The Shimano Archive
嶋野 栄道 老師 アーカイブ

12/02/11

Facilitated Weekend at DBZ:
One Participant's Reflections

By Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz

“The weight of what we were doing felt almost unbearably heavy at various points. Forty people - mostly long-term students of Eido Roshi and/or Shinge Roshi who've been coming to Dai Bosatsu Zendo for up to 50 years, but some who've studied for just a few months or who stayed away for many years - coming to the monastery to try to understand and process Zen Studies Society's painful history.”

“The process brought to us by An Olive Branch was uniquely suited to our situation. One piece flowed into another. Kyoki's 'severe' opening, where she gave information about the seriousness of sexual misconduct by spiritual teachers, including Buddhist teachers, was criticized by some and welcomed by others.”

“The process provided a welcome container for my feelings and thoughts, allowing me to engage as fully as possible in listening, not responding or reacting. Often, it was only during a break that the 'heaviness' of it all came to my awareness. I roomed with two young women, and I remember telling them that I wished that they didn't have to know about or grapple with all that we were hearing. Perhaps the spontaneous wish that others could be shielded (young or not) was my way of acknowledging the pain I felt. I am fully aware that youth is not synonymous with innocence or with freedom from pain and suffering, and they let me know that my concern was misplaced. They were just as much a part of everything as we old ones.”

“After listening deeply and openly to one another, the Consensus Workshop on Sunday allowed us to come together in new ways to frame questions for further consideration. First, we identified burning issues. Then, in pairs, we pinpointed important questions or issues. From that came eight overriding questions for the future. The process built trust and commitment among us. My most fervent hope is that we will find ways to involve caring Sangha and others in addressing these questions.”

[See entries of: 07/20/11 – 08/05/11 – 09/05/11 – 09/19/11 – 09/16/11 – 10/05/11]

12/03/11

An Interview by Christopher Chase with
Merry Benezra, Author of :

“Special Karma: A Zen Novel of Love and Folly”

Posted on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/specialkarma/

“I lived at Dai Bosatsu Zendo from July 1976 to February 1977, and I began writing Special Karma in 1981. I worked with Gail Sher as my reader – a friend and amazing poet who had also been a San Francisco Zen Center student and Tassajara resident. We decided on a schedule of completing each chapter before moving on to the next one, as less overwhelming. Because Special Karma is a novelized memoir, the shape of the book was never an issue that needed to be worked out. I think I delivered new writing and revisions to Gail every two weeks – which is why Special Karma is gratefully dedicated to her! The overall timing turned out to be about six months per chapter, and so the book took over four years initially.”

“It then turned out to be impossible to find a publisher for a novelized memoir on a controversial subject aimed at a niche audience. (To my great surprise and bitter disappointment.) So it went onto a shelf while I devoted my energies to holding down my job as an immigration paralegal and raising my son in a single-parent household.”

“I went to DBZ with a refuge-taking mind. I was 28 and unmarried. I had concluded a sexually driven affair with an older married man, and, following that fiasco, I became engaged to an available man my age who changed his mind three days before our wedding. The whole sex/marriage thing did not seem be working for me, did not seem to be my karma, and I assumed that by living in a Zen monastery I would be putting all of that behind me. Having an affair with the teacher wasn’t in any way part of my agenda. I didn’t know about Eido’s reputation until after I had arrived – when I had already, in my mind, burned my bridges back to the material world. I assumed that this was a problem I could handle with one word: No.”

“I found Eido’s advances to be disrespectful and corrosive to my journey as a Zen student. My first two sesshins were marred by this, and I very nearly went lost my emotional and psychological bearings during the second sesshin. This was when he told me I had a ‘special karma,’ and I gradually came to the realization that this special karma of mine had nothing to do with the possibility of grounding myself and my life in Dharma – the only thing I really wanted.”

“I can certainly say that Eido’s advances took the heart out of my motivation as a Zen student, and I have been wary of Zen teachers and I suppose the power structure of Zen practice centers ever since. My understanding of Dharma, however, has never wavered.”

“When I read the New York Times story on Eido in July 2010, I decided it might be a good time to get Special Karma off the shelf and out into the world. My story, though 35 years old now, was apparently still current. Self-publishing seemed to have lost some of its stigma, and I had begun to understand the practical reasons why Special Karma was a book that mainstream and even niche publishers like Shambhala would hesitate to take on. And, any lingering fears I had of being sued were dissipated by Eido’s public loss of reputation.”

 “Yes, I have been keeping up with the Shimano archives, and I am so grateful to Aitken Rohsi and Kobutsu for stepping forward. The Internet has made an incredible impact, which is so long overdue. Because of the recent uproar at Zen Studies Society and the emerging understanding of Eido's sexual aggression, I was tempted to give the Roshi a larger or at least a heavier role in Iris's story, though it seems to me that his behavior already casts a shadow over the entire book. In the end I added some language to make very clear (I hope) the emotional impact his 'special karma' remark had. But when I tried to do more than that it felt propagandistic to me, and unfair to the story. My book may fall short of some people's hopes. I did not sleep with Eido, my life wasn't ruined by him. But I think my book clearly sketches behavior, on his part, that was unconscionable -- from relentlessly sounding the note of sexual interest to giving me the answers to my koans -- everything he did undermined my ability to effectively undertake Zen practice at Dai Bosatsu, and soured my ability to really engage in Zen practice anywhere else. I do not think it is too much to say that I arrived at DBZ an ardent stream-enterer, and left disheartened and wary.”

12/11/11

A Letter From Roko Sherry Chayat
to Sangha and Dharma Friends.

“We have just completed Harvest Sesshin at Dai Bosatsu Zendo. We began in the midst of a surprise snowstorm, and ended in the golden light of dusk over Beecher Lake.”

“Indeed it has been a harvest. Eighteen bodhisattvas sat together. We have been well nourished by the Dharma, and our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. How rare it is to find this kind of nourishment in the tumult of day-to-day concerns.”

“The authentic Rinzai Zen training offered at Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji and our urban temple, New York Zendo Shobo-ji, has been life-changing for generations of Dharma seekers from all over the world. We also see the inspiring enthusiasm of new students, including many young people who may have few material resources, but are rich in vigorous determination and strong motivation.”

“These have been challenging times for the Zen Studies Society. Our coffers need to be replenished.  Although we have been consistently frugal, reducing our expenditures by 50% this year, a number of capital expenses have been, or will soon be, necessary.”

