With palms together,
Lately I have been considering Zen in America. I have concluded it should have little to nothing to do with Zen in Japan. It will be its own creation driven from, and derived from, practice. True Buddhism, as Master Dogen pointed out, is practice. And I see by the time, that my morning bell will ring in a few minutes. More later.
Be well.
Hi Roshi!!! Have you seen the book One Bird, One Stone? It provides an account of the -diverse- introduction of zen to America...
ReplyDeleteIn Gasho...
With bow, Roshi...
ReplyDeleteMy question would be, is it necessary to distinguish Zen in America with Zen in Japan? Do we really need to create more and more division, more and more differentiation, more complexity? Can it not be as simply as Zen only? In fact can it not be as simple as it is?
Can Zen simply returns to its root; simply as it is without any further labelling?
Dear Koan, I have and it is.
ReplyDeleteDear Rizal, Of course. Still, Seals from accrediting bodies seem important to students. My belief is that zen is itself, not American Japanese, or European. We must manifest our own buddha-nature.
Dear Scott, Nicely stated. Thank you. I confess, I am pretty much a stickler for the gassho and bowing practices. I have reduced the ammount of Japanese in our liturgy, but we must still respect our roots. I think if we want to know what american zen looks like we Americans should simply sit in front of a mirror and see.
Be well.