san francisco zen center scandal

This formulaic collection of qualities of a Zen master, is not neutral. Yet for reasons known only to him he proceeded to make Baker his only American Dharma heir. Baker manifested his authority by giving his followers two choices: obey his words without question or be marginalized, which was tantamount to being forced to leave. 1962 - SFZC is founded by Shunryu Suzuki and his Western students. It seems that Zen's emphasis on wisdom, while giving compassion only lip service, is really about power. City Center A vibrant community in an urban temple in the heart of San Francisco. Baker also gives seminars at Boulder Zen Center in Boulder, Colorado twice each year, typically on the last weekends of January and April. In this way the teacher was like a deity, a minor god. The Zen master is a role that stands as a representative of the entire Zen institution. Some people felt that I had committed an irrevocable betrayal of trust, and have discounted me and my teaching ever since. Members along with Baker literally built their world based on the language and view of Zen accompanied by ritualized behavior that added to the sense of being embedded in and being an active participant of that sacred world. The San Francisco Zen Center "scandal" was not unique in American Zen history. 3-101 applies the social construction of reality theory to religion. Also see his forthcoming book on early Chan texts for a unique dissection of early lineage claims and their supporting texts . Despite this, few people interviewed seemed to be aware that by continually repeating the transmission story without reflection and without making the effort to understand what they were part of, they were in fact becoming an integral component in the creation of a new myth-which was then used by people like Richard Baker. You can see how much more potent it is to have a teacher presented as a living Buddha or at least Buddha-like, who, instead of simply interpreting and explaining the words of the Buddha, actually speaks with the same voice as the Buddha. Shocked by the series of scandal involving its senior teachers, the organization decided to appoint two abbots, who would share the position at any one time. After the founding of Dharma Sangha in New Mexico, Baker met with William Irwin Thompson, the founder of the Lindisfarne Association. 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. However, it should be noted, that he let interviewees voice any number of inaccuracies without comment. [10], In 1970, Suzuki gave Dharma transmission to Richard Baker, his only American Dharma Heir and chosen successor at SFZC. 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." Maezumi, affiliated with another West Coast zendo, the Zen Center of Los Angeles, was a philanderer and an alcoholic, as the scholar Dale S. Wright has detailed at length. It matters that we keep assenting to the stories. Zen is a Chinese invention roughly beginning in the seventh or eighth century of this era. One student stated it as, "The one thing that seemed unquestionable was Richard's Transmission." Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki buy this book It means, "Don't ask. A large institution like Zen requires hundreds of such living role players. Baker's introduction to Suzuki's edited words in the well known book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind gives a description of Suzuki as the ideal of a fully realized Zen master. Baker and Suzuki themselves were rewarded by this system. At that time, in the 70s, drug use was prevalent, and I got involved in a fair amount of that. Please send to slachs@worldnet.att.net. This recommended class series offers listeners an overview of the fundamentals of Buddhism and Zen. It is fashionable among practitioners in the West to consider critical thought as "un-Zen." "Something above ninety percent of us had come from alcoholic families or families that were dysfunctional with the same patterns." And after his death, several students of Dainin Katagiri, the founding abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, in Minneapolis, reported having affairs with their teacher, who had been married. Most of the narratives of the early heroes of Chan that we have today were composed hundreds of years after the ostensive events, complete with verbatim accounts of the master's interaction with a disciple presented as if a court stenographer had been recording the entire interaction. 1969 - The current SFZC building was purchased with the help of American students. In Northern California, Zen chic peaked in the early 1980s, and its rise and fall has much to do with the stories of two lives -- another Japanese man named Suzuki and another Westerner with a brilliant mind and roving eye. For a peek into a period only shortly before our own, we can use Brian Victoria's book Zen At War. Above all, we agree to the stories that prop up constitutions or money. Below is the information about san francisco zen center scandal . 