Dharma Rain - Dharma School Manual

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Kid-friendly Ceremonies

Fusatsu — Confession

Fusatsu is a ceremony we do with the adults, and the version we use the middle school and high school youth does not differ much in form. Fusatsu was traditionally a time for buddhist monks and nuns to gather as a community and confess mistakes, particularly instances where they broke the precepts, or monastic code of behavior. In this culture we suffer as much from low self-esteem and internal criticism as we do from pride, so we have added a positive confession to the ceremony. Each person present shares one negative and one positive thing about their recent life and spiritual practice — one thing they regret or know they need to work on, and one thing they are doing well or making progress on.

Participants sit in a circle on the floor, and the ceremony starts with a recitation of the verse of contrition: “all my past and harmful karma, born from beginningless greed, anger and ignorance, through body speech and mind, I now fully avow.” This verse is about acknowledging one’s habits and past actions and taking responsibility for one’s life, while remembering that ultimately it is impossible to find where it all began. Who’s to blame? One person is unkind because they suffered abuse as a child, but his abusers were abused themselves… and so on. And yet we have to start where we are and take responsibility for the work that needs to be done.

After the verse is recited, the leader offers a pinch of powdered incense over a piece of charcoal (we use a formal incense box, which adds a nice touch). S/he makes her or his statement, which can be brief or fairly involved (1-5 minutes), and passes the incense box over to the next person. The incense and statements continue around the circle. There is no cross-talk or questions, and people are instructed to use “I” statements when they share. Ideally, participants speak about their inner process and their own behavior, avoiding gossip, complaints about others, or veiled efforts at advice or commentary. After everyone has shared once, the leader places the box in the center of the group and invites people to speak spontaneously with anything further they want to share. The group becomes the support and teacher simply through listening, and sharing a private difficulty during Fusatsu sometimes makes it easier to bear.

Once everyone is finished, the ceremony is closed with a short dedication and verse. After the ceremony, something that someone shared during the ceremony is not discussed again unless the person who shared it brings it up him or herself. With the teens, we make the exception — clearly stated to the youth — that we must share with parents anything that might clearly indicates a minor’s health or safety are being compromised.

Fusatsu for the middle and high schoolers is very effective. It provides a safe environment for the youth to share sensitive things because they know the format is, for the most part, confidential. They know they will not be subjected to lectures or advice, and do not need to share or talk more than they want to. The ceremonial space created during fusatsu is also essential. We can turn a raucous and casual overnight or camp hang-out session into a quiet, serious and sacred event with the insertion of a verse, some incense and a candle. When the ceremony ends, the transition back to casual is usually instantaneous, but is subtly grounded.

 

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