This is the most complete rundown of the critical parameters of Buddhism’s arrival in America that I have ever seen, and the only one that is better than what’s written in Chinese. It’s a pity that it’s one continuous undifferentiated screed. I’m seriously thinking of ripping it, organizing it into paragraphs, and linking it to the exant organizations. I think some people call that kind of thing “editing.” Here is an example of an historical epitome which might take years of constant interaction to milk out of the members of the Sangha under discussion if you tried to get it by talking to them:
…Robert Aitken is another important American member of Sanbo Kyodan. He was first introduced to Zen as a prisoner in Japan during the Second World War. After returning to the United States, he began studying with Nyogen Senzaki in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. In 1959, while still a Zen student himself, he founded the Diamond Sangha, a zendo in Honolulu, Hawaii. Three years later, the Diamond Sangha hosted the first U.S. visit by Yasutani Hakuun, who would visit various locations in the U.S. six more times before 1969. Aitken travelled frequently to Japan and became a disciple of Yamada Koun, Yasutanis successor as head of the Sanbo Kyodan. Aitken became a dharma heir of Yamadas, authored more than ten books, and developed the Diamond Sangha into an international network with temples in the United States, Argentina, Germany, and Australia. In 1995, he and his organization split with Sanbo Kyodan in response to reorganization of the latter following Yamadas death.
The interior of the dojo at Diamond Sangha, Palolo Valley, O’ahu, Hawaii
I’ve visited and practiced briefly with the Diamond Sangha. It’s not that they’re secretive or that they don’t know their history. It’s that there’s a certain cognitive style involved in this kind of group; they just have a real problem saying three or more declarative sentences in a row on purpose. It just isn’t Zen to them. It’s different if someone gets fed up with the pregnant silence and the cryptic utterances, and starts venting, gushing, etc. That can happen. True, it’s deplored, but it happens. But the orderly discussion of a large body of complex information? Sorry, it just isn’t Zen.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
