Hi,
A new member (who is a paramedic) stated:
Seido commented:I would like to take my practice to the next step and take the precepts. However, I keep thinking about becoming a monk/priest. But, in the lineage I am with it discourages those who are married and requires a full-time monastic commitment. I feel that formalising my practice is the best way to spread it to all.
At the moment, I do not feel like I can give him my work as it is as much a part of me and I am of it. So, I am curious to hear from anyone who has/is training via Treeleaf as I would like to learn more about this Sangha and whether this is the right place for me to train when the time comes.
In our Sangha, we do not make such a hard and fast distinction between Priest and householder (lay) folks. You can read more about why and how in this obituary I wrote for my Teacher, Nishijima Roshi ...Originally Posted by Seido
Eight Ways GUDO WAFU NISHIJIMA Will Help Change ZEN BUDDHISM
http://sweepingzen.com/eight-ways-gu...-zen-buddhism/
But that being said, I believe the difference is that the priest should embody an extra degree of caring for the nurturing of others in the Community (Sangha), devotion, ethical behavior, wisdom and compassion as Soto Zen Buddhist clergy dedicated to saving all sentient beings, good spiritual friends and teachers of the Sangha, knowledgable in our history and Traditions (both our Traditions as traditionally practiced and our Traditions as re-expressed and evolving for new times and settings). That extra degree of training in our history, Traditions and Practices, and the work to pass that on to others and the next generation, is perhaps what requires an extra degree of training and commitment from other householders. ("Priest" is a not such a good word, by the way, imposed by Christian missionaries in describing Asian Buddhists in the 19th century. I much prefer "Soryo", a Chinese-Japanese term which means "Sangha Companion").
However, within that context, our Sangha (and Nishijima Roshi's Lineage) is based on figuratively “knocking down monastery walls”, to find that Buddha’s Truths may be practiced any place, without divisions of “inside” walls or “outside”. For some of us, the family kitchen, children’s nursery, office or factory where we work diligently and hard, the hospital bed, volunteer activity or town hall are all our “monastery” and place of training. All of life is our temple.
That said, Ordination in our Sangha, or becoming any kind of authorized teacher, takes waiting for several years, and I must first really know the person well. If I know someone well for several years, they feel at home in our community, and I feel at home with them, then after a few years we would consider to start talking about Ordination or other Teaching. Then, Ordination etc. is itself just the first step on many years of training that may or may not result in anything. Being Ordained does not make one a full priest, only a Novice in Training, and that Training will take many years without any guaranty or promise that the person will eventually become a Priest. I would not turn loose a Teacher in any way unless I had know them for long and worked with them for years. If you are still here in our community after a few years, we can begin to talk about it.
In the meantime, please keep sitting and living gently. (Also, in your work as a paramedic, you are truly rescuing Sentient Beings each day, true Bodhisattva Work, in a way that no ordinary priest ever could).
Gassho, Jundo
SATTODAY (at the airport) LAH
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(Sorry to sound Koany for a moment, but this is Zen after all). 
). You all are amazing folk!