One of the most sensitive and contentious issues in a Zen Center or Sangha is the role of group practice. I will argue that the public nature of group practice is a fact of life and becomes more critical as a person progresses up the ladder of leadership. Not only does group practice become more important but private practice merges into group practice as well.

A definition of group practice is essential prior to any discussion. For the purpose of this discussion, there are two forms of group practice. One is in the Dharma Room and the other is in the world outside the Dharma Room. Practice outside the Dharma room takes the form of not only specific teaching programs but interaction or mutual support of the Sangha and temple activities. It is also the way we conduct of our personal lives. As the commitment of Sangha members deepen with the assumption the five precepts and intensify with the assumption of 10 precepts and higher, their practice is not only observed but becomes more scrutinized by everyone. The source of this scrutiny is not in the tradition of fault finding but more a consequence of role modeling, be it conscious or unconscious, by subordinates, peers and superiors alike.

The nebulous nature of leadership is another term that requires a definition for this paper. Essentially any person who has taken ten or more precepts. However, in the broader scope it is applied to everyone in the Sangha as their example can set a precedence of what or what not to do.

Like it or not, it is the leader's example and not their words that set the pace and tone in the Dharma room. A leader has no "special situations." Not only does a leader have no special situations but the very absence of leaders is an example. The moment a leader or Dharma Teacher stops setting the example and the pace, then they stop being a Dharma Teacher or leader.

The significance of setting the example came home to me with particular clarity in April of 1997 when I was teaching at the Medium Security Prison in Shirley. Often we sit on tile floors without benefit of zafus and zabutans. I was having a particularly bad time and happened to shift my foot. Immediately after the sitting, all the inmates commented that I had moved for the first time in about 20 months. I never realized the intensity of their scrutiny. On another occasion, many years ago, when I reported to my first Special Forces assignment as Lieutenant, the Team Sergeant pulled me aside and in no uncertain terms explained that the officers must not only set the pace but do all the common tasks as well as or better than everyone else. He meant that if the officers find an excuse not to do something then everyone else will produce a "special situation" that will excuse them from doing the same thing.