility of caring for the community’s meals. The Zen Monastica Standards states, “The tenzo functions as the one who makes the offerings with reverence to the monks.”
The tenzo team is the sangha of the kitchen, the dharma of tea, and the practice of service to awakening Buddha nature. The practice is open for all members. And if you are sitting and thinking, “I am not a cook,” or, “I do not know how to make tea,” or “I hate doing dishes,” maybe this is the practice for you.
The kitchen is a zendo. We bow to the kitchen altar, wash our hands, and put on our apron. The practice begins with just this kettle of water heating on the stove. Just this spoon scooping tea, a clink against glass. The simplicity of treats and tea. On my first day I was nervous and unsure. Francine, our head tenzo at the time, looked me in the eye and said, “It is just tea.” Every time we make tea, it is just tea, because that is all it can be or ever will be.
The kitchen is sangha. After tea and treats, several of us will feel compelled to stay and help with dishes. All who wish to do dishes are welcome. The kitchen transforms during this time to an intimate place to share. Two people will stand shoulder to shoulder, washing each teacup with warm, sudsy water. The work lightens the tongue, and a dialogue will begin. My conversations are beyond recounting and range from mixed martial arts to astrology to where to find the napkins to learning we do not get answers; however, we will get the response we need.
The kitchen is most loved when we are in it. The kitchen invites us to be with her. She has a tender heart to hold space for all who wish to deepen their practice.