Dharma Rain - Our Teachers
Monks and Lay Teachers
While Dharma Rain is primarily a temple for lay practice, several monks
reside here. They begin their monastic training as postulants, living as
monks for a period of several months to a year or two, before taking vows
of monastic
ordination. They wear black rhaksus with four white squares in the corners.
After
being ordained as a monk, or priest-trainee, in this lineage, monks may
travel to other monasteries or temples for periods of practice of a
few months at a time. They generally will live in residence here for
at least five years. These monks in training wear black kesas and rhaksus.
After transmission,
a formal recognition of understanding and matured practice, a priest
wears
a brown kesa and rhaksu.
The rank of Lay Teacher is an important role at Dharma Rain. A Lay Teacher
is a senior lay practitioner who has been recognized by her or his teacher
as achieving
a high level of integrated practice, and is seen to model that understanding
in the complex world of the lay person. The Lay Teachers are acknowledged as
receiving a portion of the transmission usually reserved for priests, and after
this ceremony, wear a blue kesa and rhaksu. Lay Teachers lead classes and give
Dharma talks, lead sitting groups, and may offer private spiritual interviews.
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