Sokei-an
Encyclopedia
Sokei-an Shigetsu Sasaki (佐々木 指月 (曹渓庵),1882—May 17, 1945), born Yeita Sasaki(佐々木 栄多), was a Japanese
Rinzai roshi
who founded the Buddhist Society of America (now the First Zen Institute of America) in New York City
in 1930. Influential in the growth of Zen Buddhism in the United States
, Sokei-an was one of the first Japanese masters to live and teach in America. One of his better known students was Alan Watts
, who studied under him briefly in the late 1930s. In June 1942 Sokei-an was arrested by the FBI, labeled an "enemy alien
" and detained at an internment camp in Fort Meade, Maryland
(suffering from high blood pressure and stroke
s while there). His students petitioned the government for his release, and he was finally released from custody in August 1943. His health in decline, he then married American Ruth Fuller Everett
. He died in May 1945 without leaving behind a Dharma heir.
in 1882 as Yeita Sasaki. He was raised by his father, a Shinto
priest, and his father's wife, though his birth mother was his father's concubine. Beginning at age four, his father taught him Chinese
and soon had him reading Confucian texts. Following the death of his father when he was fifteen, he became an apprentice sculptor and came to study under Japan
's renowned Koun Takamura
at the Imperial Academy of Art in Tokyo
. While in school he began his study of Rinzai Zen under Sokatsu Shaku, (a Dharma heir of Soyen Shaku
), graduating from the academy in 1905. Following graduation he was drafted
by the Japanese Imperial Army and served briefly during the Russo-Japanese War
on the border of Manchuria
. Sasaki was discharged when the war ended shortly after in 1906, and soon married his first wife, Tomé, a fellow student of Sokatsu. The newlyweds followed Sokatsu to San Francisco, California
that year as part of a delegation of fourteen. The couple soon had their first child, Shintaro. In California with the hope of establishing a Zen
community, the group farmed strawberries in Hayward, California
with little success. Sasaki then studied painting under Richard Partington at the California Institute of Art, where he met Nyogen Senzaki
. By 1910 the delegation's Zen community had proven unsuccessful. All members of the original fourteen, with the exception of Sasaki, made return trips back to Japan
.
Sokei-an then moved to Oregon
without Tomé and Shintaro to work for a short while, being rejoined by them in Seattle Washington (where his wife gave birth to their second child, Seiko, a girl). In Seattle, Sasaki worked as a picture frame maker
and wrote various articles and essays for Japanese
publications such as Chuo Koron and Hokubei Shinpo. He traveled the Oregon
and Washington countrysides selling subscriptions to Hokubei Shinpo. His wife, who had become pregnant again, moved back to Japan
in 1913 to raise their children. Over the next few years he made a living doing various jobs, when in 1916 he moved to Greenwich Village
in Manhattan, New York. Sometime during this period he unsuccessfully tried to join the U.S. army. In New York he worked both as a janitor
and a translator for Maxwell Bodenheim
. He also began to write poetry
during his free time. He returned to Japan
in 1920 to continue his koan studies, first under Soyen Shaku
and then with Sokatsu. In 1922 he returned to the United States
and in 1924 or 1925 began giving talks on Buddhism
at the Orientalia Bookstore on E. 58th Street in New York City
, having received lay
teaching credentials from Sokatsu.http://www.firstzen.org/history.php In 1928 he received inka
from Sokatsu in Japan, the "final seal" of approval in the Rinzai school
. Then, on May 11, 1930, Sokei-an and some American students founded the Buddhist Society of America, subsequently incorporated in 1931, at 63 West 70th Street (originally with just four members). Here he offered sanzen
interviews and gave Dharma talks, also working on various translations of important Buddhist texts. He made part of his living by sculpting Buddhist images and repairing art for Tiffany's
.
