thezensite:essays critical of Zen

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

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.

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.

Sueki Fumihiko: A Reexamination of Critical Buddhism This is a good introduction to the topic.

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.

Steven Heine Role of Repentance--or lack of it--in Zen Monasticism Mysticism, morality and repentance in Zen.

Nam-lin 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

Christopher Ives : Ethical Pitfalls in Imperial Zen and Nishida Philosophy Ives looks at how Zen was used to justify war.

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)

Kirita Kiyohide: D.T. Suzuki on Society and the State Kyohide attempts to clarify the famous scholar's attitudes to society and the state and Zen, war, the Japanese and national policies.

Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede: Roshi and His Teachers, Dharma Transmission, and the Rochester Zen Center Lineage a teisho on Dharma transmission and Philip Kapleau's break with Yasutani-roshi. Good talk; pertinent to Lachs' papers below..

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.

Jiun Kubota, who calls himself The 3rd Patriarch of the Religious Foundation Sanbo-kyodan offers an apology for Haku'un Yasutani Roshi's support of WWII and his anti-semitism.

Stuart Lachs: Coming Down from the Zen Clouds A Critique of the Current State of American Zen: this is quite a controversial article dealing with Dharma transmission in Western Zen. Well worth reading, as is Means of Authorization: Establishing Hierarchy in Ch'an/Zen Buddhism in America

My own reply to this article is here.

Stuart replies to my critique here.

Richard Baker and the Myth of the Zen Roshi: Lachs continues his criticism of Western Zen. You may not agree with everything Lachs says, but he does make some valid points. All his articles are worth reading and discussing, especially in Western sanghas.

David Loy: Can Buddhism Save the World? A Response to Nelson Foster A response to Nelson Foster's essay How Shall We Save the World? from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Dan Lusthaus: Critical Buddhism and Returning to the Sources. Lusthaus examines some of the factors leading to, what he believes, is the inevitability of 20thC Critical Buddhism movement.

Daniel Palmer: Maseo Abe, Zen Buddhism and Social Ethics. Do Zen's ideas of karma, nirvana and sunyata undermine the possibility of social critique by Buddhists? Palmer looks at how Kyoto School philosopher Maseo Abe interpreted these three fundamentals to enable social action by Zennists. Excellent essay.

John Peek: Buddhism, Human Rights and the Japanese State: Peek looks at some core Buddhist teachings and relates them to "the proper nature of political, economic, and societal relationships". An interesting essay justifying political/social Buddhist activism. from Human Rights Quarterly 17.3 (1995)

Mike Port & Kyogen Carlson-Sensei: The Role of Authority in Dharma Practice: two short essays here from Still Point, the publication of the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon. "The question of authority, particularly in something that sounds as intimidating as the "Master-Disciple relationship," bears very close examination."

Patricia Sherwood: Buddhist Contribution to Social Welfare in Australia. The article "outlines the contribution of Buddhist organizations in Australia to education and social welfare. It is argued that ... Buddhist organizations in Australia, ... have always been concerned with social welfare and education issues." from Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 8, 2001

Robert H. Sharf: Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited After briefly outlining traditional monastic Zen, Sharf looks at modern Zen, including some scathing comments about D.T. Suzuki. from: Rude Awakenings: Zen the Kyoto School, and the Question of Nationalism, James W. Heisig and John C. Maraldo, eds., pp. 40–51. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

Sanbõkyõdan: Zen and the Way of the New Religions. A discussion of Yasutani's Sanbokyodan sect which "diverges markedly from more traditional models found in Sõtõ, Rinzai, or Õbaku training halls. In fact, the Sanbõkyõdan displays many characteristic traits of the so-called New Religions." Sharf concludes by arguing "that there is an overtly ideological dimension to the rubric of "old" versus "new." From the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

The Zen of Japanese Nationalism: a long essay covering much of the same material as the two above but in considerably more detail. Essential reading.

On the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Things (or: How to Think about a Ch'an Kung-an) Sharf looks at the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Things philosophy and claims, "not only were Ch'an masters active and passionate participants in this quintessentially discursive controversy, but, as we will see, the BNI doctrine was the immediate context for the most famous kung-an of all, "Chao-chou's dog."

Yamada Shoji: The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery Shoji takes a critical look at Eugen Herrigal's Zen in the Art of Archery. Includes a brief look at Japanese archery and Herrigal's teacher, Awa Kenzo. Herrigel may have totally misunderstood his archery teacher but he did create an enduring myth. from: Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 12/1_2

Paul Swanson: The What & Why of Critical Buddhism, Part 1; Why They Say Zen is Not Buddhism: Recent Japanese Critiques of Buddha-Nature Swanson discusses the attacks by modern Japanese scholars on the tradition of hongaku shiso, "original enlightenment", and its significance for Japanese society and religion. original source here

Brian Daizen Victoria: Engaged Buddhism: a Skeleton in the Closet? Victoria continues his probing of Japanese Buddhist masters during WWII, pointing out that some "heros of the faith" were not what they seemed. Specifically, Victoria looks at the Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii, Soka Gakkai founder Tsunesabur‘ Makiguchi and Zen master Haku'un Yasutani.
from Journal of Global Buddhism, Vol 2, 2001 (see also book reviews of Victoria's Zen at War)

Thomas Freeman Yarnall: Engaged Buddhism: New and Improved!(?) Made in the U. S. A. of Asian Materials In this very long (nearly 25,000 words) essay Yarnall examines the argument between "modernist" engaged Buddhists who see a discontinuity with historical Buddhism and "traditionalists" who believe socially engaged Buddhism is grounded historically within Buddhism. A long detailed exposition well worth the effort. from Journal of Buddhist Ethics 7(2000)