Zen Practice/Ordinary Life

Being an Asian American dharma transmitted priest:

Part 1, July 29, 2022: I am sometimes asked about this. And I always start an answer by saying one needs to understand that individual experiences are shaped within society. Society includes, of course, the context of a racial politics/formation/dynamic. That historical and contemporary context is that Asian Americans are often overlooked and misunderstood. Saying it aloud to others seems not find its way in. Deeply. And, it is an odd position to be Japanese American in a practice community that practices a Japan-derived sect of zen.

I recently officiated my nephew’s marriage ceremony. There were several people in attendance who know about Buddhism because they are members of temples. But their temples are primarily Japanese American community-based sanghas… so, its different than my training community. They felt, in essence, the presence of practice. To me that matters more than the words.

As Maya Angelou once noted, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The world of conversations about difference….

I think in historical terms. The long duree. Or, at least in terms of decades. This has been an emerging conversation since Angel Kyodo’s first book, Being Black came out in 2004. Of course, the content for a conversation has been there a long time before 2004. The conversations, while well-intentioned, have been, hmmm, shall we say clumsy? Some would say the convos and work within white sanghas has been beset by racist incidents, poor management, and a lot of hurt. True. AND, I hope there is a recuperative place, particularly for POC. I know this is true… because thats been my personal experience in conversations with zen students.

We know less than we think we do…. about how to manage the organizations and the interpersonal dynamics. Listen. Listen Listen.

Sitting still and listening.

Being a zen teacher

Shiho—to receive and give again. <— that’s my sound bite. Just because I received transmission…does not make me special. It is a promise to go deeper. That is KT’s faith in me, that I would go deeper. Beyond that, I’m not sure there are huge expectations. This is a long road… I am far from perfect. I like to say that bc I sometimes see others embrace the teachings but seem not very good at embracing their own humanity, their foibles, the conditions of their lives. During her talks, it was when Katherine went a little off script, told a story about her own reactivity or pain, I perked up and paid attention. When she transmitted her human-ness, it moved me to stay, to practice, to be her student.

I am prefer to be side by side with people. Sure, words are important. But …..hearing the words you should understand the source.

February 2023. Can you leave something, someone, some organization … be humble about what is possible.