In 1938 his future wife, Ruth Fuller Everett, began studying under him and received her Buddhist name (Eryu); her daughter, Eleanor, was then the wife of Alan Watts
(who also studied under Sokei-an that same year). In 1941 Ruth purchased an apartment at 124 E. 65th Street in New York City
, which also served as living quarters for Sokei-an and became the new home for the Buddhist Society of America (opened on December 6). Following the attack on Pearl Harbor
, Sokei-an was arrested by the FBI as an "enemy alien
" taken to Ellis Island
on June 15 and then interned at a camp in Fort Meade, Maryland
on October 2, 1942 (where he suffered from high blood pressure and several stroke
s).http://www.ralphmag.org/CO/the-lotus.html He was released from the internment camp on August 17, 1943 following the pleas of his students and returned to the Buddhist Society of America in New York City. In 1944 he divorced his wife in Little Rock, Arkansas
, with whom he had been separated for several years. Soon after, on July 10, 1944, Sokei-an married Ruth Fuller Sasaki in Hot Springs, Arkansas
. Sokei-an died on May 17, 1945 after years of bad health. His ashes are interred at Woodlawn Cemetery
in Bronx, New York. The Buddhist Society of America underwent a name change following his death in 1945, becoming the First Zen Institute of America.
, "an interview during which the teacher would set the student a koan"—and his Dharma talks were often delivered in the form of a teisho
. Interestingly, Sokei-an did not provide instruction in zazen
or hold sesshin
s at the Buddhist Society of America. His primary focus was on koans and sanzen
, relying on the Hakuin system. According to Mary Farkas
, "Sokei-an had no interest in reproducing the features of Japanese Zen monasticism, the strict and regimented training that aims at making people 'forget self.' In these establishments, individuality is stamped out, novices move together like a school of fish, their cross-legged position corrected with an ever-ready stick."
has said of Sokei-an, "I felt that he was basically on the same team as I; that he bridged the spiritual and the earthy, and that he was as humorously earthy as he was spiritually awakened." In his autobiography, Watts had this to say, "When he began to teach Zen he was still, as I understand, more the artist than the priest, but in the course of time he shaved his head and "sobered up." Yet not really. For Ruth was often apologizing for him and telling us not to take him too literally or too seriously when, for example, he would say that Zen is to realize that life is simply nonsense, without meaning other than itself or future purpose beyond itself. The trick was to dig the nonsense, for—as Tibetans say—you can tell the true yogi by his laugh." Zen master Dae Gak
has said, "Sokei-An has a good understanding of Western culture and this, combined with his enlightened perspective, is a trustworthy bridge from Zen in the East to Zen in the West. He finds that place where "East" and "West" no longer exist and articulates this wisdom brilliantly for all beings. A true bodhisattva."
These monks are not retiring from the world; they are trying to find quietude in their minds. This state is longed for by oriental students. They try frantically to find it. Occasionally they renounce their home, or separate from wife and children to pass their lives in such a quiet place. You could not dream of men like this until you meet them. They value highly their quiet way of life. They cannot see the value of the life we are in daily contact with, our present civilization, where men hold a cigar in the right hand and a glass of whiskey in the left hand, listen to music, watch dancing, and eat delicious food. We might say that these are the two extremes of human life.
Perhaps you will ask, what value is there in that quiet and aloof way of life. The monks would ask the same question of you. What value is there in passing your nights in a night club?" -- From a lecture Feb. 21, 1942.
I think the meaning of "his own mind" is not very clear to Western people. Western people think that mind, to be mind, must have something in it; if it has nothing in it, it is not mind. But consider the mind of an infant; he doesn't know the words papa or mama, he doesn't know his own existence, he doesn't know the outside world; nevertheless he has his own mind, pure and empty. We can discover that mind in this world through meditation. The attainment of this pure and empty mind is true samadhi. And this is Buddhism.
The Buddha practiced meditation for six years and succeeded in attaining this pure and empty mind. He did not call it God, or Mind either. He did not call it by any name. For him, Buddhism was very simple and very pure. Buddhism is like a piece of stone, or the head of a turnip. It is pure mind. If you prefer to call it soul, Buddhism is pure soul. Our teacher used to say to us when we practiced mediation: "Don't close your eyes; you will be bothered by your own thoughts. Don't keep your eyes open; you will be bothered by outside things. Keep your eyes partly closed and meditate upon your soul." This is Buddhism." -- From a lecture November 23, 1940.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Rinzai roshi
Roshi
is a Japanese honorific title used in Zen Buddhism that literally means "old teacher" or "elder master" and sometimes denotes a person who gives spiritual guidance to a Zen sangha or congregation...
who founded the Buddhist Society of America (now the First Zen Institute of America) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1930. Influential in the growth of Zen Buddhism in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Sokei-an was one of the first Japanese masters to live and teach in America. One of his better known students was Alan Watts
Alan Watts
Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. Born in Chislehurst, he moved to the United States in 1938 and began Zen training in New York...
