Blanche Hartman
Encyclopedia
Zenkei Blanche Hartman is a Soto Zen teacher practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki
. From 1996 to 2002 she served two terms as co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center
. She was the first woman to assume such a leadership position at the center. Blanche Hartman is now living in retirement at Zen Center's City Center. A member of the American Zen Teachers Association
who continues to lead sesshin
, Blanche is especially known for her expertise in the ancient ritual of sewing a kesa
. Hartman has become known for her attention to issues women face, and as of 2011 she and her late husband Lou Hartman had four children, eight grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren.
to non-practicing Jewish parents in 1926. Educated in the Catholic school system in the early 1930s—and impressed with the religiosity and faith of one teacher—in 1943 she moved to California
, where her father served in the military. After taking up biochemistry
and chemistry
at the University of California
she married Lou Hartman in 1947, giving birth to four children. In the late 1950s she found work as a chemist, though by 1968 she began questioning the direction of her life. She and her husband began sitting zazen
regularly at the Berkeley Zen Center
in Berkeley, California
in 1969, and in 1972 the two entered Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
. The couple has lived (and continues to live) at all of the other San Francisco Zen Center
sites, including City Center and Green Gulch Farm. She and her husband were both ordained as priests by Zentatsu Richard Baker
in 1977, and Blanche was given the Buddhist name Zenkei (meaning inconceivable joy). In 1988 she received shiho
from Sojun Mel Weitsman, and in 1996 she became installed as co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center. This was the first female abbess of the City Center, having served just after Tenshin Reb Anderson and Sojun Mel Weitsman. One reason Blanche accepted the position of co-abbess, serving two terms from 1996 to 2002, is that she understood the need for women to have a role model.
, "...Hartman is seen as a quiet and yet compelling leader exercising her authority through her simple and pure presence, a true heir to Suzuki's Dharma." She is known to be particularly involved with advocacy for women and her concern for children, with the The Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America stating that, "[She] has offered various special teachings for women. In 1992 she led an all-female practice period at Rinso-in, Suzuki-roshi's home temple. This is the first time in the 500-year history of the temple that women have conducted a training period there. She has also led women's all-day retreats at Green Gulch Zen Center in Mill Valley, California
. Additionally, she has honored lost and aborted children by performing a ceremony attended by grieving women centering on Jizo Bosatsu, the bodhisattva whom Japanese Buddhists revere as a savior of souls from the hells and a protector of children." Author Sandy Boucher
writes, "She is most interested in the practice of lovingkindness and compassion, taught in a traditional setting and style." Blanche is also interested in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute
.
Shunryu Suzuki
Shunryu Suzuki was a Sōtō Zen roshi who popularized Zen Buddhism in the United States, particularly around San Francisco. Born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, Suzuki was occasionally mistaken for the Zen scholar D.T...
. From 1996 to 2002 she served two terms as co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center , is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising the City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. The sangha was incorporated by Shunryu...
. She was the first woman to assume such a leadership position at the center. Blanche Hartman is now living in retirement at Zen Center's City Center. A member of the American Zen Teachers Association
American Zen Teachers Association
The American Zen Teachers Association was founded in the late 1980s as the Second Generation Zen Teachers Group. It is a peer-group organization of ordained and lay Zen Buddhist teachers, all of whom have received either teaching authorization or dharma transmission from the mostly Asian Zen...
who continues to lead sesshin
Sesshin
A sesshin , literally "touching the heart-mind" , is a period of intensive meditation in a Zen monastery....
, Blanche is especially known for her expertise in the ancient ritual of sewing a kesa
KESA
Kesa Electricals plc is a major British-based French multinational consumer electronics and household appliance retailing group. It is the third largest electrical group in Europe. It is dual-listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext and is a member of the FTSE 250 index.-History:The...
. Hartman has become known for her attention to issues women face, and as of 2011 she and her late husband Lou Hartman had four children, eight grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren.
Biography
Blanche Hartman was born in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
to non-practicing Jewish parents in 1926. Educated in the Catholic school system in the early 1930s—and impressed with the religiosity and faith of one teacher—in 1943 she moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where her father served in the military. After taking up biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
she married Lou Hartman in 1947, giving birth to four children. In the late 1950s she found work as a chemist, though by 1968 she began questioning the direction of her life. She and her husband began sitting 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...
regularly at the Berkeley Zen Center
Berkeley Zen Center
Berkeley Zen Center , temple name , is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist practice center located in Berkeley, California led by Sojun Mel Weitsman. An informal affiliate to the San Francisco Zen Center , BZC was originally founded in 1967 by Weitsman and Shunryu Suzuki as a satellite group for the SFZC...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in 1969, and in 1972 the two entered Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
-External links:*...
. The couple has lived (and continues to live) at all of the other San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center , is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising the City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. The sangha was incorporated by Shunryu...
sites, including City Center and Green Gulch Farm. She and her husband were both ordained as priests by Zentatsu Richard Baker
Zentatsu Richard Baker
Zentatsu Richard Baker , born Richard Dudley Baker, is an American Soto Zen master , the founder and guiding teacher of Dharma Sangha—which consists of Crestone Mountain Zen Center located in Crestone, Colorado and the Buddhistisches Studienzentrum in Germany's Black Forest...
in 1977, and Blanche was given the Buddhist name Zenkei (meaning inconceivable joy). In 1988 she received shiho
Shiho
refers to a series of ceremonies in Sōtō Zen Buddhism wherein which a priest receives full transmission, inheriting the Dharma from his/her master and becoming empowered to transmit the precepts and lineage to others. A shiho ceremony can last anywhere from one to three weeks, with the final...
from Sojun Mel Weitsman, and in 1996 she became installed as co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center. This was the first female abbess of the City Center, having served just after Tenshin Reb Anderson and Sojun Mel Weitsman. One reason Blanche accepted the position of co-abbess, serving two terms from 1996 to 2002, is that she understood the need for women to have a role model.
Character
According to author James Ishmael FordJames Ishmael Ford
James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948...
, "...Hartman is seen as a quiet and yet compelling leader exercising her authority through her simple and pure presence, a true heir to Suzuki's Dharma." She is known to be particularly involved with advocacy for women and her concern for children, with the The Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America stating that, "[She] has offered various special teachings for women. In 1992 she led an all-female practice period at Rinso-in, Suzuki-roshi's home temple. This is the first time in the 500-year history of the temple that women have conducted a training period there. She has also led women's all-day retreats at Green Gulch Zen Center in Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
. Additionally, she has honored lost and aborted children by performing a ceremony attended by grieving women centering on Jizo Bosatsu, the bodhisattva whom Japanese Buddhists revere as a savior of souls from the hells and a protector of children." Author Sandy Boucher
Sandy Boucher
Sandy Boucher is an American author, Buddhist and feminist. She lives in Oakland, California.-Works:*Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism, Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. ISBN 006250097X...
writes, "She is most interested in the practice of lovingkindness and compassion, taught in a traditional setting and style." Blanche is also interested in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute
The Elijah Interfaith Institute
The Elijah Interfaith Institute is a nonprofit, international, interfaith organization which was founded by Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein in 1997. Its mission is to foster peace between the world's diverse faith communities through interfaith dialogue, education, research and dissemination...
.