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Functional Talking
While sitting a retreat, situations may come up in which you need to discuss something with
another person, or ask a question. But this should only be done when absolutely necessary. For
instance, when you are engaged in a samu task and need to know where the cleaning supplies are,
it would be appropriate to ask.
But other issues may come up if you are sitting a retreat with other students, particularly
if they are not senior students. And you may find yourself tempted to point out errors or question
various points about forms and so forth.
You can feel free to bring up any questions you have about forms with a practice advisor
or a Dharma Teacher, whether it be concerning your own use of them or another students use of
them (though as Roshi would say, Always question the questioner) but it would not be useful to
take it upon yourself to correct another student concerning their use of forms or other matters
directly related to their practice.
Of course, speaking to one another about who will set up the tape player, or who will
wash or dry the dishes is fine, as certain practical issues need to be addressed.
The following is an article on functional talking originally published in the eMirror in
Volume 5, issue 25, on Friday, June 22nd, 2001.
On Mindful Speech
Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
Question: "What is functional talking?"
Somewhat of an Answer:
"Functional talking" is a term we sometimes use to describe "mindfulness of speech:
recognizing and addressing context instead of drifting into content.
In some Zen Centres and monasteries there is a rule of silence. In others, there is an
encouragement of social conversation because it helps to bind people to the "community". A rule
of silence is a bit trouble prone. We still need to get information back and forth; it can lead to
scrawling notes to each other saying: "Where are the cleaning cloths?" "First floor." "Where on
the first floor?" And so on. As for social conversation and binding people as "community", Roshi
and the Practice Council do not want people to practice as his students for any other reason than
that they recognize the truth of Dharma and the need for zazen. As a Middle Way between
suppressing speech and falling into streams of chattiness, we use "functional talking", speaking in
a way that is practical and useful.
We are asked to apply this when we are in the monastery, interacting with Sangha
members, or when we are exchanging email with one another. It doesn't require becoming stiff or
overly formal with each other, but rather, that we say what we mean and mean what we say. For
instance, perhaps one has been assigned the samu (caretaking) task in the monastery of sweeping
the Dining Hall floor. It would of course be sensible to ask, "Where is the broom?" But it would
not be functional talking to free-associate and launch into a story about how as a kid, mom used a
corn broom and used to chase the cat with it. Even if it seemed to be a highly amusing story, it
just isn't relevant to the task and your purpose of practicing. In the context of samu, telling an
amusing story to another student is like tickling them or kicking them in the back of the head
while they are doing zazen. Teachers and practice advisors might often relate humorously with
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