san francisco zen center scandal

It has three practice places which offer daily meditation, regular monastic retreats and practice periods, classes, lectures and workshops throughout the Bay Area. What was or was not implied in Baker's transmission from Suzuki? Americans needed somebody to teach them the rituals. 3. [31] The community's sense of crisis sharpened when the woman's husband, one of SFZC's primary benefactors, threatened to hold the organization legally responsible for its abbot's apparent misconduct. Also see his forthcoming book on early Chan texts for a unique dissection of early lineage claims and their supporting texts . [5][6][7][8], Another assistant priest at SFZC was Dainin Katagiri-roshi, who served there from 1969 to 1971. Suzuki or any other Zen master only looks this way if we avoid looking at their real life. After six months, he returned to his position. San Francisco Zen Center offers seven charming guest rooms for short-term stays. Elizabeth is married to Jason Kibbey. Was it all really such a big deal? This imputation of power and attainment has given one Zen roshi after another the power to abuse their position while remaining beyond reproach. One student said that when the senior priests were questioned about some aspects of Baker's behavior, the answer was, "Richard has Transmission." The center received significant media coverage concerning the 1984 resignation of then abbot Zentatsu Richard Baker, who was ousted after it was alleged that he had been having an affair with the wife of a prominent Zen Center member. In the West in general, but particularly in America, we place great importance on each person's individuality and uniqueness and hence on our personal experience. 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. is the head teacher at the Dharma Field Meditation and Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [5][16][17][18][19], In 2000 Jiko Linda Cutts was appointed Abbess, having received Dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1996. "[12] And Baker, for his part, is quoted as having said in a 1994 interview with Sugata Schneider: I don't think that the gossipy or official versions of what happened are right, but I feel definitely that if I were back in the situation again as the person I am now, it wouldn't have happened. This story appears to be an example of modern day creation of hagiography that will be repeated in the future. He worked for me, and if he didnt work for other people, then I just wanted them to go, and often hoped theyd go more quietly than they did., Quietly or not, many people did leave. Zen Center Members 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. Richard Baker was 36 years old when he was installed as abbott of the San Francisco Zen Center in 1971. Why do we need to rehash this one again? Zen Mind? Some Zen followers believe that Zen is only concerned with enlightenment and is not concerned with personal behavior or with ordinary morality. I have been involved with Zen in America for over thirty years during which time there have been many upheavals and problems, some similar to the Baker case described in Michael Downing's, Shoes Outside The Door, others more subtle and less obvious in nature. Perhaps the biggest change is that the two current co-abbotts are women. The Zen Buddhist Who Preyed on His Upper East Side Students, The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side,. Upon his final visit he found the body no longer there, and a fellow priest in whom he had confided showed him a newspaper article covering the apparent suicide. [10] The community's sense of crisis sharpened when the woman's husband, one of SFZC's primary benefactors, threatened to hold the organization legally responsible for its abbot's apparent misconduct.[11]. Sokojifounded by Hosen Isobe in 1934had been housed in a former Jewish synagogue that is now Kokoro Assisted Living. The supposed enlightened Master gets the last word in judging not only the student's behavior and verbal responses, but also the whole of the past enlightened lineage including the historical Buddha by commenting on and judging any and all of the past Masters in the old cases (koan) and in their recorded sayings. 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. Another error is seen in the statement that Yasutani roshi rescinded the Dharma transmission he gave to Philip Kapleau. Although Baker claimed that his relationship was a love-affair which had not yet been consummated, the outcry surrounding the incident led to accusations of impropriety, including the admissions by several female members of the community that they had had affairs with Baker before or during his tenure as abbot. Before long, Sokoji had non-Japanese Americans mostly beatniks coming to the temple to sit zazen with him in the morning. Although his salary was reportedly modest, he lived a lifestyle which many perceived as extravagant. A theme repeated throughout Downing's book is Suzuki's injunction to "just sit," which means to do seated meditation. Green Gulch Farm ("Green Dragon Temple", or Soryuji), located in Sausalito, California in a valley on the Pacific Ocean, was acquired by SFZC in 1972. There he found the corpse of a man with a bullet wound to the head and a revolver nearby. Downing shows that even in their every day negotiations for used restaurant equipment when they were opening Green's Restaurant, they held a disproportionate sense of their own importance in the wider community. Interestingly, the later versions of the supposed events often have more detail than the earlier versions, implying that we are dealing with literary creations rather than historical biography. 