“Heavy rainfall and intense storms such as Hurricane Irene washed away much of the road at DBZ this year; fortunately, a bodhisattva who wishes to remain anonymous donated $10,000 to repair it. Our two 25-yearold wood-burning furnaces needed overhaul. Two washing machines finally staggered to a halt and were replaced. We purchased and installed a (used) high-capacity propane tank to save on vendor pricing. In the spring, Ulster County will mandate the installation of water purification systems in all guest lodgings, and we will also need to repair the leaking roof of our wood barn.”

“Appliances at New York Zendo will have to be replaced, as well as the sidewalk in front, and refurbishing is needed in the Dharma Hall-kitchen area.”

“The Zen Studies Society moved into its Carriage House at 223 East 67th Street forty-three years ago, and the land for Dai Bosatsu Zendo was purchased in 1970. Forty years ago, the first sesshin at DBZ was held in the existing Beecher House. Our founders and innumerable Sangha sisters and brothers worked tirelessly to develop the practice at these beautiful places. Now it is up to us to ensure that it will continue, for the present Sangha, for new students of the Way, and for future generations."

12/11/11

A Zen StudiesnSociety Email.

NEW YORK ZENDO SHOBO-JI
Dharma Talk by Hojun Laura Jackson “Occupy Courage” Thursday, December 15, 7-9 pm

12/13/11

Please read Special Karma by Merry White

By Grace Schireson

SWEEPINGZEN: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

“The more I have studied the first-person testimonials, the NYT’s article on Shimano and the ZSS, and Shimano’s own public apology and the retraction of that apology, the more troubled I have become. I have been appalled by the extent of the damage, the lack of sincere leadership, the corruption of the institution, and the chronic harm wrought by Eido Shimano’s untreated addiction– enabled by his community. When I have personally attempted to intervene in the Zen tragedy known as ZSS, I have learned first-hand that facing reality was (tragically) not the main practice. Protecting the teacher, the ‘Dharma,’ and the opportunity to practice in a monastic and city setting were favored at the cost of the sangha’s (community’s) well- being.”

“Benezra describes the range of attitudes toward the Roshi’s inappropriate behaviors—including her own. True to Benezra’s description of conversations with monastic members, I have learned from former and current ZSS members that some became convinced that they had an opportunity for enlightenment, and the harm being perpetrated on others was of no consequence. Others were manipulated by their own idealism, unmet needs, sleep deprivation and isolation. The techniques described by Benezra, and also employed by ZSS, bear a startling resemblance to classic cult inductions. Depression and mental instability resulting from ongoing membership, suffered by those who were exposed to this kind of deceptive practice, confirms the potential diagnosis of unwholesome cult-like psychological manipulation. Rather than trying to convince you of this diagnosis, I invite you to study these characteristics as they are outlined on the internet and make up your own mind.”

“Just as Benezra has enriched the conversation about abusive Zen situations and teachers with her book, a number of Zen teachers have spoken up about the sexually exploitative situation at ZSS. I took the opportunity to write to the ZSS Board of Directors to encourage the organization to remove Eido Shimano from his position and provide authentic healing to all community members harmed by his (apparently) unrelenting sexually predatory behaviors and other unrepentant cruelties.”

 “Very much like the Roshi in Special Karma, Eido Shimano is like this metaphorical snake, in effect using ZSS as his breeding grounds and poisoning many well intentioned Zen practitioners with his personal venom—unresolved sexual addiction and predation. Benezra’s book helps us to see just how this happens and helps us to continue a public conversation. I do not believe that keeping this ‘special karma’ a secret has helped Zen in the West. In my opinion, the events, their cover-up, and the continuation of harm at ZSS have tarnished American Zen practice. I congratulate Benezra and her book for bringing more attention to the importance of exposing this kind of harm.”

12/13/11

2012 Schedules for
New York Zendo Shobo-ji
and
Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji.

02/03/12

From:        Google Alerts <[email protected]>

   Subject:   Google Alert - Eido Shimano

       Date:     February 3, 2012 11:00:41 AM EST

Source:

www.playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/where.html

[All spelling and grammar in context.]

"Why it was a non-issue for me: sex as not so different then a cup of tea”

“I love and respect Roshi. I don't think he would ever hurt anyone. The scandal was not an issue for me and the reasons I offer to help others might seem rude or disrespectful but they are not in my heart. I think one lifetime is not enough to fully appreciate the treasures to be had with Roshi's wife, Aiho-san, so why would he stray. Also, doing 10 or so zen retreats a year are not one of the easiest ways to get laid. Also, how long does sex last, 10-20 minutes, this whole conspiracy theory of Roshi being an evil lecher, we would have to have a sangha of the most beautiful women on earth trained in all the nuances of sexual congress, and still, that would not be enought motivation to lead the life of a monk or a Roshi.” 

“I had a lot of dress rehearsal. Many men I have loved since infancy have been accused of infidelity and with strict Catholic upbringing, I wanted to toss them to the nogood pile. But then it happened again and again and again and I realised this belief in fidelity was setting us up to be tormented looking for something that does not exist." 

"Do you feel unwelcome?

Someone did something and now, you love Roshi, you can't find him and you feel uncomfortable! What to do? 1. Ask a Buddha or Boddhissatva for help (ex. Kanzeon, Kukai). That should be enough. 2. Recognize, that they might hurt you again but it's worth it. Who wants peace, prepares war. (proverb) Where they looking for your inner warrior or your inner bitch? well, they found it! By push or shove, somehow, you found Roshi and you will not loose him. Most likely result, polite tolerance for each other."

"UPDATE as of January 2012: Eido Shimano Roshi is the founding Abbott of the Zen Studies Society who is retired and is not obligated to teach under the Zen Studies Society rules or sponsorship. However, he is still free to teach and lecture as he pleases anywhere else. Thank you to all those who helped.”

“Previously, Eido Roshi's teaching was held hostage. Hopefully, soon it will be that, Soen Roshi's ashes, Nyogen Senzaki's ashes as well as the ashes of sangha members are no longer hostage, that Roshi is welcome at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, Kongo-ji and New York Zendo, Shobo-ji." 

"The Buddha said to investigate your teacher 30 years before becoming his student If they don’t want to study with him, leave, is there really a need to hold him and the ashes of his teachers hostage?"

02/03/12

From:        Google Alerts <[email protected]>

   Subject:   Google Alert - Eido Shimano

       Date:     February 3, 2012 11:00:41 AM EST

Source:

http://www.playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/page2.html

[All spelling and grammar in context.]

