DOCSLIB.ORG

A Eido Tai Shimano Roshi This Is an Open Letter to Eido Tai Shimano Roshi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Eido Tai Shimano Roshi This Is an Open Letter to Eido Tai Shimano Roshi mat a Eido Tai Shimano Roshi This is an open letter to Eido Tai Shimano Roshi: Dear Tai San, There are many reports of your abuse of women published on the web which indicate that you have been involved in breaking the precepts over a period of more than 40 years. I would like to urge you to come forth and make a statement in response to these accusations. Sincerely yours, Robert Aitken 1 Posted by tom8 at 9:32 PA4 1-B 1 i ! 362 comments: ! 2 genkaku said... I for one would like to support this suggestion. With mixed emotions, I have been complicit in this effort (http://genkaku-again.blogspot.com/2010/02/eido-tai- shimano.html) and readily acknowledge the icky and somewhat off-topic nature of the revelations so inescapably woven into a Zen practice beloved by many. But I think that a Zen practice without honesty is like a car without tires ... it ain't goin' nowhere, no matter how shiny it looks. May 21, 2010 7:38 AM Tai said... I'm sorry, Goddammit! It was all that breath counting, it drove me nuts. Cordially yours, TS. May 21, 2010 5:32 PM Mary / GoodlifeZEN said... Wow! It's a big step to challenge a colleague publicly, Roshi. Well, I think on the whole it's good to bring the issue of Zen teachers abusing students out into the open. I'm slow to rise to anger, but when senior students of disgraced teachers tell me that what their teacher did to female students was actually a "teaching that the unenlightened women somehow didn't understand", I tend to give them an tongue lashing they don't easily forget ... Good on you, Roshi! palm to palm Mary May 21, 2010 8:37 PM Ted Biringer said... Dear Aitken Roshi, In considering how to help those the sick abusers, I also wonder how to help their victims. 3 The classic literature is not shy about condemning deluded, or harmful teachers. Zen texts are full of laments about students "misled" or "exploited" by false teachers. Obvious to those paying attention, students are still being misled and exploited. Many Buddhis leaders have failed (or waited too long) to speak up, though there have been positive moves in recent years. While deluded and exploitive "teachers" deserve compassion and help, we also need to be more aggressive in helping students avoid being victimized in the first place. Buddhist leaders could help reduce the problem by: 1. When leaders become aware of deluded or harmful teachers--stand up and speak out. 2. Assertively encourage students to become familiar with the classic literature (sutras, shastras, Zen records etc.). When a teacher's words/deeds diverge widely from the classic texts they can move along. The knowledge of too many students based almost entirely on contemporary writings. 3. Talk and write about the meaning and nature of "enlightenment." Because of its "overstated" position in the early decades of transmission to the west, the term has largely dropped out of the conversation. "Enlightenment" is often substituted with "practice" (even when it is not accurate), avoided, or denigrated. I often hear it refered to as "The 'E' word...", as if the mere mention of it will cause the "Stink of Zen" to permeate one's being. Consequently, the condition the term denotes is obscure to students, mysterious, even supersitious. Unfamiliar with its meaning, students do not know how it applies to the reliability of teachers. "Teachers" that lead students astray from the path due to their own delusion may be as harmful as "teachers" that sexually and financially exploit students. Both have potential to cause genuine students to turn away from the path-- and thus liberation. Finally, from the classics: When I was journeying, I didn’t choose communities on the basis of whether or not they had material provisions; I was only concerned with seeing whether their perception indicated some capacity. If so, then I might stay for a summer or a winter; but if they were low-minded, I’d leave in two or three days. Although I called on more than sixty prominent teachers, barely one or two had great perception. The rest hardly had real true knowledge—they just want your donations. Teachings of Zen, Thomas Cleary [students who were] genuinely seeking to study the Way ...were unfortunately being led astray by some false teacher so that the correct understanding of the Truth was needlessly being kept from them. Shobogenzo, Bendowa, Rev. Hubert Nearman 4 There are people who teach living beings for the sake of fame and profit, without comprehending the characteristics of the ultimate Dharma. They do not recognize relative degrees of depth and shallowness in [their pupils’] capacities and causal affinities. They give their seal of approval to everyone, to people who seem enlightened but are otherwise. This is most painful! It is a great disaster! Whenever someone seems illuminated and pure in their perception of mind, they immediately give their approval. These people are gravely damaging the teaching of enlightenment: they are deceiving themselves and deceiving others. People who use mind with such divergences [from the Correct Path] and present this appearance have not found Mind. Teachings