Foulk disagrees with this view. For a view from the political perspective that has application in the religious arena see Edwards, David, "A Chest of Tools for Intellectual Self-Defense" in Burning All Illusions, South End Press, pp.177-224. Steve Hagen. I said, I have to come back here. So I did one more semester of school and then dropped out. This story appears to be an example of modern day creation of hagiography that will be repeated in the future. The conception of an unbroken lineage based on the idea of mind-to-mind transmission going back to the Buddha superceded a previous idea of authority that was based on texts, i.e., the sutras, which were understood to embody the words of the historical Buddha. Today SFZC is the largest St organization in the West. This is not a new idea nor is it unique to Chan/Zen. Hence, roughly 95% of all Soto priests in Japan have Dharma transmission, most receiving it after spending at most three years in a monastery, some with as little as six months. When I heard about it, I was like, Thats for me. Soon, Schnyer was practicing Buddhism. The student who enters the "practice" having read a myth will expect to find the myth, and will think they have found the myth. The question is: How do so many Zen Buddhist teachers get away with it, and for so long? In reality it means, "don't question, don't look!" He was joined by his wife Mitsu (also from Japan) in 1961. Unlike his predecessors, Suzuki was a fluent speaker of English who actually wanted to come to the United States. This article was excerpted from the new e-bookThe Zen Predator of the Upper East Side,out now. Finally, as Suzuki apologized to Baker for what he was going to do to him, i.e., give him and only him Dharma transmission, Suzuki knew that all was not right or ripe or both with Baker. Me and my friend always had suspicions he had ongoing relationships with Japanese women that were kept quiet, and were more or less continuous. What the teacher really offers the student is literally living proof that all this talk and the seemingly impossible goals can be realized in this lifetime. It is because one was wrong about him, because one misinterpreted the states of his soul and drew as sharp a line as is possible between oneself and him, as if he were something utterly incomparable and strangely superhuman-that he gained that extraordinary power with which he could dominate the imagination of whole peoples and ages. According to revelations that have tumbled out over the past two years, and which I chronicle in-depth in a new e-book, Shimano has spent 50 years preying sexually on his students. He was doing what Japanese roshis are supposed to do, what they have done for centuries. Spiritual attainment, insight into timeless truth(s) or any other profound changes in one's inner life play virtually no part in the majority of these Dharma transmissions or in the every day functions of these roshis. But there are many lesser-known yet just as randy Zen teachers. For Suzuki Roshi's edited words see the well-known Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Weatherhill, 1970. However, crediting a teacher, by definition of their role or title, with exalted qualities he does not really possess, is begging for trouble. After a major fundraising effort led by Baker, Zen Center purchased the landwhich contained a rundown resort and mineral springs in 1967. Zen Mind? There is nothing in the description that allows someone in the future to distinguish Suzuki, Hoitsu or any of their heirs from any of thousands of hallowed ancestors. Explore and learn more about the San Francisco Zen Center community. Although his salary was reportedly modest, he lived a lifestyle which many perceived as extravagant. He remained abbot there until 1984, the year he resigned his position after it was disclosed in the previous year that he and the wife of one of SFZC's benefactors had been having an ongoing affair. is the head teacher at the Dharma Field Meditation and Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They should take credit for the fact that we did it for many years. Public opinion shows that while parishioners are, of course, disturbed by priests' abuse of children and young teens, they are more upset by the institutional cover up and denial of that behavior. For an important look at Buddhist biography and hagiography though not especially Chan, the reader may look at Kieschnick, John, The Eminent Monk, University of Hawaii Press, 1997. Established in 1962, the San Francisco Zen Center is one of the largest residential training Soto Zen Buddhist organizations outside of Asia. It means, "Don't ask. There are some good, and unavoidable, reasons for Americans dependence on Japanese roshis (and, more recently, as Americans have become interested in Tibetan Buddhism, for their dependence on foreign teachers like the Dalai Lama). Baker then quotes Trudy Dixon, the editor of the book, thus endorsing her words: Unfortunately, this issue is not raised or considered by any of the Zen Center members interviewed in the book. But the Americans didnt know that. It was like a "game" of Zen where if any one speaks out or asks the wrong question, the "game" is ruined or finished, at least for that person. If Suzuki was California's Zen messiah, then Richard Baker was his Apostle Paul. If this was the case, it would seem that he failed this task in America. Nor did anyone even think to view the situation through the lens of the Buddhist teachings themselves or even the particular teachings