"I am no expert but I think average corporate leaders make $500,000 a year. Why not Roshi? If we could get someone or a group of people to donate $15.52 million to cover Roshi's retirement up to his 120th year. Here is a letter I drafted. letter to wealthy individuals and corporations”

“Ideas if you love Roshi and are working your way

(back into love)

This page is to be in support of the people who love Eido Shimano Roshi. Because of a cross-cultural barrier, many people may feel bullied in hiding their love for him, in being quiet in their defense of him. What are we, except babies brainwashed at birth.

No 1. hope.

Ask Shakyamuni Buddha, Nyogen Senzaki, Master Joshu, Master Rinzai or any other Buddha you feel an affinity for to help you. They are the master of medicine. There is not a mental prison they can’t get you out of.

No 2.

Prayer.

No. 3.

This book 'Jesus lived in India' (book). It helps to know more about the beliefs that are making you you. That did it for me, it lessened the pressure of the current bible as the justification for having me live in a coffin that is too small. Just a small window of how the early Christian church was, the political fight for what would become the 'word of God'

No.4

So you are not supposed to love him, they say, but this is not the first time you have found a work around is it…. Here is a list of things you are not supposed to do at all but that are pretty common in America

Lying even white lies

Extra marital sex

glutony, envy, over eating

Coveting other people’s spouses...

You, oh wise one, made your own deal with God, after all, who will comfort you when you are down (not them), when the lights are out and you are all alone in your skin (do you care what they think?)

Why it was a non-issue for me: sex as not so different then a cup of tea

I love and respect Roshi. I don't think he would ever hurt anyone. The scandal was not an issue for me and the reasons I offer to help others might seem rude or disrespectful but they are not in my heart. I think one lifetime is not enough to fully appreciate the treasures to be had with Roshi's wife, Aiho-san, so why would he stray. Also, doing 10 or so zen retreats a year are not one of the easiest ways to get laid. Also, how long does sex last, 10-20 minutes, this whole conspiracy theory of Roshi being an evil lecher, we would have to have a sangha of the most beautiful women on earth trained in all the nuances of sexual congress, and still, that would not be enought motivation to lead the life of a monk or a Roshi.

I had a lot of dress rehearsal. Many men I have loved since infancy have been accused of infidelity and with strict Catholic upbringing, I wanted to toss them to the nogood pile. But then it happened again and again and again and I realised this belief in fidelity was setting us up to be tormented looking for something that does not exist.

The wisdom of my mother: She said men don't change

When I heard of the first scandal, I did not know if it was true. I wanted to continue being Roshi's student even if it was true. And if it was true, things would not change because 'men don't change'. If they smoke, drink, party, overspend when you meet them (take it or leave it)

The bible is the word of God but squewed by the custom of the times

All this scandal is our attitude toward sex and religion and the attitude of the people about sex 2,000 years ago.

Way to a man's heart is thru his stoomach, so bake

This whole quest to master the activity of a man's penis, turns people into beings with no dignity. A whole decade of fidelity and trust to be destroyed based on a moment of 10 minutes. Act out to attract and keep this elusive and inexisting thing, the man on a sexual leash.

When a man says he loves you at 10am, he means it so does he when he says it to some other girl at noon

All this to get to where Samantha in Sex and the city got in the episode where she runs up 10 or so flights of stairs with a diamond thong torturing her to find out if the man of her dream is cheating on her and she realises she can never be sure. She can't have her happiness depend on someone else not doing something.

Oprah once asked a roomful of divorced women (that left cheating husbands) if they would do it again and the number with the hands up was low.

This obcession with no-sex. Some might say it is responsible for the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Missionaries went and with their one wife motto, 2nd and 3rd wives became prostitutes, their kids raised in poverty. It's not that I think polygamy is it, just that applying a sexual model that goes against nature and forcing it on others is dangerous and self-detrimental.

Also, I guess people can grow tired of hearing of the mistakes of their past, but they still exist, what happened when the Puritans left the persecution in Europe, (whisper) genocide, slavery. Wouldn't you rather have a clergy and a sangha in a frank sexual conversation whatever it might be?

When I heard of the first scandal I was relieved, It confirmed for me that this might be a safe place. Some cult had recently committed massive suicide and practiced castration. I just thougth they don't want to deal with real life, with their bodies. If those rumors are true, there is no such problem around the Sangha at Shobo-ji.

I guess this kind of thinking is pretty common outside of America. One Sangha member from Latin America asked me if they had hung Roshi too! Sometimes it helps to know your thinking is not the center of the universe.

Would Roshi take you back?

I don't know but probably. He never stopped caring. You can ask say Nyogen Senzaki or Master Rinzai to come with you the first time you see him after you said or thought terrible things about him.

Roshi is the master of circumstances and can steer you even after anything. If you need inspiration, to build the fight, 'You say, I am an apple, I should never have associated with likes of you bananas!', to make up you say 'I was so harsh and rude, bananas are pretty nice and afterall we are all just fruits.' (using my big fat greek wedding movie line)

Ideas on dealing with the pressure

Could you be free?

Somewhile back, some scientific article said people think of themselves 99% of the time. I used to have a huge afro and was ridiculed in high school. noise, noise, noise. one day, I did some maintream hairdo and 1 person noticed.

take away... 99% of the time people think of 'me, my dog, my bills' the 1% probably is 'my kid's bill' or maybe 'that guy'. 1% and it is to say something negative. It's not sad, it means you are free to do what you want. If people want to rule your life as to who you can love, they need to give you more than 1% of their thinking time!

Do you feel unwelcome?

Someone did something and now, you love Roshi, you can't find him and you feel uncomfortable! What to do? 1. Ask a Buddha or Boddhissatva for help (ex. Kanzeon, Kukai). That should be enough. 2. Recognize, that they might hurt you again but it's worth it. Who wants peace, prepares war. (proverb) Where they looking for your inner warrior or your inner bitch? well, they found it! By push or shove, somehow, you found Roshi and you will not loose him. Most likely result, polite tolerance for each other.

With great gratitude to Eido Roshi.

This is written without his consent, approval or knowledge.”

02/03/12

Hoen Sandra Jean-Pierre

http://playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/letter1.html

"His retirement income as I understand it from one serious source is $100, 000 a year, Use of a 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan with monthly upkeep fees of $3-8000/month, 4-6 all-expenses paid trips to Japan, Health insurance for himself and his wife. Seeking parity with the income of corporate leaders, an addition of US $500,000 a year seems a modest goal. Assuming he lives to be 120 years old, there is a formula that can calculate a sum that if deposited now in an annuity account would yield that amount yearly. It would be great if this were a trust based out of England, a freely given trust with no strings attached. If there was no 'not-for-profit' or 'tax benefit' drama associated with it."

