JIZO BODHISATTVA REVISTED
In 1985, I had been living at the Providence Zen Center in Rhode Island for four years, studying to become a Zen Dharma teacher while beginning to carve stone. The members of the center’s community had been engaged in building a cabin at the Temenos Retreat Center, a rustic Quaker-Buddhist retreat in Massachusetts.
I went to help with the construction and met Temenos’ founders, Joseph and Teresina Havens. They had heard of my carving and invited me to return to etch a Bodhisattva figure in a granite outcrop on the property.
They wanted a Jizo, a much-loved Buddhist figure in Asia.
Jizo was a Bodhisattva (a spirit of great compassion) who descended into the Underworld to redeem lost souls, especially those of children who had died at any point from conception onward. He is also revered as a protector of travelers.
My Sketch of Jizo
Since Temenos had become a destination for many on spiritual quests, Joseph and Teresina wanted an icon that gave solace to their visitors and retreatants. They chose a site near the road to the retreat.
I accepted the opportunity with some hesitation, as I had never carved this particular figure nor worked with living stone (sculpted in place). I also didn’t have the harder tools needed to carve granite, but that problem was easily resolved.
Iron chisels and carbide point
Iron head hammers
So at age 45, I packed a bag for a two-week retreat, returning to stay in the cabin I helped build. It was an extraordinary feeling, and proved even more so when Joseph and Teresina greeted me with an invitation to a brief ceremony in the main lodge: a blessing of my hands.
After some embarrassment I understood what this meant. The blessing was not to be about my accomplishments or pride or even fear of failure, but to allow the sacred spirit to flow through me. Quite simply, I was to be a vessel for carving.
My schedule was simple: wash, bow 108 times, meditate, eat a light vegan breakfast, and go out to sculpt. Putting in several hours twice a day, I finished the work in a week.
With the piece done, I notified the Havens. They came to the outcrop and performed a ceremony of blessing for the new Jizo.
Temenos founders Joseph and Teresina Havens welcoming the new Jizo
Ever since that day, the Temenos staff has sent me notes about the positive effects the Jizo has on visitors who view it or hear about his compassion. I maintained a relationship with the retreat for many years, even serving its Council as president for a spell.
In the 1990s, when I moved to Arizona, our communication ebbed, although I continued to send Temenos support.
In 2004 I carved a free-standing Jizo out of Texas limestone. I never showed it to the galleries I do business with, sensing it had a more spiritual destination than in an art collection. It stood in my studio for years, while I waited for its spirit to speak to me. This year the message came loud and clear:
“This Jizo belongs at Temenos!”
I contacted two of the retreat’s council members, Mark Johnson and Robin Zitter. They delighted in my decision and we spent several weeks planning a July visit. The outlines of a dedication ceremony gradually formed through our emails.
I decided to revise a brochure I had written about the first Jizo to include the new statue. After a flurry of editing and printing, the updated version arrived just ahead of my visit (for copies, see below).
Returning for the first time in decades, I met the retreat’s staff for a walkabout the property. We discussed where to install the new sculpture and found a former campsite in a grove of pines and oaks. Not far from the lodge, its proximity allows visitors a private space for personal ceremonies.
We moved a large tree round into place as a pedestal for the nineteen-inch tall figure. Then the Jizo, who had ridden all the way from Arizona in an old quilt, was unwrapped and set in place.
The free-standing Temenos Jizo (Texas limestone)
The planned ceremony followed that afternoon. It incorporated the four elements.
A young girl gathered wildflowers and lit incense. I chanted the Heart Sutra while beating a small drum. Then I poured water over the Jizo’s head - a traditional sign of respect.
Other attendees read sections of a ceremony from a Japanese memorial service. Together we invoked Jizo’s blessing and his compassion in solacing the spirits of travelers and lost children.
Afterwards we had a potluck in the main lodge. The staff, visitors, and I expressed our gratitude to the founders for the gifts of their mountain retreat, past and present. We discussed the new statue, the ceremony, and caught up on Temenos news.
Eventually, weary from my endeavors, I retired to the peaceful cabin I helped build so many years ago, and slept soundly.
The Mu Cabin built by Lincoln Rhodes, Abbott Providence Zen Center
For copies of the Jizō brochure, please write to:
Jizō Brochure
c/o Temenos
65 Mount Mineral Road
Shutesbury MA 01072
Enclose a check made out to “Temenos” for $3.