of Zen, Thomas Cleary Peace, Ted May 22, 2010 3:43 AM Marian said... Shimano is unworthy of trust and has done great harm. Thank you Roshi for calling him to account. Will supporters around him at his center take action to stop him? Who will protect the unwary who are taken in by all the trappings? To the former students and associates who are speaking out now: keep on, and thank you. Marian May 22, 2010 2:45 PM Anonymous said... What excuse can justify remaining a student of such a man? My conclusion, the search for validation and credentials has replaced the search for Dharma. Titles bought and sold all in the name of Zen. The abuse has never been limited to just sexual, nor to just women. May 22, 2010 5:27 PM Anonymous said... It's interesting how gullible we are in the West - someone like Eido has "roshi" after their name, acts in a selfish and hurtful manner and yet people still go to that person for "training" or make excuses for this behaviour. What a pity. Maybe in time we'll grow up. May 24, 2010 2:56 PM 5 Anonymous said... I wonder whether we are gleaning as much sustenance as we could from this ongoing chapter in the American Zen story. Is there not more here than the necessary condemnation of a teacher who has stepped perversely outside of his responsible position as a representative of the true dharma. That dharma includes the vagaries of the human condition, and teachers one and all carry with them the tendencies inherent in this condition which we all share. Might we not look at how our practice exhalts the teacher and promotes this figurehead as a patriarchal source of the dharma who is beyond the human frailties that are so apparent in ourselves. What is this need to set this figurehead so high, to assume that the mythical is embodied in human form. Is it really that crucial to our own surrender? As practitioners who uphold our present structure of Zen we are to be held to account for who and what we support. This ongoing saga should illicit deeper contemplation if we aspire to have our practice grow and flower! June 1, 2010 10:09 AM Dr Brenda Shoshanna said... Seems to me as though there is a total lack of forgiveness floating here. Is it honest to chant "To separate what we like from what we dislike is the disease of the mind", and continually harbor anger over the past? Is Eido Roshi the "only" Zen Master in our country who has crossed the line? Have these begged for forgiveness? What about all the treasures Eido Roshi has offered? Where is the recognition and appreciation for that? It seems to me a more constructive response, especially from Zen practitioners, would be to wonder how we could offer help and support, offer an open heart to Eido Roshi. Eshin Brenda Shoshanna June 6, 2010 6:02 AM genkaku said... "It seems to me a more constructive response, especially from Zen practitioners, would be to wonder how we could offer help and support, offer an open heart to Eido Roshi." It is interesting to think that such open-hearted efforts had not in fact been made ... again and again and again and again and again over so many years. And interesting to inspect the ways in which Mr. Shimano has benefited again and again and again and again from those with open hearts. Even those who are not Zen students might agree that the treasure of the sangha is not something to manipulate or squander on twinkling tinsel. Anger is something any of us might recognize in ourselves -- recognize and investigate. But just because anyone is angry does not mean they are implicitly mistaken. Being afraid of anger is like being afraid of love ... a sad state of affairs. Investigation of facts, rather than fancies, tends to put to rest both the quivers of anger and the warm-fuzzies of what passes for compassion. 6 June 6, 2010 2:56 PM Professor F. Baggins said... Please Doctor, do not assume that Eido Shimano is not forgiven, or that those who pursue the path of transparency are angry. Separating what we like from what we dislike may be in one sense a “disease” of the mind.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Buddhism in America
    Buddhism in America The Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series The United States is the birthplace of religious pluralism, and the spiritual landscape of contemporary America is as varied and complex as that of any country in the world. The books in this new series, written by leading scholars for students and general readers alike, fall into two categories: some of these well-crafted, thought-provoking portraits of the country’s major religious groups describe and explain particular religious practices and rituals, beliefs, and major challenges facing a given community today. Others explore current themes and topics in American religion that cut across denominational lines. The texts are supplemented with care- fully selected photographs and artwork, annotated bibliographies, con- cise profiles of important individuals, and chronologies of major events. — Roman Catholicism in America Islam in America . B UDDHISM in America Richard Hughes Seager C C Publishers Since New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Seager, Richard Hughes. Buddhism in America / Richard Hughes Seager. p. cm. — (Columbia contemporary American religion series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN ‒‒‒ — ISBN ‒‒‒ (pbk.) . Buddhism—United States. I. Title. II. Series. BQ.S .'—dc – Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Mindfulness and Psychotherapy