"Using the present value of an annuity calculator available at investopedia (http://www.investopedia.com/calculator/AnnuityPV.aspx#axzz1dtAZJaiB). Using an interest rate of 1.30%, US $15.52 million invested today would be able to guarantee that annual payout for 40 years. Could you do donate this sum for the Dharma?"

02/03/12

This is the invite from Alp Omur

The First Rinzai Zen Sesshin in Turkey

Source:

http://playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/TurkeySesshin.html

[All spelling and grammar in context.]

“Please accept this message as an announcement and invitation to join us for a full 5-day sesshin that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from the evening of April 1st to the morning of April 7th, 2012. “

“Since our last Rinzai Zen Sesshin in Switzerland in 2011, many of us hoped to see the Rinzai Zen Tradition extended into Turkey, the land where the influence of the East intermingled with the West for centuries. It was the final destination of the ancient Silk Road from China and the beginning of the European Renaissance in the West.”

“I approached the Ven. Eido Shimano, Retired Founding Abbott of Dai Bosatsu Zendo and NY Zendo Shobo-ji. As far as I know, he is the only Rinzai Zen master who is not only bilingual in Japanese and English, but has taught in the West for over 50 years. He has agreed to come and to lead this sesshin.”

“As such, this will be the first international Rinzai Zen Sesshin ever held in Turkey. We will accept 20 students from the world, including the US, Europe and Japan, to sit inside a quiet building at the Polka Hotel, inside the suburban landscape of Istanbul. The cost of the sesshin, including accommodations (shared double occupancy) and meals, will be $1000 per person, not including airfare and transportation. The airport in Istanbul is Ataturk Havalimani (IST) and the transportation from the airport to the hotel is a 45-minute taxi ride (cost ~$50).”

“If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form and make your deposit payment of $250 USD as check payable to Alp Omur no later than March 8th, 2012. Send them both to:  Zensho Martin Hara”

02/03/12

We'd all be laughing (if it weren't so serious)

By Adam Tebbe

SweepingZen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

"We’d all be laughing (if it weren’t so serious)"

"This morning I was pointed to a website that has apparently been in existence since 2009, though it seems to have been updated quite a bit since that time. The website, http://playfulmoon.com, reads as a 'loving?' tribute to Eido Shimano, former abbot of Zen Studies Society who was forced to resign due to sexual misconduct with female students spanning back decades."

"As I browsed through the website, I kept asking myself, 'Is this a joke?' It certainly reads like a joke."

02/04/12

Domain Dossier

Address lookup

canonical name playfulmoon.com.

addresses 98.136.92.79

02/04/12

Hoen Sandra Jean-Pierre
Bio and Contact form

http://playfulmoon.com/bioandcontact.html

"Former website names:
playfulsun.com
playfulmoon.com
likeareed.org
evergreenzen.org"

[See entry of: 08/30/11 ]

02/05/12

Genjo Marinello, Osho - Shimano's Fifth Dharma Heir.

Post to Zen Forum International.

"In response to reading this blog here is my most recent email to the ZSS Board; however, I think it is highly unlikely that they will take this course."

" 'We all knew it would come to this. I'm in England doing sesshin until 2/10. The ZSS board is paying ER giving him the ability to continue to teach. It is my hope that ZSS will finally challenge the differed compensation agreement in court.

He has great gifts, but how can ZSS continue to support someone that still does not remotely understand the harm he has repeatedly caused his own Sangha and American Zen.

If he is going to contine to teach, let him do so without direct finacial support of ZSS.

If I remotly understood how much he didn't get it, I and others would have supported that he be fired and removed from office. Seigan [another former board member and ZSS priest] had it right from the beginning.' "

02/06/12

genkaku-again blog

Post by Banko Randy Phillips
Former Zen Studies Society Board of Directors President.

“As a former President of the board of directors of ZSS I did not witness anything firsthand (or other) that led me to believe that ER was misbehaving in his old ways (which I was not really knowledgeable about until the archive came into being). When the recent scandal broke I talked with both Siegan and Fujin and neither of them knew beforehand of the affair - and I trust their words. Previous to that I was more concerned about his entrustment of the New York Zendo (Shobo-ji) to his wife Aiho-san. I led an intervention with senior Sangha members to try to have her removed before she ran the place into the ground. I was successful to a point but it was overturned by him (=her) within a few months. I had a mini-stroke there after and stepped back. There was a Shobo-ji advisory committee set up to take over control of Shobo-ji - they were shut down by ER within a few months.”

“Seigan gave his youth to this organization and it was tremendous act of courage for him to leave. Genjo-Osho as a Dharma heir also showed his unfailing commitment to right action by his actions. His course of action was not due to any outside influence - Seigan's or mine (I left the board after Seigan and before Genjo-Osho.)”

“As a past member of ZSS what am I, or Genjo-Osho or Seigan (or Genkaku or Kobutsu in their time) guilty of? We may be guilty of loyalty. We may be guilty of looking at human faults that we deemed as minor that turned out to be major. But when we discovered the truth we acted in the best way that we could given our individual situations.”

02/07/12

20120207_Fisher_ZFI.pdf

Genkaku Adam Fisher
Post to Zen Forum International
on February 7, 2012.

“ I would like to point out that the very reasonableness of the questions and the fact that they are hard to answer have provided an elegant smokescreen and escape hatch for a demonstrable sociopath (see the Shimano Archive).”

“With occasional eruptions into public places, Mr. Shimano has 1. Hurt individual sangha members; 2. lied about his involvement; 3. used the Zen Studies Society that supported his efforts 'on behalf of Zen Buddhism' as his private piggy bank; 4. Maintained that boorish Americans -- the ones who made a city and country zendo possible -- were impossible to understand and could never have an appreciation that rivaled his own or that of any other Japanese person.”

“So what sort of remorse might be appropriate, assuming there were a snowball's chance in hell that it might actually be offered?”

“First, I think it would be appropriate to make apologies to all those who have been wounded ... personal, direct apologies without the slip-sliding innuendo that deflects responsibility from his doorstep. Second, I think there might be some admission that his own lies -- the ones that deflected responsibility from himself -- were not worthy of the high esteem in which he holds himself. Third, I think he might apologize to the corrupting influence he inflicted on Zen Studies Society: What might have been a Buddhist organization that flourished and nourished has been left bereft of credibility because of his machinations. Fourth, I think he might stop inciting devotees to write letters like the one from Hoen above ... people who will raise his banner while he stands behind the curtain and awaits the income ... or, if need be, for which he can claim some Mafia-like plausible deniability.”