, who studied under him briefly in the late 1930s. In June 1942 Sokei-an was arrested by the FBI, labeled an "enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
" and detained at an internment camp in Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,882 at the 2000 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, which is located on the US Army post Fort George G...
(suffering from high blood pressure and stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s while there). His students petitioned the government for his release, and he was finally released from custody in August 1943. His health in decline, he then married American Ruth Fuller Everett
Ruth Fuller Sasaki
Ruth Fuller Sasaki , born Ruth Fuller, was an important figure in the development of Buddhism in the United States. As Ruth Fuller Everett , she met and studied with Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki in Japan in 1930...
. He died in May 1945 without leaving behind a Dharma heir.
Biography
Sokei-an was born in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1882 as Yeita Sasaki. He was raised by his father, a Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priest, and his father's wife, though his birth mother was his father's concubine. Beginning at age four, his father taught him Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and soon had him reading Confucian texts. Following the death of his father when he was fifteen, he became an apprentice sculptor and came to study under Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's renowned Koun Takamura
Koun Takamura
was a Japanese sculptor.He created the bronze statue of Saigō Takamori, completed in 1898, which stands in Ueno Park in Tokyo.He was the father of the poet and sculptor Kōtarō Takamura.-References:* *...
at the Imperial Academy of Art in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. While in school he began his study of Rinzai Zen under Sokatsu Shaku, (a Dharma heir of Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States. He was a Roshi of the Rinzai school and was abbot of both Kencho-ji and Engaku-ji temples in Kamakura, Japan...
), graduating from the academy in 1905. Following graduation he was drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
by the Japanese Imperial Army and served briefly during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
on the border of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. Sasaki was discharged when the war ended shortly after in 1906, and soon married his first wife, Tomé, a fellow student of Sokatsu. The newlyweds followed Sokatsu to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
that year as part of a delegation of fourteen. The couple soon had their first child, Shintaro. In California with the hope of establishing a Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
community, the group farmed strawberries in Hayward, California
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
with little success. Sasaki then studied painting under Richard Partington at the California Institute of Art, where he met Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki was a Rinzai Zen monk who was one of the 20th century's leading proponents of Zen Buddhism in the United States.-Early life:...
. By 1910 the delegation's Zen community had proven unsuccessful. All members of the original fourteen, with the exception of Sasaki, made return trips back to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Sokei-an then moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
without Tomé and Shintaro to work for a short while, being rejoined by them in Seattle Washington (where his wife gave birth to their second child, Seiko, a girl). In Seattle, Sasaki worked as a picture frame maker
Picture frame
A picture frame is a decorative edging for a picture, such as a painting or photograph, intended to enhance it, make it easier to display, or protect it.-Construction:...
and wrote various articles and essays for Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
publications such as Chuo Koron and Hokubei Shinpo. He traveled the Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington countrysides selling subscriptions to Hokubei Shinpo. His wife, who had become pregnant again, moved back to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1913 to raise their children. Over the next few years he made a living doing various jobs, when in 1916 he moved to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in Manhattan, New York. Sometime during this period he unsuccessfully tried to join the U.S. army. In New York he worked both as a janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
and a translator for Maxwell Bodenheim
Maxwell Bodenheim
Maxwell Bodenheim was an American poet and novelist who was known as the King of Greenwich Village Bohemians. His writing brought him international fame during the Jazz Age of the 1920s.-Biography:...
. He also began to write poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
during his free time. He returned to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1920 to continue his koan studies, first under Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States. He was a Roshi of the Rinzai school and was abbot of both Kencho-ji and Engaku-ji temples in Kamakura, Japan...
and then with Sokatsu. In 1922 he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in 1924 or 1925 began giving talks on Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
at the Orientalia Bookstore on E. 58th Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, having received lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
teaching credentials from Sokatsu.http://www.firstzen.org/history.php In 1928 he received inka
Inka
, is a term used in Zen Buddhism to denote a high-level of certification, and literally means "the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof." In ancient times inka usually came in the form of an actual document, but this practice is no longer commonplace...
from Sokatsu in Japan, the "final seal" of approval in the Rinzai school
Rinzai school
The Rinzai school is , one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.Rinzai is the Japanese line of the Chinese Linji school, which was founded during the Tang Dynasty by Linji Yixuan...
