Sanbo Kyodan
Encyclopedia
Sanbo Kyodan is a Zen
sect derived from both the Rinzai and Soto
traditions of Japanese Zen.
, who studied with Rinzai priests. Both Harada Roshi and Yasutani Roshi were strong promoters of Zen practice for people of other (Non-Buddhist, Non-Asian)faith communities and cultures. Their influence has been largely responsible for the fluorishing of Zen practice and teachings in North America and Europe in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century.
(author of the landmark guide to Zen practice "The Three Pillars of Zen") trained under both Harada Roshi and Yasutani Roshi at their monastery in Kamakura, Japan in the 1950's and 1960's.
Another influential student was Taizan Maezumi
, who gave dharma transmission to various Americam students, among who are Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
, Dennis Genpo Merzel
, Charlotte Joko Beck and John Daido Loori
.
In Europe the Sanbo Kyodan has been influential via Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle
, and via students of Dennis Genpo Merzel, especially in the Netherlands.
Sanbo Kyodan was also connected to the Soen Nakagawa
-Eido Tai Shimano
lineage, due to a personal fondness of soen for the teaching practices of Harada roshi.
led to a public apology by Kubota Ji'un, the 3rd Abbot of Sanbô Kyôdan.
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...
sect derived from both the Rinzai and Soto
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
traditions of Japanese Zen.
History
Sanbo Kyodan was founded by Yasutani Haku'un in 1954. It is rooted in the thinking of Harada Daiun SogakuHarada Daiun Sogaku
Daiun Sogaku Harada Rōshi was a Sōtō Zen monk who trained under both Soto and Rinzai teachers and became known for his teaching combining methods from both schools.- Biography :...
, who studied with Rinzai priests. Both Harada Roshi and Yasutani Roshi were strong promoters of Zen practice for people of other (Non-Buddhist, Non-Asian)faith communities and cultures. Their influence has been largely responsible for the fluorishing of Zen practice and teachings in North America and Europe in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century.
Influence
Perhaps the best-known adherent of Zen in the United States, Roshi Philip KapleauPhilip Kapleau
Philip Kapleau was a teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Sōtō and Rinzai schools.-Early life:...
(author of the landmark guide to Zen practice "The Three Pillars of Zen") trained under both Harada Roshi and Yasutani Roshi at their monastery in Kamakura, Japan in the 1950's and 1960's.
Another influential student was Taizan Maezumi
Taizan Maezumi
Hakuyū Taizan Maezumi was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and rōshi, and lineage holder in the Sōtō, Rinzai and Harada-Yasutani traditions of Zen. He combined the Rinzai use of koans and the Sōtō emphasis on shikantaza in his teachings, influenced by his years studying under Hakuun Yasutani in the...
, who gave dharma transmission to various Americam students, among who are Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
Bernie Glassman , aka Tetsugen Bernard Glassman, is an American Zen Buddhist roshi and co-founder of the Zen Peacemakers , an organization established in 1996 with his late wife Sandra Jishu Holmes...
, Dennis Genpo Merzel
Dennis Genpo Merzel
Dennis Merzel is an American Zen and spirituality teacher, also known as Genpo Merzel Roshi. He was a student and is heir of the Japanese-born Zen teacher Taizan Maezumi. Merzel obtained a Master's degree in educational administration from the University of Southern California and went on to...
, Charlotte Joko Beck and John Daido Loori
John Daido Loori
John Daido Loori was a Zen Buddhist rōshi who served as the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery and was the founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order and CEO of Dharma Communications. Daido Loori received shiho from Taizan Maezumi in 1986 and also received a dendokyoshi certificate formally from the...
.
In Europe the Sanbo Kyodan has been influential via Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle
Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle
Aiun-ken Hugo Makibi Enomiya-Lassalle was a German Jesuit priest and one of the foremost teachers to embrace both Roman Catholic Christianity and Zen Buddhism.Enomiya-Lassalle joined the Society of Jesus on the 25 april 1919...
, and via students of Dennis Genpo Merzel, especially in the Netherlands.
Sanbo Kyodan was also connected to the Soen Nakagawa
Soen Nakagawa
Soen Nakagawa was a Taiwanese-born Japanese rōshi and Zen Buddhist master in the Rinzai tradition...
-Eido Tai Shimano
Eido Tai Shimano
is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist roshi. He was the founding abbot of the New York Zendo Shobo-Ji in Manhattan and Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji monastery in the Catskill mountains of New York; he retired from that position after 40 years amid controversy.-Biography:...
lineage, due to a personal fondness of soen for the teaching practices of Harada roshi.
Controversy over Yasutani Roshi's views on Japanese imperialism during WWII
Yasutani's support for the Japanese military's aggression against other Asian countries, most of which are Buddhist, has been critizised after World War II. The publication of Brian Victoria's Zen at WarZen at War
Zen at War is a book written by Brian Daizen Victoria, first published in 1997. The second edition appeared in 2006. The book focuses on the history of Zen Buddhism and Japanese militarism from the time of the Meiji Restoration through the Second World War and the post-War period...
led to a public apology by Kubota Ji'un, the 3rd Abbot of Sanbô Kyôdan.
Further reading
- Philip Kapleau, The Tree Pillars of Zen
- Peter Matthissen, Nine-headed Dragon River
- Brian Daizen Victoria (2006), Zen at war. Lanham e.a.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (Second Edition)