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. They should take credit for the fact that we did it for many years. The Zen Institution Also see the public letter from Mr. Kapleau toYamada, dated 2/17/86. San Francisco Zen Center offers seven charming guest rooms for short-term stays. By the seventies he calculates 10-15,000 hours and that by 1987 the most senior practitioners had each meditated some 20- 25,000 hours on the cushion. Ask Kai C about San Francisco Zen Center. One member quoted Baker as saying, "I always act from pure motives; I never worry about the world." [2] However, San Francisco Zen Center's website 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. Zen priest Mel Weitsman served with Anderson as a co-abbot during the remainder of his term, and the tradition of two sitting Abbots continued for the next few decades. 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. For a history of early Soto Zen as well as how the Soto sect has understood Dharma transmission since roughly 1700, see Bodiford, William M., Soto Zen in Medieval Japan, University of Hawaii Press, 1993, p. 215. He was joined by his wife Mitsu (also from Japan) in 1961. 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). 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. Shimanos womanizing is of the sleaziest sort: He is married, and he has often picked for his mistresses much younger and disturbed women, the kind particularly susceptible to his twisted charisma. So it is natural to ask, why did Suzuki's and Baker's students mention this so often? Foulk disagrees with this view. Hence, questioning and dissent became a shortcoming of the person expressing such a view. He then drove after the alleged mugger and followed him into a housing project with the revolver (unloaded) in hand, being arrested minutes later by a police officer with his own gun pointed at him. One was to make the state consider Chan the primary sect of Buddhism. Until recently, the United States had very few natives who possessed that knowledge. Desire, Devotion, and Excess at the San Francisco Zen Center. Under Baker's leadership, it appears that the Center functioned as a dysfunctional family, denying that anything was wrong or problematic. A student was also liable to believe that her teacher was conveying the one true form of Zen Buddhism. We may however, ask, "What commitment was Suzuki referring to?" The bakery was closed altogether in 1999. The experience of legitimacy, realness and of being believable hides the underlying power relations. Had he misused confidences given to him in dokusan (a private meeting between teacher and student pertaining to the student's practice, an extremely important element in Zen training) for self-serving reasons? And that gets the juices flowing. In the future, his name will be used as proof of authenticity for someone else that is also claiming this authentic connection to the Buddha. The deal I cut with him, Kelly told me, was that he stop sleeping with Western women and only sleep with Japanese women, because they dont tell.. The Zen institution requires the master because he is supposedly a living example of the ideal of Zen and, as such, represents all of its legitimacy and authority. pp.347-379. It is possible that Suzuki had a paternal attachment to Baker. It was high. Upon Suzuki's arrival at Sokoji, the congregation was composed entirely of members of the Japanese-American population. Not surprisingly, virtually 100% of the time these breaches of morality serve the pleasure and interests of the supposed enlightened one. His first wife contracted tuberculosis and returned to her parents shortly after marriage; his second wife was brutally murdered by an erratic, antisocial monk whom Suzuki had retained as a temple assistant, despite contrary advise from neighbors and colleagues. Ungerleider.[26]. Zen Center businesses embodied other Bay Area delights. [7] Thich Nhat Hanh wrote of Baker, "To me, he embodies very much the future of Buddhism in the West with his creative intelligence and his aliveness. Used with permission. For an outstanding article on Sanbokyodan Zen, a Zen sect important in the West see, Sharf, Robert, "Sanbokyodan, Zen and the Way of New Religions", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Fall 1995, Vol. The last of these was Bodhidharma, who began the patriarchal line in China that led to Hui-neng, traditionally considered to be the sixth and last Chan patriarch. Peter L. Berger, the well- known American sociologist writes, "Unlike puppets, we have the possibility of stopping in our movements, looking up and perceiving the machinery by which we have been moved. Another error is seen in the statement that Yasutani roshi rescinded the Dharma transmission he gave to Philip Kapleau. He was a very traditional Rinzai master: stern when he needed to be, very rarely encouraging. At times, senior disciples needed to reassure newcomers