of their beloved founder Suzuki. Was he acting primarily with his own self-interest in mind? One of Shimanos greatest advantages has been that he is Japanese. But for the [Zen Studies Society,] my gullibility, spiritual gullibilityI didnt realize that it was a borderline cult. [6], San Francisco Zen Center expanded quickly with Baker at the helm. The experience of legitimacy, realness and of being believable hides the underlying power relations. [13], Following his departure from the San Francisco Zen Center in 1984, Baker relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he founded a new community known as Dharma Sangha. This is also extremely disempowering which can lead to all sorts of problems, as the SFZC case clearly shows. One student said that when the senior priests were questioned about some aspects of Baker's behavior, the answer was, "Richard has Transmission." Katagiri would go on to establish his own practice centerthe Minnesota Zen Centerin 1972 in Minneapolis. It is interesting to note that these beliefs persisted strongly even into the year 2000, roughly the time of Downing's interviews when there had been thirty-five years of sexual and financial scandals in the Zen community in America. [1] San Francisco Zen Center's web site now comments: "Although the circumstances leading to his resignation as abbot in 1984 were difficult and complex, in recent years, there has been increased contact; a renewal of friendship and dharma relations. Baker also gives seminars at Boulder Zen Center in Boulder, Colorado twice each year, typically on the last weekends of January and April. This would have led any impartial observer to question the spiritual implications of Dharma transmission. It allows bureaucratic transmission, but it also uses "historical" biographies of eminent masters presented as desireless beings, the koans, and the many Zen stories and dialogues (mondo) to legitimize and to enhance authority, that make clear that transmission is given because of a deep insight into reality or spiritual attainment. To this end, Zen Center is engaged in numerous social and ecological initiatives. It did not matter that Baker did not appear to offer his students the "living proof that the seemingly impossible goal [of Zen] can be realized in this lifetime" as Baker himself described the function of the teacher. One was to make the state consider Chan the primary sect of Buddhism. Remember the senior student who quoted Suzuki as saying, " Dick's commitment is at another level, so the rest of us simply were not in a position to criticize him." But there is another kind of authority, an opposite kind, grounded in the invisible, the faith-based, the fictional. Despite extraordinary personal shortcomings, Eido Shimano continued to wield spiritual authority throughout his time at the Zen Studies Society. San Francisco from the 1960's into the 1980's was considered by many to be the freest city in America, especially when understanding "libre" as freedom from ideological constraints. The leadership of San Francisco Zen Center required Anderson to take a leave of absence from his position as abbot. Sitting meditation (zazen) is available live online Monday through Friday mornings, Saturday mornings, and Monday through Friday evenings. In 1995 Zoketsu Norman Fischer was installed as Abbot at SFZC, and in 1996 Zenkai Blanche Hartman was appointed as co-Abbot with him (becoming the first female Abbot in SFZC history). Eighteen years later, there is still lingering bitterness about his overthrow. With this investment it is understandable that one might not want to question too closely the teacher's behavior. Definitely worth checking them out on their website and trying to attend the beginners lesson! Therefore, in the need to remain at the Center, members had a powerful incentive to fully buy into Zen's mythology. Senior members also appeared blind to the voices of others and closed to criticism. Anderson became entangled in an incident in 1987 that reached back to 1983 just after Zentatsu Richard Baker had resigned as abbot. [21][22][23] Today SFZC is the largest Soto organization with a foothold in the West. These events are a helpful reminderboth to me and to othersof my vulnerability to arrogance and inflation. "Something above ninety percent of us had come from alcoholic families or families that were dysfunctional with the same patterns." Supporting tools to make this narrative seem real and unconstructed include the particular methods of meditation and interactions between teacher and student as well as an abundance of validating mythologies most often presented as history in the form of biography, along with accommodating literary and ritual devices. The sangha was incorporated by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and a group of his American students in 1962. We can begin to approach an answer by thinking about the nature of authority. Read any of these texts of Zen, The Book of Serenity, a Soto sect koan collection, being one prominent example, and this will be abundantly clear. This is not surprising if we remember that in Soto Zen "spiritual attainment" is rarely a criterion for Dharma transmission. "The years people spent here were not wasted years of being duped. (I don't mean to say that Kapleau is any more or less qualified to teach for receiving transmission or not, and in fact he is one of the few major teachers not involved with sexual or other scandal though one of his disciples did have a major scandal.) Thanks to