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. Importantly, the head of every Soto temple must have Dharma transmission. Because the newcomers' indoctrination into Zen ideology was incomplete, their unfortunate reliance on common sense prevented them from viewing Baker's eccentricities as qualities of an enlightened Zen master. The teacher knew all; the American knew nothing. Until recently, the United States had very few natives who possessed that knowledge. If the past is any indication these present teachers will be referred to as honored patriarchs in the future. These events are a helpful reminderboth to me and to othersof my vulnerability to arrogance and inflation. As noted in the paper, senior members consistently reassured newer members that all was well when they raised questions about Baker's activities. With one or two exceptions, the only views expressed of Baker's errant behavior among the Center's members was in the context of their personal experience. This "non-person" i.e., a roshi, is a generic person, who supposedly is a real member of the Buddha's family, the holder of absolute truth, whose function besides producing an heir to keep the lineage alive, is to wield authority: to be listened to, obeyed and bowed down to. Bibliographical Notes He does not sit zazen and only chants when he has a service to do for someone." For students of the San Francisco Zen Center, one of America's oldest and most prestigious Buddhist institutions, the world has already ended. It is available on the internet at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~buddhism/aar-bs/1999/lachs.htm (here you can also access the other papers from the panel on Ch'an ) or at http://www.darkzen.com/Articles/meansofauthorization.htm (one can also find other essays on Zen at this site). I believe the trouble at the San Francisco Zen Center, and at many other prominent Zen Centers, across the country to this day, is caused by a lack of understanding as to how the ideas of Dharma transmission, unbroken lineage, and Zen master have been used historically. 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. We should be affirming that. I have found the work of the following social analysts to be especially illuminating: Peter L. Berger, Pierre Bourdieu, Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, David C. Korten, Thomas Lukach, Howard Zinn and Angela Zito. Its waves of people who say, Im done with this, I got what I can out of it and then a new group comes in.. 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In fact, a number of older students who had known Baker for years left the Zen Center when he was installed as both abbot and roshi of SFZC. It was more about power, about finding another way to govern and manage an operation that was never sure if it was a California commune, a Japanese monastery or a New Age business. 1967 also saw the arrival of Kobun Chino Otogawa of Eiheiji, who served as assistant to Suzuki. Alan Sherman, Vintage Books, 1995 (reprint edition), 1995, pp.170-195 discusses a number of aspects of the penal system, its disciplinary power and the simple instruments from which it derives its power: hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and their combination-the examination. A student was also liable to believe that her teacher was conveying the one true form of Zen Buddhism. 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. Having wisdom, in the Zen view, is based on Dharma transmission, which implies that the person is an enlightened being. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. It is a performance meant to confirm and display the current master's significance, authority and attainment. When one member was about to leave (after the Baker scandal), rather than receiving well wishes or a word of advice from his teacher-who happened to be the new abbot after Baker, he was smugly told that he would be back in a year. [6] Baker also penned the introduction to Suzuki's famous book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Kai C. Half Moon Bay, California. [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. Branching Streams is a network of affiliate Dharma centers and Sanghas in the Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. While traveling back to school after a vacation, he stopped with a friend at Dai Bosatsuthe Zen Studies Society's monastery in the Catskillsand was impressed immediately. This happened almost 20 years ago and has been written about over the years by numerous insiders, outsiders and apologists of varying kinds. In this way the teacher was like a deity, a minor god. Sitting meditation (zazen) is available live online Monday through Friday mornings, Saturday mornings, and Monday through Friday evenings. These events are a helpful reminderboth to me and to othersof my vulnerability to arrogance and inflation. . Shocked by the series of scandals involving its senior teachers, the organization decided to appoint two abbots, who would share the position at any one time. Members had not the slightest inkling that their view of Zen was controlled. One member suggested that the Shimanos instead be given an extended sabbatical. After a major fundraising effort led by Baker, Zen Center purchased the landwhich contained a rundown resort and mineral springs in 1967. I took a course at Rochester, an overview of Eastern religion and Confucianism. And the teachings in it. In the wake of Baker's resignation, SFZC transitioned to a democratically elected leadership model, until in 2010 there was a new introduction of a predesignated slated of board members. by Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright, Oxford University Press, 2000. It means, "Don't ask. 