. Then, on May 11, 1930, Sokei-an and some American students founded the Buddhist Society of America, subsequently incorporated in 1931, at 63 West 70th Street (originally with just four members). Here he offered sanzen
Sanzen
, aka , means going to a Zen master for instruction. In the Rinzai school, it has the same meaning as dokusan, which is specifically a private interview between student and master, often centering around the student's grasp of an assigned koan...
interviews and gave Dharma talks, also working on various translations of important Buddhist texts. He made part of his living by sculpting Buddhist images and repairing art for Tiffany's
Tiffany's
Tiffany's Restaurants, Inc. is a restaurant chain with 6 locations in New Jersey. Its flagship location was opened at Union, New Jersey in 1982 as Tiffany Gardens.-Reviews:...
.
In 1938 his future wife, Ruth Fuller Everett, began studying under him and received her Buddhist name (Eryu); her daughter, Eleanor, was then the wife of Alan Watts
Alan Watts
Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. Born in Chislehurst, he moved to the United States in 1938 and began Zen training in New York...
(who also studied under Sokei-an that same year). In 1941 Ruth purchased an apartment at 124 E. 65th Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which also served as living quarters for Sokei-an and became the new home for the Buddhist Society of America (opened on December 6). Following the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Sokei-an was arrested by the FBI as an "enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
" taken to Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
on June 15 and then interned at a camp in Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,882 at the 2000 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, which is located on the US Army post Fort George G...
on October 2, 1942 (where he suffered from high blood pressure and several stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s).http://www.ralphmag.org/CO/the-lotus.html He was released from the internment camp on August 17, 1943 following the pleas of his students and returned to the Buddhist Society of America in New York City. In 1944 he divorced his wife in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, with whom he had been separated for several years. Soon after, on July 10, 1944, Sokei-an married Ruth Fuller Sasaki in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. Sokei-an died on May 17, 1945 after years of bad health. His ashes are interred at Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
in Bronx, New York. The Buddhist Society of America underwent a name change following his death in 1945, becoming the First Zen Institute of America.
Teaching style
Sokei-an's primary way of teaching Zen Buddhism was by means of sanzenSanzen
, aka , means going to a Zen master for instruction. In the Rinzai school, it has the same meaning as dokusan, which is specifically a private interview between student and master, often centering around the student's grasp of an assigned koan...
, "an interview during which the teacher would set the student a koan"—and his Dharma talks were often delivered in the form of a teisho
Teisho
Teisho may refer to:Karate kata* Teisho , created by Katsuya Miyahira and studied by practitioners of Shorin-ryū Shidō-kan Okinawan KarateDJ / Producer* DJ Teisho, Navajo DJ / Producer residing in Terminology...
. Interestingly, Sokei-an did not provide instruction in zazen
Zazen
In Zen Buddhism, zazen is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind, and be able to concentrate enough to experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment .- Significance :Zazen is considered the heart of Zen Buddhist practice...
or hold sesshin
Sesshin
A sesshin , literally "touching the heart-mind" , is a period of intensive meditation in a Zen monastery....
s at the Buddhist Society of America. His primary focus was on koans and sanzen
Sanzen
, aka , means going to a Zen master for instruction. In the Rinzai school, it has the same meaning as dokusan, which is specifically a private interview between student and master, often centering around the student's grasp of an assigned koan...
, relying on the Hakuin system. According to Mary Farkas
Mary Farkas
Mary Farkas was the director of the First Zen Institute of America , running the center's administrative functions for many years following the death of her teacher in 1945...
, "Sokei-an had no interest in reproducing the features of Japanese Zen monasticism, the strict and regimented training that aims at making people 'forget self.' In these establishments, individuality is stamped out, novices move together like a school of fish, their cross-legged position corrected with an ever-ready stick."