“The whole Shimano affair is winding down. People are tired of pushing the rock up the hill, tired of suggesting that human behavior, in its basic forms, is unaffected by culture or any other excuse. Kindness is kindness. Unkindness is unkindness. Mistakes are human. But so is corrective action. Some may suggest that corrective action is not necessary for someone dwelling in the ‘unconditioned realm.’ This is utter bullshit ... but I can imagine that there are those convinced by the suggestion... and I too am tired of the uphill battle against this sort of mediocrity that tries to pass itself off as ‘true understanding” or ‘deeeep meaning’ or ‘a Rinzai Zen student.’ "

02/08/12

Genjo Marinello, Osho - Shimano's Fifth Dharma Heir.

Post to Zen Forum International.

“When the most recent scandal came to light in late May, 2010, all board members, including Seigan, were deeply shocked, as we all believed that he had reformed long ago. Eido Roshi had assured us, just days before the scandal came to light, that there had been no ethical breaches in well over a decade. He had also repeatedly apologized to the ZSS Sangha for his past behavior, and we loyally and perhaps gullibly believed him.”

“When his lie was exposed, as I recall some board members, especially Seigan, wanted Eido Roshi to resign as Abbot immediately. Unlike many on the board, including myself, Seigan had been around when a previous scandal broke, about 15 years earlier.  Because we were all clear that Eido Roshi had lied to us in private and in public, Seigan saw that the only appropriate action was for Eido Roshi to fully resign at once. It was this stance of Seigan's that I referred to as, 'right from the beginning.' In hindsight, I wish the full ZSS board would have insisted on Eido Roshi's immediate resignation, and fired him if he did not resign."

“Most disturbing of all to me was when we learned that not all sexual encounters started ‘consensually.’ "

“As the extent of this pattern came into focus, along with Eido Roshi's obvious insincerity about his own apology and his deep lack of comprehension of the damage he had done, it became clear to me that stronger corrective and redemptive action was needed by the ZSS board, yet the majority, led by Shinge Roshi, was not and still is not, willing to go there; hence, my own departure from the board and organization.”

02/29/12

Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat interview

Sweeping Zen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

http://sweepingzen.com/2012/02/29/shinge-roko-sherry-chayat-interview/

“No. We didn’t know any of that. I mean really there was no – you know, people would come for sesshin and there would be nothing to talk about in that environment. Then all of these things were made public on the internet in 2008 or 2009 by Kobutsu Malone, which happened after a very upsetting incident between Kobutsu and Eido roshi. He let us know that some wide distribution of damning documents would be appearing on the web. And, so they did. He made everything public that had been at the University of Hawaii, and I think we were all absolutely shocked.”

“ To see the the breadth of these allegations. I know that one cannot believe everything one reads on the Internet (there were so many postings and so many blogs), and that some were perhaps exaggerated. But, still and all, what Aitken’s letters showed, and the depth of sadness that came across, it was just devastating.”

“It was horrendous. I can’t tell you… I guess, looking back at 1976 and going through 2010, I would say it was a very similar period, trying my best to keep my head above water and rely on the practice; be, as much as possible, of benefit to people, and try not to get caught up in the cycle of aggression that seemed to be escalating with every new post.”

“Well, that’s true. The writer couldn’t interview Eido roshi, who was out of the country. He couldn’t interview anyone who was there. I know that he did his best to put across what had happened in objective terms. Then Eido roshi wrote something that never got published saying he had not been consulted, which in itself raised even more of an uproar because it made it seem that he was backtracking from his apology. So, there was a lot for the board to deal with during 2010.”

“We were working with the Faith Trust Institute; I thought it was very important for us to open everything to the sangha and to allow people to speak and voice their disillusionment – their frustrations. So that, I think, was the beginning of a new era for the sangha; instead of having everything secret, people were encouraged to come forth and speak and share their feelings.”

“I don’t think the board was ever able to act definitively because of the imbalance in the powerbase; those people who wanted to make changes basically were voted down. This is what I understand from reading over some of the documents that were on the internet; so, I don’t blame them – I think people tried to make some changes but, again, there was so much that was secretive. I don’t think that there was any enabling going on, because people didn’t know. It’s very difficult for us to look back at people who were doing their best at that time, who also believed sincerely in Eido roshi as a great teacher.”

“If anything happened that was nonconsensual, all we can say is how much we deplore it and how much it pains us. We feel such distress that anything like that could have happened.”

02/29/12

DER ASSO-BLOG

Kommentare eines Zen-Rüpels zum Buddhismus und zum Leben in der Welt.

Mittwoch, 29. Februar 2012

" Ein Aprilscherz?
Mit Eido nach Istanbul "

"Der geschasste 80-jährige Eido Shimano soll jetzt Sesshin in der Türkei anbieten (1000 USD für eine Woche). Das reicht aber nicht. Gesucht wird zudem ein Millionenspender, der ihm und seiner Ehefrau die nächsten 40 Lebensjahre finanziert."

LINK:

03/01/12

"ZSS & Chobo-Ji
a report by Genjo"

By Genjo Marinello, Osho

From the Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji
Newsletter "Plum Mountain News"
Winter 2011-2012.

“A we are all well aware, back in June of 2010 a scandal broke about Eido Shimano Roshi having yet another sexual liaison with a female student. Immediately pressure was put on Eido Roshi to resign from the Board of the Zen Studies Society (ZSS), which has the legal and fiduciary responsibility for the two ZSS properties, Dai Bosatsu Zendo (DBZ) in the Catskill Mountains and the New York City center, Shobo-Ji. This was done so that the extent of his ethical breach could be fully investigated before any further remedies were sought. Eido Roshi resigned from the ZSS Board July 4th, 2010.”

“To assist with our ethics investigation the ZSS Board enlisted the help of the FaithTrust Institute, a Seattle based group skilled at such work. What we discovered over the course of months was credible evidence that the most recent incident was not the only recent breach of ZSS ethical guidelines. However, we often heard Eido Roshi claim that this sort of behavior ended many years ago. In fact, what we learned was that over the course of decades, Eido Roshi abused his position of power and authority repeatedly, and was in the habit of aggressively pursuing the most vulnerable, attractive female students under his spiritual care. In addition, it became increasingly clear that his many so-called apologies over the years were vacuous of any serious understanding of the harm he had done. Most disturbing of all was hearing a credible first person account that not all sexual encounters were started “consensually,” and the fact that he transmitted STDs to his own students.”