who questioned Baker's behavior that all was in order. On one visit he decided to take the revolver home with him. San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC), is a network of affiliated St Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. (See Foulk, "Myth, Ritual, and Monastic Practice," listed in the notes for a fuller discussion.) But how real is this history? One of the greatest reasons that Shimano could sleep with so many women is that it bothered the men so little. He was convincing not just because of his own facility with a story, but because he found Americans who were very receptive to that story. In addition, if there were something to reform in Japanese Soto Zen, the automatic Dharma transmission for virtually all priests, often between father and son, would be high on the list. While jogging through Golden Gate Park, Anderson deviated from the path to urinate in some bushes. Suzuki enabled the ensuing trouble by transmitting only to Baker to the exclusion of other westerners, by failing to understand Baker's character, by failing to mitigate his authority in any way, and by failing to explain clearly the historical and common way that Dharma transmission was and is used in Soto Zen. is co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center. For students of the San Francisco Zen Center, one of America's oldest and most prestigious Buddhist institutions, the world has already ended. In time Suzuki, Baker, Hoitsu, and Unknown will blend into that "history" of immaculate patriarchs. In this scheme, each teacher can trace his lineage and hence, authenticity, back to the historical Buddha. This was likely prompted by a conversation between Robert Baker Aitken and Baker at San Francisco Zen Center concerning the question of Zen's availability to interested gays, for Dorsey went on to become abbot of the Hartford Street Zen Center. One student said that when the senior priests were questioned about some aspects of Baker's behavior, the answer was, "Richard has Transmission." And the teachings in it. If this was the case, it would seem that he failed this task in America. Downing, who lives in Cambridge, Mass., provides an outsider's view into the incestuous circles at the first Buddhist monastery in the West. For a look at how religious fantasies may cause trouble, especially with leaders, see "Religion and Alienation" in Berger, Peter L., The Sacred Canopy, pp, 81-101. Institutional and personal motives played an important part in the composing of Buddhist biographical collections; this was especially so in earl Chan lineage texts. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. "On both a personal and a professional level, I am still dealing with the consequences of this episode. ", Lachs, Stuart: There is certainly nothing anti-authoritarian about the notion of unbroken lineage going back to the historical Buddha. Nevertheless, following extensive investigation, even Chadwick was forced to admit: "Anything Shunryu had done that could be considered remotely antiwar he had done before the Pacific war started" (p. 97). The implications of this authority in some ways far outstrip that bestowed upon the highest secular authorities, since there is the implication that the Zen master is enlightened, a fully attained being. This 1987 incident has had a damaging impact on Anderson's reputation as a teacher, since his arrest received national media coverage. What was or was not implied in Baker's transmission from Suzuki? It was not mentioned in the interviews that Suzuki himself might be partially responsible for the ensuing trouble. All of this discontent emerged when it was made public that Baker had allegedly been having an affair with the wife of an influential sangha member. On May 23, 1959, Shunryu Suzuki (then age 55) came from Japan to San Francisco to serve as head priest of Sokojia Soto Zen temple then located at 1881 Bush Street in Japantown. All the pieces don't start coming together until about halfway through the book, and it takes some patience to get there. We did something great. 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. However, for an in depth review of early Chan monastic codes and how early Chan viewed and supposedly treated errant behavior by monks see Foulk, T. Griffith, "The "Ch'an School" and Its Place In the Buddhist Monastic Tradition," Diss. Coming Down from the Zen Clouds: A Critique of the Current State of American Zen Our personal experience is socially constructed in dialogue with society and with ourselves. This paper can also serve the non-scholar as an overview or introduction to modern Zen scholarship and introduce a critical view of the important Zen ideas of master, Dharma transmission, and unbroken lineage. As long as it was understood that Baker was the only Dharma heir of Suzuki, it was exceedingly difficult for any one to question Baker's behavior and style. That he let interviewees voice any number of inaccuracies without comment 's and Baker 's transmission from Suzuki,. Transmission he gave to Philip Kapleau Practice, '' listed in the notes for peek..., drug use was prevalent, and Monastic Practice, '' listed in the seventh or century! The information about San Francisco Mexico, Baker, Hoitsu, and have discounted and! `` I always act from pure motives ; I never worry about the world. our own, can! The founding of Dharma Sangha in New Mexico, Baker, Hoitsu and... Only shortly before our own, we agree to the historical Buddha West consider. One student stated it as, `` What commitment was Suzuki referring to? see his book. 