Miscellaneous
Dwight Goddard (author of "A Buddhist Bible") has described Sokei-an as, "being from the autocratic and blunt 'old school' of Zen masters." According to writer Robert Lopez, "Sokei-an lectured on Zen and Buddhism in English. But he communicated the essence of the Buddha’s teaching and in his daily life by his presence alone, in silence, and in a radiance achieved through, as he once said, 'nature’s orders.'" Alan WattsAlan Watts
Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. Born in Chislehurst, he moved to the United States in 1938 and began Zen training in New York...
has said of Sokei-an, "I felt that he was basically on the same team as I; that he bridged the spiritual and the earthy, and that he was as humorously earthy as he was spiritually awakened." In his autobiography, Watts had this to say, "When he began to teach Zen he was still, as I understand, more the artist than the priest, but in the course of time he shaved his head and "sobered up." Yet not really. For Ruth was often apologizing for him and telling us not to take him too literally or too seriously when, for example, he would say that Zen is to realize that life is simply nonsense, without meaning other than itself or future purpose beyond itself. The trick was to dig the nonsense, for—as Tibetans say—you can tell the true yogi by his laugh." Zen master Dae Gak
Dae Gak
Dae Gak , born Robert Genthner, is a Zen master and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain in Clay City, Kentucky, a Korean Buddhist temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with Seung Sahn . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is...
has said, "Sokei-An has a good understanding of Western culture and this, combined with his enlightened perspective, is a trustworthy bridge from Zen in the East to Zen in the West. He finds that place where "East" and "West" no longer exist and articulates this wisdom brilliantly for all beings. A true bodhisattva."
Sokei-an on The Quiet Life
"Perhaps you cannot imaging such a practice as that which has been current among my people. In China or Japan, monasteries are built on a mountain top or on the edge of a cliff. From there you can see a thousand miles before your eyes. In winter, when the valley is covered with snow, you feel you are in a world of silver. No color is before your eyes. In the valley it is so quiet. In the daytime when the monks are meditating, if there is any sound in the temple it will be only that of a mouse or a rat.These monks are not retiring from the world; they are trying to find quietude in their minds. This state is longed for by oriental students. They try frantically to find it. Occasionally they renounce their home, or separate from wife and children to pass their lives in such a quiet place. You could not dream of men like this until you meet them. They value highly their quiet way of life. They cannot see the value of the life we are in daily contact with, our present civilization, where men hold a cigar in the right hand and a glass of whiskey in the left hand, listen to music, watch dancing, and eat delicious food. We might say that these are the two extremes of human life.
Perhaps you will ask, what value is there in that quiet and aloof way of life. The monks would ask the same question of you. What value is there in passing your nights in a night club?" -- From a lecture Feb. 21, 1942.
Sokei-an on Meditation
"The Buddha founded his religion upon Samadhi. His object of meditation was his own mind. He did not meditate upon any external object, upon thoughts, or words, or ideas. He meditated simply upon mind—mind from which had been extracted every thought, every image, every concept. He paid no attention either to the outside or to the inside; he meditated upon his own mind. Perhaps we should say mind meditated upon itself, for, in true Buddhist meditation, mind by itself is the meditator and at the same time the object of the meditator's meditation.I think the meaning of "his own mind" is not very clear to Western people. Western people think that mind, to be mind, must have something in it; if it has nothing in it, it is not mind. But consider the mind of an infant; he doesn't know the words papa or mama, he doesn't know his own existence, he doesn't know the outside world; nevertheless he has his own mind, pure and empty. We can discover that mind in this world through meditation. The attainment of this pure and empty mind is true samadhi. And this is Buddhism.
The Buddha practiced meditation for six years and succeeded in attaining this pure and empty mind. He did not call it God, or Mind either. He did not call it by any name. For him, Buddhism was very simple and very pure. Buddhism is like a piece of stone, or the head of a turnip. It is pure mind. If you prefer to call it soul, Buddhism is pure soul. Our teacher used to say to us when we practiced mediation: "Don't close your eyes; you will be bothered by your own thoughts. Don't keep your eyes open; you will be bothered by outside things. Keep your eyes partly closed and meditate upon your soul." This is Buddhism." -- From a lecture November 23, 1940.
Trivia
- The poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Gary SnyderGary SnyderGary Snyder is an American poet , as well as an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist . Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry...
wrote a passage on Sokei-an in his poem Night Highway Ninety-Nine.
See also
- Buddhism in the United StatesBuddhism in the United StatesBuddhism is one of the largest religions in the United States behind Christianity, Judaism and Nonreligious, and approximate with Islam and Hinduism. American Buddhists include many Asian Americans, as well as a large number of converts of other ethnicities, and now their children and even...
- List of Rinzai Buddhists
- Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesTimeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesBelow is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.-Early history:* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago...