Dan Rather Koans

Tonight's the last night for Mr. Rather. Things to ponder with Big Mind:

[Collected Sayings, compiled by John Maynard, of the Washington Post]

November 2000: "We've lived by the crystal ball and learned to eat so much broken glass tonight that we're in critical condition."

November 2004: "We don't know what to do. We don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon."

Quote of the Day...

"Of course there is no formula for success, except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings." -- Arthur Rubinstein

Whither Catholic Zen?...

Ann Arbor, MI's St. Blase Church's Illumination Lenten Peace Series hosts a talk by a practitioner of the Zen Buddhist Temple, and as I read about the talk, I think of a recent piece a friend shared that challenges the assumption that there might be a fruitful exchange between Roman Catholicism and Buddhism. (Full disclosure: I write this with a background of 15 years of Catholic education...) Reading this piece provides a very illuminating moment of ignorance. I can only experience the need to disagree and admit that I lack the scholarly background -- or subtly of insight -- to challenge the co-authors on their own terms. The Jesuit priest and author they quote, Robert Kennedy, S.J. -- Kennedy Roshi -- led the first sesshin I attended and is the teacher of my teacher. The sesshins I have attended since have been full of Catholics. I have no idea what it "means," but it is.

The Jesuit grad in me can't end this without citing sources. At the time of Kennedy Roshi installation of Kevin Hunt Sensei, a Trappist monk from St. Joseph's Abbey, in Spencer, MA (very near my alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross), as a Dharma successor, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., wrote:

Because of the long preparation and training required to become a master of the demanding Zen training, Fr. Hunt's achievement is one that we can all celebrate in thanksgiving to God ... Jesuits and other Christians have found Zen to be a valuable instrument for progressing in the spiritual life. ... By coming to focus on the present moment through the practice of the techniques of Zen meditation, the Christian can become aware of God's immediate loving presence.

I believe it was in Kennedy Roshi's book Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit: The Place of Zen in Christian Life that he quotes something Yamada Roshi said to him:

I am not trying to make you a Buddhist, but to empty you in imitation of your Lord, Jesus Christ.

Born in the USA....

A nice overview piece that looks at the growth of an American Zen, ranging from Manhattan's Village Zendo to such, implicit, koans as does hardcore rap have a place in the dharma, with stops in Springsteenville along the way.

While the 1960s saw Zen emerge in the United States as a countercultural religion under the guidance of Japanese teachers, today American Zen practitioners are a growing influence in religious life. Although no hard numbers exist, many Zen centers report seeing their membership increase substantially in the last decade, and new centers are popping up across the country. Much different from the male-dominated, hierarchical and highly monastic zendos in Japan, these centers have blended elements like lay participation, female leadership and social activism to create an American form of an ancient practice.

Will the lotus take root upon the rock?