    MINDFULNESS AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Mindfulness and Psychotherapy Edited by CHRISTOPHER K. GERMER RONALD D. SIEGEL PAUL R. FULTON THE GUILFORD PRESS New York London © 2005 The Guilford Press A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc. 72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 www.guilford.com All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper. Last digit is print number:987654321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mindfulness and psychotherapy / Christopher K. Germer, Ronald D. Siegel, Paul R. Fulton, editors.— 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-59385-139-1 1. Meditation—Therapeutic use. 2. Meditation—Buddhism. 3. Psychotherapy. I. Germer, Christopher K. II. Siegel, Ronald D. III. Fulton, Paul R. RC489.M43M56 2005 615.8′52—dc22 2004028821 In memory of Phil About the Editors About the Editors Christopher K. Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private prac- tice, specializing in mindfulness-based treatment of anxiety and panic. He has been integrating meditation and mindfulness principles into psy- chotherapy since 1978. Dr. Germer has taken over a dozen trips to India to explore the varieties of meditation and yoga. He is currently the Di- rector of Continuing Education for the Institute for Meditation and Psy- chotherapy and is a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School. Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, a member of the clini- cal faculty of Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and a long- term student of mindfulness meditation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ven. Eido Tai Shimano Roshi, Founder of Two American Rinzai Zen
    The Ven. Eido Tai Shimano Roshi, founder of two American Rinzai Zen temples, died February 18 shortly after presenting teachings at Shogen-ji Junior College in Gifu, Japan. He was 85. He moved to Hawaii in 1960 after many years of intensive practice at Ryutaku-ji in Mishima, Japan with the late Soen Nakagawa Roshi. He settled in New York City in 1965, and was asked to become president of the Zen Studies Society, which had been established in 1956 to assist the Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki in his pioneering efforts to introduce Zen to the West. He established New York Zendo Shobo-Ji, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on Sept. 15, 1968, and International Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji, in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, on July 4, 1976. Eido Roshi received Dharma Transmission from Soen Nakagawa Roshi on Sept. 15, 1972, and served as the abbot of New York Zendo and Dai Bosatsu Zendo until his retirement in 2010. He was the author of Points of Departure; Golden Wind; and Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy. He brought out a translation of The Book of Rinzai: the Recorded Sayings of Master Rinzai, and translated several volumes of Eihei Dogen’s Shobogenzo. He gave teachings and held retreats throughout the world, and was the recipient of the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai award, honoring his remarkable achievements and contributions in bringing the teachings of Buddhism to the West. In the Postscript to his section of the book Namu Dai Bosa: A Transmission of Zen Buddhism to America, edited by Louis Nordstrom, Eido Roshi wrote: “On the Way to Dai Bosatsu I met many travelers.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall 1969 Wind Bell
    PUBLICATION OF ZEN •CENTER Volume Vilt Nos. 1-2 Fall 1969 This fellow was a son of Nobusuke Goemon Ichenose of Takahama, the province of Wakasa. His nature was stupid and tough. When he was young, none of his relatives liked him. When he was twelve years old, he was or<Llined as a monk by Ekkei, Abbot of Myo-shin Monastery. Afterwards, he studied literature under Shungai of Kennin Monastery for three years, and gained nothing. Then he went to Mii-dera and studied Tendai philosophy under Tai-ho for. a summer, and gained nothing. After this, he went to Bizen and studied Zen under the old teacher Gisan for one year, and attained nothing. He then went to the East, to Kamakura, and studied under the Zen master Ko-sen in the Engaku Monastery for six years, and added nothing to the aforesaid nothingness. He was in charge of a little temple, Butsu-nichi, one of the temples in Engaku Cathedral, for one year and from there he went to Tokyo to attend Kei-o College for one year and a half, making himself the worst student there; and forgot the nothingness that he had gained. Then he created for himself new delusions, and came to Ceylon in the spring of 1887; and now, under the Ceylon monk, he is studying the Pali Language and Hinayana Buddhism. Such a wandering mendicant! He ought to <repay the twenty years of debts to those who fed him in the name of Buddhism. July 1888, Ceylon. Soyen Shaku c.--....- Ocean Wind Zendo THE KOSEN ANO HARADA LINEAOES IN AMF.RICAN 7.llN A surname in CAI':> andl(:attt a Uhatma heir• .l.incagea not aignilleant to Zen in Amttka arc not gi•cn.