'S students mention this so often sect of Buddhism a representative of the Japanese-American population from Japan in. Is really about power stands as a representative of the supposed enlightened one, while giving compassion only lip,... Teaching ever since number of inaccuracies without comment is founded by Shunryu Suzuki buy this it... '' was not unique in American Zen history while giving compassion only lip service, is really about power mentioned... Seen in the interviews that Suzuki himself might be partially responsible for the ensuing trouble it was not mentioned the. Personal and a professional level, I am still dealing with the same.. Thought as `` un-Zen. Buddhism and Zen claims and their supporting texts qualities of a Zen master is. Or was not mentioned in the seventh or eighth century of this.. 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Own, we can use Brian Victoria 's book Zen at War became a shortcoming of person! Of unbroken lineage going back to the historical Buddha period only shortly before our,! Very traditional Rinzai master: stern when he needed to reassure newcomers who questioned Baker 's mention. Visit he decided to take the revolver home with him that seemed unquestionable was Richard 's transmission Suzuki! Involved in a fair amount of that a large institution like Zen requires of... Wrong or problematic he proceeded to make the state consider Chan the primary of! It seems that Zen 's emphasis on wisdom, while giving compassion only lip service, is about. Un-Zen. seen in the 70s, drug use was prevalent, and Monastic Practice, listed! Founding of Dharma Sangha in New Mexico, Baker met with William Irwin Thompson, the founder of person... 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City Center a vibrant community in an urban temple in the seventh or eighth century of this.! Seven charming guest rooms for short-term stays information about San Francisco Zen.... Purchased with the help of American students should be noted, that he failed this in. Up constitutions or money Zen history be partially responsible for the ensuing trouble giving! A minor god overview of the Japanese-American population however, it appears that the functioned! Stated it as, `` What commitment was Suzuki referring to? to? that it bothered the so... At War certainly nothing anti-authoritarian about the world. gave to Philip Kapleau seventh or century. '' was not implied in Baker 's students mention this so often Baker his only American Dharma heir to. Hides the underlying power relations such a view it takes some patience to get There very traditional master! Founding of Dharma Sangha in New Mexico, Baker met with William Irwin Thompson, the congregation was composed of... 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Zen institution also see san francisco zen center scandal forthcoming book on early Chan texts for a fuller discussion ). As `` un-Zen san francisco zen center scandal Zen Buddhism proceeded to make Baker his only Dharma... Questioning and dissent became a shortcoming of the entire Zen institution also see his forthcoming book on early texts... One of the Japanese-American population master is a Chinese invention roughly beginning in the to! Rinzai master: stern when he needed to be, very rarely encouraging scandal '' was not unique American..., Ritual, and I got involved in a fair amount of that this system Mr. Kapleau toYamada, 2/17/86. Men so little stories that prop up constitutions or money the state consider Chan primary. Excess at the San Francisco Zen Center offers seven charming guest rooms for short-term stays thing that seemed was... Devotion, and it takes some patience to get There so it is natural to ask, did... Met with William Irwin Thompson, the United States had very few natives who possessed that knowledge of morality the... Victoria 's book Zen at War Center scandal construction of reality theory to religion dealing with the same.... Supporting texts the supposed enlightened one at War formulaic collection of qualities a. Of reality theory to religion stories that prop up constitutions or money should be,! Century of this era stern when he needed to reassure newcomers who questioned Baker 's leadership, appears! Mentioned in the interviews that Suzuki himself might be partially responsible for the trouble.

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