Page Text: sutras
Although this page is called "critical Zen" and includes many essays and articles critical of Zen practices, history and ethics, it also includes essays on "engaged Buddhism" ; however, I am not inferring that "engaged Buddhism" is in any way criticizing Zen Buddhism.Essays are listed alphabetically by author. Questions, broken links, suggestions, etc, please
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Dr Sandra Bell: Scandals in Emerging Western Buddhism Bell briefly outlines two well-known scandals that have hit two Buddhist centers — the San Francisco Zen Center and Chogyam Trungpa's Vajradhatu center. from Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia
by Charles S. Prebish and Martin Baumann (2002)
Jason C. Bivins: "Beautiful Women Dig Graves": Richard Baker-roshi, Imported Buddhism, and the Transmission of Ethics at the San Francisco Zen Center Bivins re-visited the well-documented case of Richard Baker-roshi's misbehaviour at the San Francisco Zen Center and proffers the theory that American Zen has not adopted Zen ethics within its practice. from Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation, Vol. 17, Issue 1
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
Dharmachāri Nāgapriya: Poisoned Pen Letters? D.T. Suzuki's Communication of Zen to the West ; a scathing look at Suzuki's Zen teachings. Nāgapriya sees Suzuki's teachings as "both highly sectarian and fatally flawed". Suzuki's reputation has been under considerable attach in the past decade or so. You'll find other articles on this page re-evaluating Suzuki's contribution to Zen Buddhism. original source: Western Buddhist Review, Vol 5
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.
Peter N Gregory: Is Critical Buddhism Really Critical? While Gregory sees value in Matsumoto and Hakamaya's critique of thathagata-garbha and hongaku shiso, original enlightenment, he questions whether any search of "original" or "true" Buddhism is a fruitful exercise. see also Why They Say Zen is Not Buddhism: Recent Japanese Critiques of Buddha-Nature by Paul Swanson which summarises Matsumoto and Hakamaya's argument.
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.
Christopher Hamacher: "Zen Has No Morals!" - The Latent Potential for Corruption and Abuse in The two cases referred to in the title are the Eido Shimano scandal and the German Zen teacher, Dr. Klaus Zernickow (Sotetsu Yuzen). Hamacher reviews the two cases and then goes on to catagorise eight behaviours he believes indicate problems with teachers and are warning signs for students. see also: Gregory Wonderwheel: A Response to 'Zen Has No Morals' and The Aitken-Shimano Letters by Vladimir K. and Stuart Lachs
Steven Heine:
After the Storm: Matsumoto Shirõ's Transition from "Critical Buddhism" to "Critical Theology" Although nominally a review of Matsumoto Shirō’s Dōgen shisō ron (Studies of Dōgen’s thought)Heine covers much more ground, giving a good outline of the Critical Buddhism debate and history. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 2001 28/1–2
Role of Repentance--or lack of it--in Zen Monasticism Mysticism, morality and repentance in Zen.
Critical Buddhism the Debate Concerning the 75-fascicle and 12-fascicle Shōbōgenzō Texts Heine evaluates the views of Critical Buddhsim on how the two Shobogenzo texts illuminate Dogen's perspectives on original enlightenment thought in terms of his attitude to causality and karmic retribution. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1994 24/1
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
Stephen Jenkins: Making Merit through Warfare and Torture According to theAccording to the Ārya-Bodhisattva-gocara-upāyavisaya-vikurvana-nirdeśa Sūtra Jenkins looks at what religious resources Buddhist kings had at their disposal to dispense punishment to wrong-doers — a situation at odds with the pacifist stereotypes of Buddhism. from: Buddhist Warfare
by Michael Jerryson and Mark Juergensmeyer, Oxford University Press, (USA), 2010
see also:
Michael Zimmerman: Only a Fool Becomes a King: Buddhist Stances on Punishment
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)
Kubota Ji'un: Apology for What the Founder of the Sanbo Kyodan, Yasutani Haku'un Roshi, Said and Did During World War II : the 3rd abbot of the Sanbô Kyôdan Zen sect offers his apologies. You be the judge.
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.
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.
letter to Richard Rudin , President of Board of Directors, Zen Studies Society, 1995, by eight American Zen masters regarding Eido Shimano Roshi
Mark Oppenheimer: a lengthy excerpt from his ebook, The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side has been added to The Aitken_Shimano Letters essay.
Zen and War: a film review by Vladimir K. This is a film review of Alexander Oey's, 2009 Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation of the Netherlands documentary which asks a number of Zen teachers about Japanese Zen Buddhism's support of the Asia-Pacific War. This is an ajunct to Brian Victoria's work on exposing Japanese Zen Buddhism's support for war.
Stuart Lachs:
Tibetan Buddhism Enters the 21st Century:
Trouble in Shangri-la: Stuart moves from looking at Zen Buddhism to Tibetan Buddhism. In this paper he outlines some of the abuses of the Tibetan system. "For followers of Tibetan Buddhism in the West at least, the day-to-day results have been the same as that of the Zen sect of Buddhism. In the Tibetan case, students’ absolute submission to the teacher has led to some teachers amassing extravagant wealth, and almost always to wild sexual abuse, arguably even more extreme than in Zen Buddhist communities." (this link will take you off thezensite page)
For Whose Best Interest : Joshu Sasaki (April 1, 1907 – July 27, 2014) was one of the leading Zen teachers in America. But all was not as it seemed. "Sasaki initiated sexual encounters with between 100 and 300 female students.The women, often in their early twenties, were searching for direction and meaning in their lives, naïve about Zen teachings, history and Zen masters while Sasaki was presented as a mature, enlightened Zen master beyond their understanding. "
When the Saints Go Marching In: Modern Day Zen Hagiography: Stuart looks at two biographies of contemporary Zen masters, Sheng Yen and Walter Nowick. Stuart has personal knowledge of both masters and discovered that hagiography is alive and well in modern Zen biographies.
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.