"Recently I was asked by Rev. Marie Fortune, one of the founders of the FaithTrust Institute, and one of two people who investigated Eido Roshi’s breach of ethical guidelines at the Zen Studies Society, if I knew that Chobo-Ji’s listing at the Northwest Dharma Association (NWDA) still listed me as a student of Eido Roshi. I responded, “I was his student and I still am, in that he is teaching me even now many unexpected, uncomfortable lessons. The Historical Buddha said take what works and leave the rest. I might say, learn as much, if not more, from what doesn’t work.” I also spoke to Rev. Fortune about what I see to be the failure of ZSS to adequately respond organizationally to Eido Roshi’s serial ethical breaches over decades that seriously harmed and alienated many in his own sangha and repeatedly tarnished the reputation of American Zen."

“A few months back I asked the Chobo-Ji board to consider terminating our affiliation with ZSS as a ‘Related Zen Center’ on their web pages. After two months of deliberation, when it became clear that ZSS was ready to move on without taking further steps to address those sangha members who have been most harmed or alienated by Eido Roshi’s behavior, the Chobo-Ji Board wrote a letter requesting that our temple be removed from their listing of Related Zen Centers. It has been nearly two months since the letter was sent, and still the listing persists on their web pages.”

 “It would have been relatively simple for ZSS to respond more adequately to those who were most harmed. For example, the ZSS board, led by Shinge Roshi, has never made a public organizational apology for its part in historically under-responding to Eido Roshi’s serial abuses of power. What the ZSS board has done is spend well over a year trying to finalize a highly questionable Deferred Compensation Agreement. ZSS is paying Eido Shimano Roshi and his wife well in excess of 70% of their expensive base salaries, when other benefits are added, rather than working to set aside funds to deal with the trauma of his sexually traumatized victims. The ZSS board has also failed to adequately rework its bylaws to prevent abuses of power of anyone in the abbot’s role; namely, they still don’t have a board that is in large part elected by the ZSS Sangha.”

“The properties associated with ZSS are some of the finest practice spaces in American Zen. I fear they will never reach their full potential without better dealing with the history of Eido Roshi’s abuses of power. At the very least while Eido Roshi remains delusionary and in denial about his part in this fiasco and schemes to find ways he can resume teaching, he should be excluded from setting foot on ZSS property. Even this simple break has not been possible under Shinge Roshi’s leadership; clearly, the ZSS board’s continued attachment to the man precludes serious effort to reach out compassionately to those alienated or harmed.”

03/01/12

Genjo Marinello, Osho - Shimano's Fifth Dharma Heir.

Post to Zen Forum International.

"I can’t tell you how disappointing this is to me. The properties associated with ZSS are some of the finest practice spaces in American Zen. At the very least while Eido Roshi remains delusionary and in denial about his part in this fiasco and schemes to find ways he can resume teaching, he should be excluded from setting foot on ZSS property. Even this simple break has not been possible under Shinge Roshi’s leadership; clearly, the ZSS board’s continued attachment to the man precludes serious effort to reach out compassionately to those alienated or harmed."

03/01/12

Interview: Genjo Marinello on Eido Shimano & Zen Studies Society

Sweeping Zen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

http://sweepingzen.com/2012/03/03/interview-genjo-marinello-on-eido-shimano-zen-studies-society-2/

“I’m concerned about a number of issues. First of all I don’t think it is sustainable to keep paying the Shimanos’ just over $90,000 a year in deferred compensation and benefits. By the way, the Shimanos’ from the beginning have tried to argue that they were owed more than this amount. I don’t know where negotiations stand today, but this is the rate that ZSS was paying them when I departed. This seems exorbitant to me, especially considering the reasons for their retirement. I believe the 1995 ZSS board that foolishly enacted the Deferred Compensation Agreement (DCA) stipulating this amount, along with a 4% per year cost of living increase, had no adequate sense of separation from Eido Roshi and therefore mismanaged their fiduciary responsibility. In hindsight, I think both Eido Roshi and his wife should have been fired for cause instead of being strongly encouraged to retire, which would have given the board much better standing to negotiate more reasonable terms. In any case, I’ve been advocating that the board at least attempt to use all legal means possible to abrogate this agreement in court, but Shinge Roshi is adamantly opposed to this approach and has basically conceded to the terms of the 1995 agreement.”

“More importantly I am concerned by the board’s continued attachment to the man over the Dharma or the healing of the Sangha; agreeing to the 1995 DCA is only the tip of the iceberg. Once ZSS began, through our ethics investigation, to get credible evidence that Eido Roshi had been sexualizing other women at the monastery in recent years, I thought the time had come to begin implementing to the tee the recommendations of the FaithTrust Institute. This would have meant that Eido Roshi should have been forced to resign as abbot by early Fall of 2010. Instead, Shinge Roshi argued that he should be allowed to continue to teach through Dec. 8th, 2010, and plans were being made for him to be able to teach willing senior students well into 2012. However, just after his retirement we discovered the letter that Eido Roshi foolishly circulated to friends in the US and Japan addressed to the editor of the New York Times that stated the allegations against him were false. This flew in the face of what he later called his ‘forced’ public apology of Sept. 7, 2010. When a copy of this letter was discovered in the office of Shobo-Ji (New York City Zen Center), Shinge Roshi strongly discouraged me from going public with my indignation and expressed indignation that I stirred up such a hornet’s nest of protest against Eido Roshi.”

“I thought things were going better in early February of 2011 when the board affirmed that Eido Roshi would no longer be allowed to teach under the auspices of ZSS, and it appeared that Shinge Roshi had secured a commitment from Eido Roshi that he would no longer teach. But shortly thereafter, bolstered by his most staunch supporters, Eido Roshi reversed himself, and then Shinge Roshi too began to look for some way he could continue to teach those who still desperately wanted his attention. Ideas were floated that perhaps Eido Roshi could reside part time, do translation work and teach at Jorakuan (Beecher House in the center of DBZ property) if there were some way to make Jorakuan not legally connected to ZSS. Later plans were made for a meeting in early May 2011, with the help of Olive Branch consultants, where we would try and negotiate some sort of settlement possibly allowing Eido Roshi to continue to teach willing senior students on ZSS property if many stringent stipulations were met. However, at the meeting Eido Roshi not only would not agree to stipulations, he began to claim that the board had no authority to put any restrictions on him at all. It was also at this meeting Eido Roshi said that it would have been more karmically harmful to refuse sexual overtures from female students than to acquiesce to their needs.”

