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William Bodiford: Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice: Efforts to Reform a Tradition of Social Discrimination Since the so-called Machida affair, the Sõtõ Zen school has become embroiled in controversies over traditional institutional practices that foster prejudicial attitudes and social discrimination. An academic look at a Soto controversy. from the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
John H. Crook: The Place of Chan in Post-Modern Europe. Professor Crook takes a close and critical look at D.T. Suzuki and how Zen is being taught in the West. Also has a nice simple explanation of shi and li, the meaning of emptiness and other basic Zen concepts. Crook is a student of Master Sheng-yen. Recommended reading. from Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal
James Ishmael Ford:
Holding the Lotus to the Rock: Reflections on the future of the Zen Sangha in the West An outline of Western Zen and where it may be heading.
A Note On Dharma Transmission And The Institutions Of Zen: Although Zen transmission sometimes brings problems, Ford argues that it is essential to know where your teacher came from and who authorized that person to teach. Also, gives suggestions on what to look for when chosing a teacher. original source
Nelson Foster: one of the founders of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship asks whether Buddhists can save all beings in his essay: How Shall We Save the World? David R. Loy responds.
Sueki Fumihiko: Chinese Buddhism and the Anti-Japan War While authors such as Brian Victoria have focussed on the actions of Japanese Zen leaders during the war, Fumihiko looks at two Chinese Buddhist leaders, Taixu and Leguan, to see how they viewed the Japanese imperialists and Japanese Buddhism. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 37/1: 9–20
Ralf Halfmann: Zen in the West: A Critical Review of the International Zen Association Halfmann, a former member of Deshimaru's International Zen Association, gets stuck into Deshimaru in this essay.
Steven Heine Role of Repentance--or lack of it--in Zen Monasticism Mysticism, morality and repentance in Zen.
Nam-lin Hur : The Sõtõ Sect and Japanese Military Imperialism in Korea Hur traces the imperialist and racist history of the Soto sect in Japan between 1905 and the defeat of Japan in WWII in 1945. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1999 26_1⁄2
Ken W. Jones : The Zen Of Social Action "The importance of anchoring social action and service in a strong and mature monastic tradition cannot...be over–
emphasised. Engaged Buddhism is a 'radical conservatism' in several senses, not least in that the more radical and potentially disturbing the action, the stronger and more conservative does the monastic support need to be."
Stephanie Kaza: Finding Safe Harbor: Buddhist Sexual Ethics in America Kaza looks at the perennial problem of sexuality in sanghas and teachers. She discusses how sanghas have handled this hot issue. A worthy essay for any sangha facing issues of sex among the sangha/teachers. from Buddhist-Christian Studies 24 (2004)
letter to Richard Rudin, President of Board of Directors, Zen Studies Society, 1995, by eight American Zen masters regarding Eido Shimano Roshi
The Aitken-Shimano Letters by Vladimir K. and Stuart Lachs: based on letters held in the Robert Aitken Archives at the University of Hawaii, this article explores how Eido Shimano, abbot of the New York baseed Zen Studies Society, has been accused of sexual misadventures for over 30 years yet has never been investigated and continues to recieve support from some American Zen teachers.
Ken Knabb: Strong Lessons for Engaged Buddhists : A critique of the so-called "engaged Buddhist" movement. Is it true that "engaged Buddhists' social awareness has remained extremely limited. If they have begun to recognize certain glaring social realities, they show little understanding of their causes or possible solutions"? Following on from this 1993 essay, Knabb returns in 1999 with Evading the Transformation of Reality Engaged Buddhism at an Impasse, continuing the call for a more radical engagement by Buddhists.
Jiun Kubota, who calls himself The 3rd Patriarch of the Religious Foundation Sanbo-kyodan offers an apology for Haku'un Yasutani Roshi's support of WWII and his anti-semitism. [this posting has been removed and is no longer available]
Coming Down from the Zen Clouds A Critique of the Current State of American Zen: this is quite a controversial article dealing with Dharma transmission in Western Zen. Well worth reading, as is Means of Authorization: Establishing Hierarchy in Ch'an/Zen Buddhism in America
My own reply to this article is here.
Stuart replies to my critique here.
Richard Baker and the Myth of the Zen Roshi: Lachs continues his criticism of Western Zen. You may not agree with everything Lachs says, but he does make some valid points. All his articles are worth reading and discussing, especially in Western sanghas.
The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves Lachs looks at the myth of Dharma transmission in the context of American Zen and asks, Does the reality of modern Zen match the traditional view of what a Zen master should be? This is an important essay by Lachs and should be read by all Zen students.
David Loy: Can Buddhism Save the World? A Response to Nelson Foster A response to Nelson Foster's essay How Shall We Save the World? from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Daniel Palmer: Maseo Abe, Zen Buddhism and Social Ethics. Do Zen's ideas of karma, nirvana and sunyata undermine the possibility of social critique by Buddhists? Palmer looks at how Kyoto School philosopher Maseo Abe interpreted these three fundamentals to enable social action by Zennists. Excellent essay.
John Peek: Buddhism, Human Rights and the Japanese State: Peek looks at some core Buddhist teachings and relates them to "the proper nature of political, economic, and societal relationships". An interesting essay justifying political/social Buddhist activism. from Human Rights Quarterly 17.3 (1995)
Mike Port & Kyogen Carlson-Sensei: The Role of Authority in Dharma Practice: two short essays here from Still Point, the publication of the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon. "The question of authority, particularly in something that sounds as intimidating as the "Master-Disciple relationship," bears very close examination."
Kemmyō Taira Satō: D. T. Suzuki and the Question of War; Translated in Collaboration with Thomas Kirchner Brian Victoria's Zen at War (see book reviews here and essay here) created quite a stir in Western Zen circles. One of the criticisms in Victoria's book was about D. T. Suzuki, who was accused by Victoria of being a supporter of the Japanese military during WWII. Satō has taken another look at Victoria's sources and comes to quite a different conclusion. This is an important rebuttle of Victoria's accusations about Suzuki. Well worth reading. from The Eastern Buddhist 39/1: 61–120 Also, Gary Snyder and Nelson Foster have written about this in Tricycle.
Patricia Sherwood: Buddhist Contribution to Social Welfare in Australia. The article "outlines the contribution of Buddhist organizations in Australia to education and social welfare. It is argued that ... Buddhist organizations in Australia, ... have always been concerned with social welfare and education issues." from Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 8, 2001
Robert H. Sharf:
Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited After briefly outlining traditional monastic Zen, Sharf looks at modern Zen, including some scathing comments about D.T. Suzuki. from: Rude Awakenings: Zen the Kyoto School, and the Question of Nationalism, James W. Heisig and John C. Maraldo, eds., pp. 40–51. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press
Sanbõkyõdan: Zen and the Way of the New Religions. A discussion of Yasutani's Sanbokyodan sect which "diverges markedly from more traditional models found in Sõtõ, Rinzai, or Õbaku training halls. In fact, the Sanbõkyõdan displays many characteristic traits of the so-called New Religions." Sharf concludes by arguing "that there is an overtly ideological dimension to the rubric of "old" versus "new." From the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
The Zen of Japanese Nationalism: a long essay covering much of the same material as the two above but in considerably more detail. Essential reading.
On the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Things (or: How to Think about a Ch'an Kung-an) Sharf looks at the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Things philosophy and claims, "not only were Ch'an masters active and passionate participants in this quintessentially discursive controversy, but, as we will see, the BNI doctrine was the immediate context for the most famous kung-an of all, "Chao-chou's dog."
