THIS BUDDHIST LIFE Oshin Liam Jennings AGE 32 PROFESSION Zen priest / art therapist / artist LOCATION New York, NY How has being deaf shaped your experience of receiving and trans- mitting the dharma? I have to say first that it was an obstacle. Zen is very intimate—the transmission of the dharma hinges on discipleship. We gain access to our teacher’s mind through one-on-one transmission and exposure. I have had to rely on other forms of communication, and that affects the psychological dynamics of the teacher-disciple relationship. And being the only deaf person in the zendo has often been a very “other- ing” feeling. About a year and a half ago, I started the No Barriers Zen Temple in Washington, D.C., with the inten- tion to work more intelligently with communities of differently abled people. It’s not a deaf-only space, but many members of the D.C. deaf com- munity join us, and we organize our services to accommodate them. What I’m aiming for with the center is a paradigm shift: when people from the general D.C. community come, I have to tell them that I need to get them a sign language interpreter. And they say, “Oh, no, no, I can hear.” And I say, “Right, but you can’t sign, so we’re going to need to get you a sign language interpreter.” They don’t get it! It takes a while for them to make the shift of “Oh, I need an interpreter because I’m functioning in a different space.” I’m not immune to those kinds of assumptions as a deaf person, by the Adler Bess by Photograph 24 TRICYCLE WINTER 2016 THIS BUDDHIST LIFE way. I have a blind student who was a different language in the way that it talking to me once about all the accom- functions and holds meaning. modations that sighted people need. I My first translation was the four bo- said, “I don’t need accommodations. dhisattva vows, and I would sign it when I’m not blind.” And they said, “Oh? the rest of the zendo was chanting. What’s with all these light bulbs? Certain members of our community Light bulbs are a sighted person’s ac- were really supportive and wanted to commodations.” learn it too, so a few of us would sign it together in the morning. And then it What first led you to the dharma? My caught on like wildfire. Now on a mother. She gave me a book on Buddhist Sunday you see the whole zendo signing meditation. I grew up in a chaotic en- the four bodhisattva vows while we vironment, and I decided that this chant. would be my way to escape, to get out. People at the zendo often tell me that Of course, good contemplatives know the vows feel different to them when that you don’t escape anything; you only they sign. They’re becoming aware of get more in touch with whatever’s going the body consciousness of signing, the on. But I didn’t know that at the time, impact signing is having on them. The so I twisted my legs up and tried really sign for “save” is a good example: [crosses hard to learn all the stuff in the book. closed fists over chest, uncrosses them slowly That led me to readingall the books on to open]. Signing this is such a liberating, Buddhism at my local library. Then I opening feeling. Or here’s another met a monk by chance and became his example from the Verse of the Kesa: formal disciple when I was 14 years “Vast is the robe of liberation.” When old. I moved through a series of teachers you sign “vast,” your body must physi- and lineages until finally landing with cally become vast. [Opens arms wide.] the White Plum Asangha about ten When you sign “robe,” you metaphori- years ago. cally don a robe. ASL functions as a tech- The dharma has come full circle for nology, much like the early mudras do. me now. In a roundabout way my mother was my first meditation teacher, You teach meditation for beginners. and now my main teacher, [Village What draws you to teaching new and Zendo abbot] Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, inquiring practitioners? I enjoy the is a noble female and lesbian, just like dialogue with students—they bring my mother. Finding the Village Zendo such fresh perspectives. It’s a cliché, but felt like coming home, because the abbot I learn from them as much as they learn and vice-abbot are both gay, and they from me, especially in regard to medita- reminded me quite a lot of my moms. tive perspective. At No Barriers Zen, I Paging Dr. Freud! [Laughs.] have two deaf-blind students. On only There’s always been a lineage of strong the second or third time one of them women practitioners and leaders in my meditated, he said to me, “I can see life, supporting me and guiding me myself meditating, but what do I do through my studies and practice—even about the one who is watching the with regard to my deafness. Throughout watcher?” [Laughs.] It was a very ab- my childhood education, I had tutors stract, advanced concept—who is the who were also ASL interpreters, and one that sees? What is mind? I think they tended to be women as well. with something like deafness or blind- ness—or specifically deaf-blindness, Zen is a tradition that experiments where you are so within yourself—it’s with language. How does the use of almost its own wisdom tradition. Listen- ASL change a Zen expression of the ing and learning from differently abled dharma? That’s a really fun question. students has been very powerful. t My teacher has encouraged me to inter- pret chants and teachings into ASL, –Matt Gesicki which is a challenge because ASL is such TRICYCLE WINTER 2016 25 .