“Shortly after an early June 2011 meeting at DBZ, I heard from a former board member about a first hand account shared with him by a woman and senior female student of a ‘date rape’ by Eido Roshi some years back. After hearing this I had a sickening realization that Eido Roshi was a sexual predator, not just a sexual addict seducing his own students. I tried to convey this as best I could to the rest of the ZSS board. However, despite my efforts and additional credible evidence that kept coming to light, later in that same month, Shinge Roshi floated the idea to split ZSS, keeping the monastery but giving up Shobo-Ji to Eido Roshi so that he could continue to teach there. I thought this was insane, Shinge Roshi thought it was ‘thinking out of the box.’ At this point, I began to lose confidence that Shinge Roshi would ever understand that helping Eido Roshi to teach in any capacity anywhere on or off campus would be enabling the continuance of his predation of vulnerable female students. Yet she begrudgingly agreed that we needed to change the locks to Shobo-Ji so that Eido Roshi could not have unsupervised access. Changing the locks sent a concrete message to Eido Roshi that the board would not collapse under the weight of his charismatic persuasion.”

“Then in early July of 2011 Eido Roshi and Shinge Roshi invited everyone to come to DBZ for an ‘extremely important announcement.’ At this meeting Eido Roshi openly stepped down from any teaching and encouraged all of his former students to train with Shinge Roshi. However, the meeting was marred at the end with an aggressive attempt by Eido Roshi, backed by staunch supporters, to receive a new key to Shobo-Ji. Having made this concession about teaching, he made a scene trying to manipulate the board to allow him to have free and open use of the city temple a few blocks from his condo on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. At the meeting the board did not bend, but decided, against my strong objections, that the video of the meeting and the full transcript of the meeting would be suppressed, and it has been to this day.”

“Then incredibly a couple of days later the board received an email from Eido Roshi detailing how he wanted to be allowed to teach introductory zazen and lead Dharma classes at Shobo-Ji so he could ‘nurture the next generation of students.’ I was flabbergasted, but I was told by Shinge Roshi and the others that this letter was also to be suppressed. I tried to make the point to the board that this letter should be released because it patently exposed his expectation to continue teaching in one form or another. I also tried to make a strong case that in light of this letter, there needed to be a hiatus of having Eido Roshi on ZSS property. Sadly, it became clear that the majority was not with me. The conference call with the board where these items were being discussed ended with Shinge Roshi loudly scolding me for breaking rules of confidentiality. She complained vehemently that my June 5th, 2011 memo updating the Chobo-Ji Sangha on recent ZSS events and shared with the wider maha-Sangha, disclosed far more than she thought appropriate. Other board members informed me privately that they thought I had done a good job. Nevertheless, by the conclusion of this conference call I became convinced that I could no longer be effective on the ZSS board.”

"I could feel little harmony with the direction Shinge Roshi was going. I felt the need for more transparency not less. I wanted Eido Roshi to stay away from both properties, and in my opinion no real healing would be possible for those alienated or directly harmed without this step. I was also disturbed by the fact that he still had rooms at both ZSS properties that were devoted to him and his possessions. And I remain frustrated by the fact that the board has essentially capitulated to the 95 DCA without a fight. I take some credit for helping the board not to surrender to more than this amount, which Eido Roshi was arguing for. Can you see why I think the board has been overly focused on the man rather than on propagating the Dharma or healing the Sangha?”

“On a more positive note, there was an important All Sangha Meeting held in August of last year, facilitated by the Olive Branch. However, not everyone could or would attend because the meeting was held at the monastery in the Catskills rather than a more neutral and central location in or near the city.”

“All the board members present were stupefied and I heard even his DBZ monks told him his manipulation to get a key was inappropriate.”

03/01/12

A Letter From Roko Sherry Chayat
to Sanghas.

“Fujin Zenni, who has given unstintingly of herself to the practice at DBZ for two decades, also trained for many years at Shogen-ji, Gifu, Japan. She will be moving there at the end of March. We are deeply grateful to her for being such a significant part of the ZSS family. On March 12, she will lead a zazenkai and participate in a tea ceremony at Shobo-ji. A party in her honor will be held afterward.”

“Lou Nordstrom Roshi, who has trained in both ZSS and the Maezumi lineages and is a Dharma heir of Bernie Glassman, has agreed to come on a regular basis to Shobo-ji as Study Director, leading study sessions on the work of D.T. Suzuki and other pioneers of Zen in America. 'Three Jewels Movie Night’, a Buddhist film series, and tea ceremony events are among other on-going programs at Shobo-ji, in addition to the regular practice schedule. All of these are being coordinated by the NYZ Steering Committee.”

“At our Facilitated Sangha Weekend last September, it was suggested that the Board of Directors expand to include people with professional expertise. We followed up on this, with the Board casting unanimous votes for four new members. They are Dr. Hokuto Daniel Diffin; Genno Linda King, a graphic designer who has been creating the print and web publications of the Zen Studies Society for many years; Tamon Jeffrey Hovden, a New York City attorney and Sangha member; and Carlos Cervantes, who has long experience leading corporate and non-profit organizations, is a woodworker, and is about to begin training at DBZ this kessei. Board members who have served for many years will be stepping down. A financial audit is in progress, and we are planning a board best-practices retreat this summer with a professional in non-profit organizational structure.”

“We would also like to hold a Sangha-wide Envisioning Day in order to continue the work we did on the last day of our Facilitated Weekend, so that we can build upon past strengths, engage each other in deep listening, ensure a sustainable future, and continue devoting ourselves to actualizing the Buddha's Way.”

03/01/12

"Some Fundamental Problems With Zen Practice"

Christopher Hamacher
Posting to the OBC Connect Forum.

“Recent revelations about a number of Zen teachers in the West have been quite unsettling. The many student testimonials and other documents, particularly those in the Shimano Archive, have shown that certain highly-revered, ‘Buddhist masters’ were in fact aggressive, hypocritical, autocratic and narcissistic people - even to the extent of being sexually abusive.”

“As one author has put it, ‘if we search for evidence of substantive interest in morality in the two dimensions of the Zen tradition where we would most expect to find it - in the vast canon of Zen sacred literature and in the full repertoire of Zen practices - we discover that it is largely absent.’ And though ethical principles such as wisdom and compassion do exist in the broader Buddhist literature, Zen typically rejects pursuing the scholarly study thereof. Even the interpretation of the Third Buddhist Precept against misusing sexuality has been left deliberately vague in Japanese Zen.”