    [Show full text]
  • Nancy Wilson Ross
    Nancy Wilson Ross: An Inventory of Her Papers at the Harry Ransom Center Descriptive Summary Creator: Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Title: Nancy Wilson Ross Papers Dates: 1913-1986 Extent: 261.5 document boxes, 12 flat boxes, 18 card boxes, 7 galley folders (138 linear feet) Abstract: The papers of this American writer encompass her entire literary career and include manuscript drafts, extensive correspondence, and subject files reflecting her interest in Eastern cultures. Call Number: Manuscript Collection MS-03616 Language: English Access Open for research Administrative Information Acquisition Purchase, 1972 (R5717) Provenance Ross's first shipment of materials to the Ransom Center accompanied her husband Stanley Young's papers, and consisted of Ross's literary output to 1975, including manuscripts, publications, and research materials. The second, posthumous shipment contained manuscripts created since 1974, and all her correspondence, personal, and financial files, as well as files concerning the estate of Stanley Young. Processed by Rufus Lund, 1992-93; completed by Joan Sibley, 1994 Processing note: Materials from the 1975 and 1986 shipments are grouped following Ross's original order, with the exception of pre-1970, special, and current correspondence which were interfiled during processing. An index of selected correspondents follows at the end of this inventory. Repository: Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Manuscript Collection MS-03616 2 Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 Manuscript Collection MS-03616 Biographical Sketch Nancy Wilson was born in Olympia, Washington, on November 22, 1901. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 1924, and married Charles W.
    [Show full text]
  • Shinge Roshi VISION
    FROM: http://www.zenstudies.org/abbot.html 11/20/10 Shinge Roshi: Biography and Vision After receiving a degree in Creative Writing from Vassar College in 1965 and studying painting at the New York Studio School, Roko Sherry Chayat began practice at the Zen Studies Society’s West Side apartment. She spent a year painting in the South of France, returning to find the New York Zendo newly established at 223 East 67th Street. Becoming an integral part of what is often referred to as the Dai Bosatsu Mandala, she was present at New York Zendo Shobo-ji when the decision was made to purchase the property in the Catskills, and served as co-director of the first residential community at Dai Bosatsu Zendo from 1974 to 1976. Moving to Syracuse, she became the spiritual director of the Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-ji, which had been founded in 1972. In 1991, Shinge Roshi was ordained by Eido Roshi at Dai Bosatsu Zendo. He installed her as abbot of Hoen-ji in 1996, after the zendo moved from her attic to its current home on six acres along Onondaga Creek in Syracuse’s historic Valley district. In 1998, she received inka shomei, Dharma Transmission, from Eido Roshi. In 2008 he performed the shitsugo or “room naming” ceremony at Hoen-ji, recognizing her as a roshi and giving her the name Shinge, meaning “heart-mind flowering.” In addition to her work as a Zen teacher, Shinge Roshi is an award-winning writer. She compiled and edited Eloquent Silence: Nyogen Senzaki’s Gateless Gate and Other Previously Unpublished Teachings and Letters; Endless Vow: The Zen Path of Soen Nakagawa, with Eido Roshi and Kazuaki Tanahashi; and Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart.
