Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Chowa Werner.
Hi Bobby Chowa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was 6 years old, I got to travel to New York City with my family. My mother, being from there, was excited to show me the Big Apple and all of its chaos and wonder. One night, walking the grid, she grabbed my hand, pointed up to one of the many towering structures enveloping us, and said, “You see all those windows, Bobby? All those lights on, going all the way up? Each one of those is a whole life. There are people in each of those little boxes with their own jobs and friends and feelings. And each little window thinks its the most important one.” This was a very pivotal moment for me, as I was stunned, breathless at the realization that I, then, must certainly NOT be the most important one. And from that moment on, I would see other people in a new way. I developed a sense of all-inclusive unity with my fellow earth dwellers, which set me up to be stunned once again when I encountered Buddhism at age 12. The assertion of oneness, and the compassion that arises out of that oneness that is so integral to the Buddhist practice of Awakening hooked me. And I knew in an instant that that was what I was here to do. I started meditating in the Zen Buddhist style immediately. By the time I was able to drive, I was going to local Zen temples, working with various teachers and going on silent meditation retreats. And when I transferred to UCSD as a music undergrad in 2005, I moved into Sweetwater Zen Center in National City, where I am now the abbot and guiding teacher. My Zen practice has been a constant influence through all the chapters of my life— while composing and producing music in Hollywood, when I worked on a CBD farm in rural Colorado, as I toured the world with an a capella doo wop quartet The Alley Cats. I am grateful for the lineage of Zen training I have inherited, which keeps me working for an intimacy with selflessness, and an ever deepening curiosity about each little window I happen upon.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One interpretation of the Buddhist teachings is to say that we all suffer because we want things a certain way. And due to the impermanent nature of everything, having things go our way all the time is just not an option. So part of the practice of enlightenment is to investigate deeply all the ways we pick and choose, have preferences and attach to our own ideas and views of things. And in the Zen style, (Zen being a form of Buddhism that comes to us from Japan), discipline and austerity are highly valued as tools to highlight all the ways our preferences and desire arise. So, that’s just to say that following a formal Zen spiritual path is difficult. It requires lots and lots of intensive practice and training— weeks and months of meditating for hours a day, learning very strict forms and etiquettes, working with others and forming a deep relationship with a teacher. This is the practice of letting go of the ego and all of its desires, expectations, and fixed ideas. And while this disassociation from the self can in fact offer the deepest kind of freedom and liberation, the process is not always pleasant. The ego will fight and resist with all its might to hold on to its foundations. And a good teacher knows how to wield tough love. If you don’t end up hating your teacher and resenting Zen practice at least once on your practice path, then you’re probably missing something.
In addition to the rigors and struggles of Zen training itself, another obstacle I’ve had to face is the alienation that comes with being passionate about something that not many other people my age have been passionate about. When I was 15, my heroes were Zen masters and ancient sages, while my friends were more likely to laud the likes of Usher, Kobe and Jackass. I would flirt with girls by asking their feelings about impermanence, as they slowly looked around the room for someone more fun to talk to. I left parties in high school early, so I could make it to the Zen center early the next day for service and meditation. Ironic how the initial drive to connect with people led me to a practice that made that endeavor more difficult in some ways.
Another subtle challenge on my path as a young, urban Zen teacher and leader is the conflict between my dual commitments to Zen and to social action. While both center compassion and selflessness, the former does so through internal transformation, while the latter emphasizes external transformation. The West has made it a priority to reconcile these two paths since Zen arrived from the East not even a century ago. But we are still figuring it out. And the trouble that can arise when pursuits of external and internal awakening don’t align, can lead to disharmony for those of us who prioritize compassion and service to others.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the abbot of Sweetwater Zen Center, I operate very much like a small business owner. I have my finger on the pulse of every aspect of the organizational and the spiritual/religious elements of our center. So I make sure the bathrooms are clean in time for Sunday program; I oversee the formation and proper functioning of our Board of Directors; I renew our insurance payments; I work with over a dozen students on their spiritual path; I oversee the training of the ceremonial services we offer; I keep a constant eye on our finances in collaboration with our accountant and treasurer; I offer weekly sermons or “Dharma Talks,” or I schedule guest teachers and practitioners to offer talks; I organize social action, like bringing meditation into prisons, for our community to get involved in; and amidst much much more, I try to empower and encourage our members to get involved in all of these activities with me. We highly value and prioritize shared leadership at SWZC. So most of my job is activating our residents and members, trying to inspire them to deepen their practice and take on more proactive roles at the center.
As far as specialties, I have to mention the practice of koans. Koans are ancient stories, parables and riddles, designed by thousands of years of zen masters and sages to help a student let go of their attachments, and encounter for themselves their own true nature— as one with the universe. One popular example of a koan is “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to witness it, does it make a sound?” In Zen, these mysterious koans do actually have answers, in a way. And once a practitioner wants to work formally with a teacher, that teacher can help the student work on these koans and arrive at the “correct answers.” That’s an over simplification, to be sure, but that’s the gist of koan practice, which is not really done very much any more, worldwide. It’s a pretty esoteric practice, broadly speaking, and I think I occupy a relatively unique space as a lineage holder of the ancient practice of koans. I worked on and “passed” more than 700 koans, over 25 years of practice and study with various teachers. So I love the practice and really believe in its power to transform how we interact with our very own existence. And I’m so honored and grateful to be able to share this magical technique with those who are truly drawn to its mystique.
Also, just generally speaking, American Zen is predominantly white, over-educated, and Boomer. I too am white, but as a millenial running an urban temple in National City, with a clearly defined mission of antiracism and radical inclusion, I think my interpretation of Buddhism and how it’s manifested by our unique community at SWZC offers a novel, evolving and accessible entryway to Zen Buddhism.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is Diversity— access to endless variations of thought, feeling, gender, race, class, perspective, style, personality, experience, lifestyle, recreation, exercise, background, age, mental health, religion, etc. Greater diversity means I have a greater chance at finding my blind spots, having my mind changed, and finding better alternatives to my harmful patterns.
Pricing:
- all donation based at SWZC
Contact Info:
- Website: swzc.org, bobbywmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetwaterzen (@sweetwaterzen)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swzencenter/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sweetwaterzencenter
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bobby-dub
Image Credits
Jei Collier, Jim Lakey