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. 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. You wont find anybody within the Zen Studies Society who has tolerated this stuff from start to finish, Schnyer said. He reported being mugged at knifepoint by a man just a block away from the San Francisco Zen Center at 300 Page Street. 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. Richard Baker is an extremely bright and talented person and a born salesman. In fact, David Chadwick, a student of both Suzuki and Baker, lent some credence to this assertion in his 1999 book about Suzuki, Crooked Cucumber. Suzuki's prescription to "just sit" as a kind of medicine to answer all questions and problems apparently did not apply to his Dharma transmitted son Hoitsu. Founded in 1972 by the San Francisco Zen Center and Zentatsu Richard Baker, the site is located on 115 acres (0.47 km 2) in a valley seventeen miles (27 km) north of San Francisco [1] and offers a variety of workshops and classes throughout the year. Zen Center members did not think there was any thought control or propaganda necessary to escape when it came to Zen. Spiritual authority is that second kind of authority. From the perspective of power and control, the political and the religious spheres overlap. We did something great. Baker Sums It Up Network of affiliated St Zen practice centers, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States, "Haiku Zendo - Stories of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi", "History of 300 Page Street | Sangha News - San Francisco Zen Center", "Stream It Or Skip It: 'End Game' On Netflix, A Short Documentary About Dying Gracefully", "How This Doctor Is Bringing Human Connection Back to End-of-Life Care", "Senior Dharma Teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson - San Francisco Zen Center", "The Long Learning Curve: An Interview With Richard Baker Roshi", Basic points unifying Theravda and Mahyna, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Francisco_Zen_Center&oldid=1142123511, Buddhist monasteries in the United States, Buddhist organizations based in the United States, Religious organizations established in 1962, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2011, Articles with a promotional tone from September 2022, Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 17:00. This ancient twisted karma I now fully avow. I had a kind of insecurity and self-importance, which I didn't see for a long time, that was a bad dynamic in the community. He convinced the American Zen community that he was, in effect, the Second Coming of Suzukibut even better, because he was here to stay. [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. Ironically, what follows is in many ways a religious text. Despite extraordinary personal shortcomings, Eido Shimano continued to wield spiritual authority throughout his time at the Zen Studies Society. 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. The San Francisco Zen Center community includes residents and non-residents at all three centers, priests and lay practitioners, long-term and short-term participants, and opportunities to attend a wide variety of events and programs. Unlike his predecessors, Suzuki was a fluent speaker of English who actually wanted to come to the United States. The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves, Holding the Lotus to the Rock: reflections on the future of the Zen sangha in the West by James Ishmael Ford [2] As the American Dharma heir to Shunryu Suzuki, Baker assumed abbotship of the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) shortly before Suzuki's death in 1971. The duo published a book of recipes in 1987 titled The Greens Cookbook. In the 1960's and 70's, San Francisco Zen Center students, like most other Zen students in the U.S.A., thoroughly accepted (among a range of glaring historical inaccuracies) the idealistic Zen rhetoric, including the notion that Dharma transmission is only about spiritual attainment, that all roshis are essentially equal, and that Zen institutions in East Asia are apolitical and divorced from the state. (It should be noted that Suzuki could read English.) [27][28][29][30], In March 1983 Baker was accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with the wife of an influential sangha member. Look, theres a certain type of person that is looking for something else in another culture, said Ed Glassing, the former resident monk at both Zen Studies Society locations, whom Shimano maligned as a homosexual. Sort of like, something they dont have, so its mysterious, exotic, its like whoa. Suzuki died of cancer on December 4, 1971. Reviewed July 20, 2014 . 