Mr. Oppenheimer's efforts, women have come forward, some even using their names; we think this kind of courage can only embolden other survivors of abuse to speak out. Downing, who lives in Cambridge, Mass., provides an outsider's view into the incestuous circles at the first Buddhist monastery in the West. According to a 1982 letter from George Zournas to Jack Clareman, the Zen Studies Societys lawyer, a litany of charges was read against Shimano at a board meeting on September 14 of that year. And that very presentation is the freight of the Zen machine. In 1966, Suzuki and Baker scouted Tassajara Hot Springs, located in Los Padres National Forest behind Big Sur, as a possible location for the envisioned monastic center. [2][6][14], A once controversial figure, Richard Baker was publicly criticized for his behavior at San Francisco Zen Center. [6] Baker was instrumental in orchestrating the acquisition of Tassajara, raising $150,000 for the purchase in a short period of time. But Shimano is hardly alone; his is not an isolated case. Right now, Manhattans Zen Studies Society, perhaps the most prestigious Zen Buddhist center in the United States, is being torn apart by lawsuits, backstabbing, and infighting. The focus itself is on the master. They have shown us clearly that much of what has been presented by the tradition as "history," is really a myth created with two purposes. The Zen Institution For an in-depth look at three special projects happening at SFZC, check out our new Impact Report. Surely others felt the same way, but only Schnyer and Kelly have been so bold or articulate, have made clear the amorality, and the misogyny, that can infect Zen practice and enable its malefactors. At first, I had trouble with Downing's refusal to bend to the dictates of chronology and a quirky writing style that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. [citation needed], Additional businesses run by SFZC were the Alaya Stitchery storefront, which made zafus, zabutons and clothing, and Green Gulch Grocery, which sold produce from Green Gulch Farm. In the early 1990s the Board of Directors at the Zen Center created the "Ethical Principles and Procedures for Grievance and Reconciliation" for its members, for conflict resolution mediation guided by Buddhist precepts. This new Buddha is also alive and homegrown and hence more immediate and real. He reported being mugged at knifepoint by a man just a block away from the San Francisco Zen Center at 300 Page Street. These revelations led to community-wide pandemonium, and in 1984 Baker was forced to resign as abbot. [6] Baker also penned the introduction to Suzuki's famous book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Over the past 10 years, San Francisco Zen Center has devoted time and energy to studying the best practices around conflict resolution, difficult conversations, sexual harassment prevention, appropriate teacher/student boundaries, giving and receiving feedback, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, working with trauma, and Right Use of Power trainings. San Francisco Zen Center's purpose is to make the teachings and practice of Soto Zen Buddhism widely available, to train teachers, and to help cultivate mindfulness and compassion in the world. Visitors can enjoy the springs, go swimming or on hiking trips, and have the opportunity to arrange for practice with the community living at the monastery for a few days. [9] The building, designed by Julia Morgan, was built as the Emanu-el Residence Club in 1922 for the Emanu-el Sisterhood. Some Zen followers believe that Zen is only concerned with enlightenment and is not concerned with personal behavior or with ordinary morality. Before our eyes we have a living person becoming a faceless, a-historical person. Interestingly, one of the oldest members of Zen Center, a psychologist, did an "informal poll" of people who had been at Zen Center for more than eight years. Despite hesitance of some members of SFZC due to the size of 80 acres (320,000m2), Baker felt that acquiring Green Gulch Farm was very important for Buddhism in America. Like whoa, and when you start the practice, the practice I feel isits very profound. If you counted the blow-ups, youd say just a few [women,] but we think he ran his life like a Japanese businessmanlots of affairs, but most of them discreet. "[36], SFZC is connected, in an unofficial capacity, to the following Zen Centers:[1], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}374626N 1222534W / 37.774009N 122.426075W / 37.774009; -122.426075. Religion occupies a distinctive place in this enterprise." When it came to Baker's transmission from Suzuki, virtually all the students interviewed by Downing assumed that it was a "real" transmission. In addition, the few American students of his who went to Japan came back disappointed, which upset Suzuki because he thought these students would then think less ofBuddhism. He was neither. Ungerleider.[26]. Was he perhaps not a fully realized person? "If you scratch under the bitterness, there's a lot of beauty there," says Norman Fischer, abbott of the Zen Center from 1995 to 2000. pp.347-379. In his letter, Zournas, who had resigned the presidency in July, details for the lawyers benefit how the various board members reacted to a motion that Shimano and his wife, then the organizations treasurer, be fired. These recordings of zazen instruction feature a variety of teachers offering an introduction to meditation. 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