    [Show full text]
  • Wind Bell He Spent Time with Suzuki-Roshi Gathering Material for a Wind Bell About His Life and Practice in Japan As a Boy and a Man Before Coming Co America
    4, .. ,_ PURLICATl0"4 Of· Zf 'Cl.N f ER VO LU~IE XI. 1972 Ocean Wind Zendo Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate! Bodhi! Svaha! Go,ne, gone, gone beyond, beyond beyond! Bodhi! Svaha! ' 3 Our teacher is gone. Nothing can express our feeling for Suzuki-roshi except the complete continuation of his teaching. We continue his existence. in the light of his mind and spirit as our own and Buddha's mind and spirit. He made clear that the Other Shore is here. This time includes past, present and future, our existence, his existence, Buddha's time. It was and is true for Suzuki-roshi. We are him and he is us. He expressed this in teaching us by going away. Gone, gone co the Other Shore! Beyond the Other Shore! Bodhil Svaha! Cyate gyate hara gyate liara so gyate! Boji! Sowaka! 4 JN A LEITER that went out to some of you from Yvonne Rand, President of Zen Center, she wrote: "Suzuki-roshi died early in the morning, Saturday, December 4, 1971 just after the sounding of the opening bell of the five-day sesshin commemorating Buddha's Enlightenment. He left us very gently and calmly. And he left Zen Center very carefully, teaching us in everything he did. There is almost no sense of his being gone, for he continues to live clearly in the practice and community that were his life work. His last appearance in public was on November 21 at the ceremony to install Richard Baker-roshi as his successor, according to his long-standing plan.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Palm Zen News
    Southern Palm Zen News October 2011 Volume 5, Number 10 In This Issue Welcome Roshi! Shodo Harada Roshi Practice Opportunities Prison Outreach Regional Events 2011-12 Calendar A Note from Doshin Sangha Bulletin Board Our Website www.floridazen.com look here for recommended resources and readings for students of zen Our Schedule Tuesday & Thursday Morning Zazen 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Wednesday Evening Orientation to Zen & Meditation: 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Study Group 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (The FAU lecture will be held in the Sanson Life Sciences Building) Service & Zazen 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Practice Opportunities In Boca Raton: Saturday Morning Service & Zazen On October 22, Mushin Sensei will lead a half-day zazenkai, 7:15 – 9:10 a.m. from 7:15 a.m. until noon. Zazen, dokusan, dharma talk, and Study Group a vegetarian breakfast are included. Suggested dana is $5.00. 9:15 – 10:00 a.m.. Please contact [email protected] to reserve your seat. Contact Us Boca Raton Sangha Study Groups OUR MEETING PLACE SPZG has a Wednesday book study at 6 p.m. We are currently discussing Subtle Sound by Maurine Stuart. Our Saturday study group meets after Unitarian Universalist service and zazen and is working through Realizing Genjokoan Fellowship by Shohaku Okumura. 2601 St. Andrews Blvd. Boca Raton, FL For a more specific schedule of chapters and speakers, please contact [email protected]. MAILING ADDRESS Southern Palm Zen Group SPZG Prison Outreach Program P.O. Box 880551 Boca Raton, FL 33488-0551 PHONE & EMAIL Doshin Cantor Sensei [email protected] 561-350-5535 Mushin May Sensei [email protected] As of this writing, SPZG mails a monthly newsletter on Buddhist practice to nearly 300 inmates across Florida.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience*
    BUDDHIST MODERNISM AND THE RHETORIC OF MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE* ROBERT H. SHARF What we can 't say we can't say and we can't whistle either. Frank Ramsey Summary The category "experience" has played a cardinal role in modern studies of Bud- dhism. Few scholars seem to question the notion that Buddhist monastic practice, particularly meditation, is intended first and foremost to inculcate specific religious or "mystical" experiences in the minds of practitioners. Accordingly, a wide variety of Buddhist technical terms pertaining to the "stages on the path" are subject to a phenomenological hermeneutic-they are interpreted as if they designated discrete "states of consciousness" experienced by historical individuals in the course of their meditative practice. This paper argues that the role of experience in the history of Buddhism has been greatly exaggerated in contemporary scholarship. Both historical and ethnographic evidence suggests that the privileging of experience may well be traced to certain twentieth-century Asian reform movements, notably those that urge a "return" to zazen or vipassana meditation, and these reforms were pro- foundly influenced by religious developments in the West. Even in the case of those contemporary Buddhist schools that do unambiguously exalt meditative experience, ethnographic data belies the notion that the rhetoric of meditative states functions ostensively. While some adepts may indeed experience "altered states" in the course of their training, critical analysis shows that such states do not constitute the reference points for the elaborate Buddhist discourse pertaining to the "path." Rather, such discourse turns out to function ideologically and performatively-wielded more often than not in the interests of legitimation and institutional authority.
