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.