Head monk is one of the most challenging roles a trainee can have as it has many responsibilities such as holding all trainees to high standards of discipline, and caring for the awakening practice of the whole community. One specific aspect is helping to maintain the interview space, where students go basically on a daily basis to meet with the teacher for guidance about their spiritual path and practice. There are still things that the teacher does personally in order to maintain this sacred space. One of them is lighting a large candle next to the teacher’s seat before interviews, and putting it out afterwards.
We have had interviews in the mornings before sunrise and evenings after sunset for many years, but in January 2026, our Head Teacher, Soryu Forall, proposed for the first time that during that month’s Awakening Week (what we call a weeklong silent meditation retreat), we have extra mid-morning interviews for those who have momentum in their practice. To our community’s credit, we held these interviews everyday when it was possible.
On one of those days during chores—a period about two hours after those interviews when we do physical tasks such as cleaning—I found that the candle was still burning. Later that day, as Forall and I were preparing the space for evening interviews, I told him so.
He looked a little surprised, and said uncertainly, “Oh, could I have left it burning?”
As we were standing in the entryway, I peered through the glass pane of the door to the inner chamber at the candle. “It does look a lot shorter than this morning.”
“No one could’ve come in and lit it later?”
“That’d be highly unlikely.”
His features softened, and he said with a smile and a little more ease, seemingly relieved that it was his fault. “I remember putting it out. You know how I do it.”
I nodded. The method is to use a little stick to push the wick down into the melted wax until it goes out, then lift it back up before the wax cools and congeals. This produces no smoke.
“There was probably a tiny blue flame left,” he said, making a gesture by pinching his thumb and index finger together quite close. “In the dark it would be easy to see, but during the day it would’ve been harder.”
“Ah that makes sense,” I said, recalling that when I tried to put it out the same way during chores, I had to do it a few times with much focus and patience, because even a flame smaller than a sesame seed would soon return to its full size.
“I will be more careful in the future. Thank you for letting me know.”
Elated, I smiled a bit and bowed. Forall said “Thank you” again before I left.