    [Show full text]
  • Hakuun Yasutani Roshi
    Hakuun Yasutani Roshi 10 ZEN MOUNT AlN CENTER REPORT VASUTANI ROSHl ANDSOEN ROSH! VISITTASSAJARA In July Zen Mountain Center was visited by the masters and teachers of the Zen Studies Society and affiliated zendos, and of rhe lineage of Nyogen Senuld, the fuse Zen teacher in western America. In the gTOUp were Hakuun Vasutani Roshi., successor of Harada Roshi; Soen Nakagawa Roshi, abbot of Ryurakuji and Senzaki Scnsei's choice as his successor in America: Eido Tai Shimano Sensci, resident monk of the Zen Studies Society and disciple of Soen Roshi; Robert Aiken, Chairman of the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu and a former disciple of Seniaki Sensci; Charles Gooding, President of the Los Angeles Bosatsu-kai, the organization of the students of Senzaki Sensei; Ryoju Yasutani Sensei, the son of Yasutani Roshi; and Hakuyu Maezumi Scnsei, teacher at the Los Angeles Zen Center. Suzuki Rosbi bad not known Socn Roshi and had only briefly met Vasutani Roshl, so this coming together in America was both unique and significant. Their feeling was that Zen should not be sectarian. that, as Vasutani Roshi suggested, "ancient Chinese Zen shouJd be our model." Suzuki Roshl explained to the srudents later that "in China the Zen schools were formed by the disciples and descendants of the Sixth Patriarch. These disciples and descendants knew each other and considered themselves dharma brothers and would advise their srudents to leave them and go srudy with another of the Sixth Patriarch's disciples and descendantS. Most of them came back co their reacher, but some did not. It is a good idea to give students freedom to Hudy whatever teaching they want," Most of the Zen center students had not met masters from other schools before, though some had attended sesshins conducted by Yasutani Roshi and one had studied with Soen Roshi at Ryutakuji.
    [Show full text]
  • Fruition of the Path
    FRUITION OF THE PATH ‘All know that the drop merges in the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges in the drop.’ Kabir Skilful Living and Action One of the consequences of the awakened mind is the enhanced ability to act selflessly and compassionately in all circumstances of life. “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. Life flows with ease.” As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care and love – even the most simple action. So do not be concerned with the fruit of your action – just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own ac- cord. In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the oldest and most beautiful spiritual teachings in existence, non-attachment to the fruit of your action is called Karma yoga. It is described as the path of “consecrated action.” When the compulsive striving away from the now ceases, the joy of Being flows into everything you do. The moment your attention turns to the Now, you feel a presence, a stillness, a peace. You no longer depend on the future for fulfillment and satisfaction – you don’t look to it for salvation. Therefore you are not attached to the results.
    [Show full text]
  • “Zen Has No Morals!” - the Latent Potential for Corruption and Abuse in Zen Buddhism, As Exemplified by Two Recent Cases
    “Zen Has No Morals!” - The Latent Potential for Corruption and Abuse in Zen Buddhism, as Exemplified by Two Recent Cases by Christopher Hamacher Paper presented on 7 July 2012 at the International Cultic Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada. Christopher Hamacher graduated in law from the Université de Montréal in 1994. He has practiced Zen Buddhism in Japan, America and Europe since 1999 and run his own Zen meditation group since 2006. He currently works as a legal translator in Munich, Germany. Christopher would like to thank Stuart Lachs, Kobutsu Malone and Katherine Masis for their help in writing this paper. 1 “Accusations, slander, attributions of guilt, alleged misconduct, even threats and persecution will not disturb [the Zen Master] in his practice. Defending himself would mean participating again in a dualistic game that he has moved beyond.” - Dr. Klaus Zernickow1 “It is unfair to conclude that my silence implies that I must be what the letters say I am. Indeed, in Japan, to protest too much against an accusation is considered a sign of guilt.” - Eido T. Shimano2 1. INTRODUCTION Zen Buddhism was long considered by many practitioners to be immune from the scandals that occasionally affect other religious sects. Zen’s iconoclastic approach, based solely on the individual’s own meditation experience, was seen as a healthy counterpoint to the more theistic and moralistic world-views, whose leading proponents often privately flouted the very moral codes that they preached. The unspoken assumption in Zen has always been that the meditation alone naturally freed the accomplished practitioner from life's moral quandaries, without the need for rigid rules of conduct imposed from above.
    [Show full text]