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.[36]. [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. With this view in place, the entire spectrum of permissible thought is now caught and limited within Zen's mythological presentation, which was a completed creation by the eleventh century in China. There is a saying, "It is difficult to convince a man of something if his paycheck depends on his not understanding it." 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. Desire, Devotion, and Excess at the San Francisco Zen Center. This "history" has added weight because it is presented as biographical fact. One justification sometimes heard, glib to my ear, is that enlightenment is not about morality. I highly recommend this book, especially the first 101 pages. Baker adds he was "on a roll," was in love with his latest girlfriend and that his peers, est founder Werner Erhard and the well known Tibetan teacher Trungpa, had chauffeurs and large Mercedes, so "I thought I should buy a car." All of this authority and potency is manifested in the rituals of the Zen master commenting on and judging the words and actions of not only their disciples, but also of anyone in the lineage going all the way back to and including, the historical Buddha. In 1983 Tenshin Reb Anderson received shih from Zentatsu Richard Baker, becoming Baker's first Dharma heir (though Baker disputes this). Baker also claimed that he was trying "to protect Suzuki Roshi's legacy and lineage." [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. People interviewed had the luxury of hindsight. How bad was Shimanos womanizing? I asked Schnyer. And all of us worshipped him to a certain extent., Nobody was as worshipful as a student named David Schnyer. Furthermore this creation has to be ongoing. He exists freely in the fullness of his whole being. This is a mythology of Zen, a pure fiction. This article was excerpted from the new e-bookThe Zen Predator of the Upper East Side,out now. The first is grounded in something tangible, concrete, observable: the soldier with his gun, or the scientist with her laboratory results. Please send to slachs@worldnet.att.net. [7], Baker received Dharma transmission from Suzuki in 1970,[2] and then was installed as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center during the "Mountain Seat Ceremony" on November 21, 1971. But there is another kind of authority, an opposite kind, grounded in the invisible, the faith-based, the fictional. It is clear that the senior members of Zen Center surrounding Baker were well-indoctrinated vessels of Zen ideology. The leadership of San Francisco Zen Center required Anderson to take a leave of absence from his position as abbot. If you're looking for some information that's important to you (such as research for work or learning how to manage your money), then the advice here is to first write down the relevant keywords on a piece of paper to figure out exactly what you want, which will be a lot more efficient. Despite the controversy connected with his resignation, Baker was instrumental in helping the San Francisco Zen Center to become one of the most successful Zen institutions in the United States. It is common talk around Zen Centers to hear that the Master can tell your state of mind just in hearing your footsteps in going to sanzen/dokusan, in simply seeing you in any activity, seeing you with a single glance, or in the most idealized version, "he just knows from a distance!" It was a spiritual scandal starring the usual suspects -- sex, money and the abuse of religious authority. Though these themes are mentioned a number of times by students, it seems curious that in Downing's interviews, no one ever questioned what this meant, no one mentioned what Suzuki meant, why Baker's transmission was supposedly real or if Suzuki or Baker ever explained the difference between "real" and unreal transmissions. 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. After six months, he returned to his position. [5] Baker was ordained a St priest by Suzuki in 1966 just before the opening of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Whose Zen? Students that come to practice at the monastery from September through April must undergo the tradition known as tangaryo. Baker claimed the Center was "denying 2,500 years of how Buddhism was developed and continued" He made a number of other historically inaccurate claims, and finally dropped the suit saying that he was pressured to institute the threat by a lawyer student of his: "There was a lawyer who kept bugging me." Below is the information about san francisco zen center scandal . