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Facilities planning
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The Task As human beings we respond on a deep
level to landscape and place. There are some places that support our ability to connect with something larger than ourselves
in a powerful and rather mysterious way. We call these places sacred; Hokyoji is such a place. As spiritual practice occurs over time
in a place, not only does the place resonate in the memory of the practitioners, but also, we believe, the practice imbues
the landscape with a presence that can be felt the first time a person sets foot there. The newly formed Hokyoji Zen Practice
Community (HZPC) has become the steward of this much loved place where practice has been on-going for almost thirty years.
The care and development of the physical place and the buildings on it are central to our mission and indeed essential to
our goal of establishing a vibrant community of practitioners at Hokyoji. We, the board of HZPC along with Dokai
Georgesen, the resident teacher, have now begun the process of creating a development master plan for the landscape and buildings
of Hokyoji. To the extent possible, we have studied earlier visions developed for this site by Katagiri-roshi and others.
We believe this process should avail itself of input from as many people as possible. It is in that spirit that we share with
you our work to date. In approaching this task, we have tried
to be both pragmatic and visionary. What follows is a presentation of some early work that seeks to address short and mid
term needs in a way that will lead, long term, to a coherent, inspiring and sustainable conjunction of buildings and landscape,
of manmade and natural spaces. The Vision The following list of needs begins to
chart the future of Hokyoji. It was developed during several extensive sessions involving the Board and the Resident Teacher.
Short
term needs Currently several buildings at Hokyoji
are in need of serious repair and/or replacement. Others need routine maintenance that is overdue. Where we invest our limited
resources, now and in the future, will be guided by our long term planning. Mid-range
needs The current practice at Hokyoji consists
of two seasons: a four month “summer” season from about June through September and an eight month “winter”
season from about October through May. The summer season consists primarily of large groups from established communities coming
with their teacher to practice together at Hokyoji for short periods of time. The winter season, by contrast, consists of
individuals coming together in small groups to practice for longer periods of time with Dokai. We envision practice to continue
in this way for some time to come. These different modes of practice have quite different facility needs. Summer: o
Group size: 30-35 people, including several guest teachers. o
Zendo—large, non-winterized. o
Kitchen—capable of producing large quantities of food for sesshin. o
Guest quarters—combination of open air and indoor facilities providing for sleeping, eating, bathing
and toilets. Winter: o
Group size: 6 - 8 people. o
Zendo—small, winterized. o
Kitchen—suitable for smaller groups. o
Guest quarters—indoor, winterized facilities providing for sleeping, eating, bathing and toilets.
Year round: o
Abbot’s quarters o
Office o
Maintenance facilities o
Storage facilities The current facilities do not meet all
these needs. Possible improvements and additions during this mid-term period include: o
new guest bathing area o
larger winter zendo o
larger kitchen o
additional winter guest quarters o
larger abbot’s quarters
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Long term needs Eventually we hope that the ongoing practice described above will be augmented by a small group, perhaps 5 – 8, of full time residents. These residents would support and be supported by the various guests during the year. One question inevitably arises: to what extent will the new plan correspond to the layout of a traditional Soto Zen monastery? Our early thinking is that there will not be a direct correspondence. The mission of HZPC extends beyond establishing traditional Soto Zen practice, and it is our intent that the built forms reflect this wider mission. We can never see the future clearly. Our plan will be no more than a suggested outline for development. We will always want to maintain a degree of flexibility, and we intend that the plan be revisited periodically and revised accordingly. The Plan Developing a master plan for a facility like Hokyoji is a formidable task. It must envision future possibilities that accommodate various possible levels of success. It must also provide a sequence of steps that allow resources to be used in an efficient manner in providing for present needs, while at the same time leading, in an efficient and incremental way, to the long term vision. In looking at various master plan scenarios and the steps which lead to them, we have tried to work forward from the present situation and backward from the future vision. We have assumed that, of the existing buildings, only the workshop and the house will survive long term. The plan as presented here begins with looking at master plan options that address long term needs. It then works its way back to addressing present concerns. The Long Term Vision Three long term options are shown in the thumbnails above (labeled A, B and C). The exiting configuration is shown as a point of comparison (labeled EXG). For each option, a sequence of development steps is shown (labeled 1, 2, and 3, with 3 being the final phase). Option A shows future building occurring on the flat land now occupied. Option B, shows development a little above and behind the existing zendo. Option C shows the new facilities located higher up the valley, roughly where the permanent monastery had been planned during the life of Katagiri-roshi.The principal criteria used in developing these three options were: o Suitability and aesthetic potential of the general location on the site. o Effectiveness in making use of limited resources. o Configuration of outdoor spaces created and their capacity to support and enhance the envisioned activities. o Effectiveness in making use of existing buildings. o Practicality of possible sequence over an extended period of time for moving from the current facilities to those envisioned. A First Major Step One of the thumbnails shown above is a relatively modest plan for adding a small structure adjacent and connected to the existing house. Although in some ways no more than a diagram, this plan shows an efficient way of addressing mid-term needs, including new winter zendo, new guest bathing area, expanded kitchen, expanded eating area, expanded resident quarters, and it provides for accessibility of the disabled. This plan includes the construction of new abbot’s quarters remote from the house. The resident teacher has expressed a desire for this and has indicated a willingness to fund the new abbot’s quarters from his own private funds. Fixing the Leaks of Today Once the above decisions have been finalized, we can address current needs with a clear understanding as to how long various structures need to last, what there future uses will be and how money can best be invested. For example, these plans would indicate that it may make sense to invest money to convert the old kitchen building into a useable tea house in the short term, but beyond that money should be spent elsewhere. We have a long list of repairs and small improvements we intend to accomplish in 2008. These include: o House: Complete interior trim work, finish wood floors, fix kitchen ceiling. o Zendo: Stabilize porch foundation, replace existing gutters, add window air conditioning units, upgrade altar. o Tea house (old kitchen): Stabilize foundation, install new roof, complete gutting and scouring of interior. o Grounds: Create new sign system, replace bell tower steps, replace picnic tables, provide new outdoor canopy, continue road improvements. This work will funded in part by our existing cash reserves and in part by the 2008 sustaining fund drive. Reaching Out So many people have established connections with Hokyoji over the almost thirty years that this wonderful place has supported Zen practice. There have been and will be many ideas as to how Hokyoji should be developed. We hope that each of you can renew your connection with this place by expressing your thoughts on what has been presented above. Please send us your comments. We hope to have the benefit of as many ideas and feelings as possible, and we pledge to keep the larger community informed at each step of the way.
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