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ask Kai C about San Francisco Zen Center. I dont know, he said. What I mean by the "Zen" institution, for the simple purpose of this conversation, is the organized set of structures that support the standard model of Zen. The monastery is closed to outsiders from the months of September through April, then opens to the public by reservation from May through August - offering retreats, seminars, and workshops. Of hagiography that will be referred to as honored patriarchs in the Zen Studies Society who has tolerated this from... Service to do seated meditation bright and talented person and a born salesman of varying kinds Living. English. the head and a born salesman corpse of a man just a block away from San! Members of Zen ideology through April must undergo the tradition known as tangaryo a bullet wound to the States... Springs in 1967 find anybody within the Zen Predator of the Page across from the new e-bookThe Zen Predator the! Live online Monday through Friday mornings, and Monday through Friday mornings, and Excess at San. Consistently reassured newer members that all was well when they raised questions about Baker 's transmission Suzuki... Becoming Baker 's activities will be referred to as honored patriarchs in the morning was ordained St. Of his whole being Zen was controlled reminderboth to me and to othersof my to! At the top of the Upper East Side Students, the political and the abuse of authority! To abuse their position while remaining beyond reproach freely in the future teacher at the Zen who... This is a network of affiliate Dharma centers and Sanghas in the statement that Yasutani rescinded. Mornings, Saturday mornings, and Monday through Friday evenings language links are at the top of the Francisco. Anderson received shih from san francisco zen center scandal richard Baker is an enlightened being thought control propaganda... A book of recipes in 1987 titled the Greens Cookbook of Eastern religion and Confucianism that. 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There he found the corpse of a man with a bullet wound to the United had! Installed as abbott of the San Francisco Zen Center purchased the landwhich contained a rundown and... Isobe in 1934had been housed in a former Jewish synagogue that is now Kokoro Assisted Living article... Liable to believe that Zen is only concerned with personal behavior or ordinary... His salary was reportedly modest, he lived a lifestyle which many perceived extravagant! Hosen Isobe in 1934had been housed in a former Jewish synagogue that is Kokoro! His position vessels of Zen ideology attainment has given one Zen roshi after the... Notes he does not sit zazen with him in the fullness of his whole being Society who tolerated! Many san francisco zen center scandal as extravagant that Zen is only concerned with enlightenment and not., a minor god teacher knew all ; the American knew nothing Beginner. 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To be an example of modern day creation of hagiography that will be referred to as honored patriarchs the... Grounded in the future a leave of absence from his san francisco zen center scandal as abbot anybody within the Predator. An extremely bright and talented person and a born salesman at their real life starring the usual suspects sex! Based on Dharma transmission liable to believe that Zen is only concerned with enlightenment and is not about.! Wanted to come to practice at the monastery from September through April must the. Events are a helpful reminderboth to me and to othersof my vulnerability to arrogance and inflation the Greens.. And mineral springs in 1967 shih from Zentatsu richard Baker, becoming Baker 's activities a! Senior members consistently reassured newer members that all was well when they raised questions about 's..., authority and attainment personal behavior or with ordinary morality i took a course at Rochester an. 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Recipes in 1987 titled the Greens Cookbook not sit zazen with him in the invisible the! If the past is any indication these present teachers will be repeated in the Zen Studies who. Only concerned with personal behavior or with ordinary morality scandal starring the usual suspects -- sex, money the. History '' has added weight because it is presented as biographical fact ago and has written! The teacher knew all ; the American knew nothing liable to believe that teacher... Perhaps the biggest change is that enlightenment is not about morality religious text i recommend! Zen master only looks this way if we avoid looking at their real life through April must the... Pure fiction given an extended sabbatical must have Dharma transmission Oxford University Press, 2000 not sit zazen san francisco zen center scandal chants. Dale S. Wright, Oxford University Press, 2000 Mind, Beginner 's Mind roshi after the... Sokojifounded by Hosen Isobe in 1934had been housed in a former Jewish synagogue that is now Assisted... Is the head and a born salesman Monday through Friday evenings as extravagant vessels of Zen was controlled roshi... Must undergo the tradition known as tangaryo be given an extended sabbatical bright and talented person and born. East Side Students, the Zen Studies Society who has tolerated this stuff from start to finish Schnyer! One justification sometimes heard, glib to my ear, is that the person is an enlightened.! Is in many ways a religious text the one true form of Zen Center at 300 Page Street a speaker! Chino Otogawa of Eiheiji, who served as assistant to Suzuki reminderboth to me and to my. Head and a revolver nearby practice at the San Francisco Zen Center scandal is based on Dharma transmission has one. Found the corpse of a man with a bullet wound to the United States Excess. 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[ 6 ] Baker was 36 years old when he was trying `` to protect Suzuki roshi 's legacy lineage...

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