“Thus much of the behaviour demonstrated by these teachers, which could quite reasonably be qualified as morally wrong, can still be spun as acceptable in the ‘amoral’ Zen realm. And at the same time, one will also not find any condemnation in Zen of characteristics such as autocratic teacher control or enforced secrecy either, given that they are part and parcel of the traditional monastic environment in Japan.”

“One such doctrine is the view of the ‘Absolute’ as different from the ‘Relative.’ As Caryl Gopfert phrased it in her detailed study of student betrayal by Zen teachers: ‘in the relative realm, there is betrayal and exploitation, in the realm of the Absolute this is simply the nature of human existence. No one betrays anyone. There is no betrayer and no betrayed, no betrayal.’ A teacher can therefore quite plausibly claim that he is merely acting in the so-called Absolute or “unconditioned” realm, where misconduct allegedly does not exist. The student is therefore not only abused, but also made to feel inadequate because she evidently hasn't yet progressed enough in her practice to understand the ‘true nature’ of the situation.”

03/07/12

The ZSS Dialogue: An ongoing study in healing a community

By Grace Schireson

SWEEPINGZEN: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

http://sweepingzen.com/2012/03/06/the-zss-dialogue-an-ongoing-study-in-healing-a-community/

“How should a Zen center organization remediate and restructure in the aftermath of a teacher’s misconduct, how does influential community members’ loyalty to a disgraced teacher tend to minimize a teacher’s misconduct, and what is the appropriate balance between keeping an established community functioning and thoroughly and honestly disclosing harm done and helping its victims heal.”

“There is a dangerous and predictable process that develops in sanghas plagued by teacher misconduct. It’s a process of division that preserves and rewards the teacher’s defenders and systematically isolates those who speak truth to power. Teachers who commit harm repeatedly can do so only with protectors and enablers and a community that tolerates, dismisses or supports their misconduct. Under such circumstances, loyalty and gratitude to the teacher – a traditional element in Zen practice – becomes a very tricky business, easily hijacked for unwholesome purposes.”

“When a teacher is violating appropriate boundaries and exploiting students, there is a loyalist tendency to minimize, explain away, or even cover-up the misconduct in order to keep the community functioning and maintain the status quo.”

“Meanwhile those who voice the problem, try to change the system, and ask the teacher to acknowledge his/her harm are driven away. Or they leave to avoid being pulled into the web of loyal apologists. The teacher’s supporters come to be labeled as authentic practitioners, true Dharma heirs and examples of Zen wisdom, while those seeking rehabilitation and remediation for the teacher and the community are labeled as troublemakers and enemies of the Dharma.”

“Despite being warned about the harm he’d caused, the record suggests that Shimano continued for more than 40 years, perhaps compelled by addiction, to risk causing this same harm, having sex with female students who might be especially vulnerable to emotional distress.”

“One alternative feminist perspective is that choosing a Zen teacher for a sexual partner is hardly an expression of a woman’s freedom, in the 60’s, 70’s, or at any time before or since. Rather, having sex with a mentor, employer, teacher, or doctor may be better understood as a time-worn, misguided attempt to seek power through sex with a powerful man.”

“We also learn from Genjo Marinello’s allegations that the ZSS Board was informed that Eido Shimano had forced himself on some of his students in non-consensual sex. (I also have personally heard women describe non-consensual sexual encounters with Eido Shimano.)”

A sincere promise of investigation, possible prosecution, and remuneration to victims would encourage women to come forward and tell their stories so that justice could be served and the community could truly begin to heal. Whatever the legal consequences, knowing that Eido Shimano had perpetrated rape or date rape is an essential part of this conversation and the potential healing of the ZSS community. ‘Deploring’ is certainly an expression of compassion, but I wonder how far it will go toward actually healing these concerns and allegations and repairing the community.”

“Speaking and facing the truth, meeting reality, is the backbone of the Zen tradition. In order for Zen to become authentic in the West, it needs to root in honesty and accountability.”

03/13/12

A Letter from Kobutsu Malone to Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy.

"I have been informed that The Nature Conservancy and Zen Studies Society are broaching the possible transfer of Society property at and around it’s Beecher Lake, Catskills facility to the Nature Conservancy, either through lease or outright purchase. It is my understanding that a significant part of any proceeds to the Society from the contemplated transaction would be allocated to fund a retirement package for Eido Shimano and his wife that the Society’s cash flow and current assets are insufficient to satisfy."

"Significantly, the Zen Studies Society has never had any independent directors; all of its directors have been culled from the organization’s students, until very recently Eido Shimano’s students.  Similarly, the organization has not retained independent legal counsel until very recently, usually relying on members of the organization or other Zen-affiliated attorneys for legal advice."

"I would suggest that beyond embroiling the Nature Conservancy and its donors in a controversy over sexual abuse, abuse of power and the abject failure of the organization to protect its students, and that has effectively crippled the Society’s ability to fundraise by normal methods, by entering into the contemplated transfer of property the Nature Conservancy will make itself a necessary party in any litigation brought to enjoin or unwind the transaction as a fraudulent conveyance of property by an insolvent transferor, or that seeks to hold the Society responsible for Shimano’s conduct and it’s own fraudulent concealment and breach of its obligations to students, donors and it’s own clergy."

03/15/12

Lineage Delusions Revisited a Year Later: Dharma Transmission, Denial, and American Zen

By Erik Fraser Storlie

SweepingZen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

“Those of us who follow this path, who are committed to doing no harm, have a responsibility, I believe, to tell the truth. This includes, whether we are Zen community members or Zen teachers, a ‘duty to warn’ - and in regard to dharma transmission a moral duty to advise spiritual seekers that, as a credential, it is neither authoritative or trustworthy.”

“Such speech has its costs. Whistleblowers are punished. Natalie Goldberg had given generously of her time and talent over many years to help Zen communities publicize themselves and raise funds. But after the publication of The Great Failure: a Bartender, a Monk, and my Unlikely Path to Truth, she found herself becoming a non-person in Zen circles. The Great Failure and Michael Downing's Shoes Outside the Door should be required reading of every Zen student and teacher - an antidote to the naiveté I myself brought to the practice as an idealistic younger man who indeed failed in my own ‘duty to warn.’ ”

“I was a founder and influential board member of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. A friend and member of the community rang my doorbell early one morning and made an extremely disturbing accusation of sexual violation involving our teacher. He demanded I do something – at least inform the Board of Directors, if not the entire community. I was stunned, conflicted, and in the end did nothing. I persuaded myself that my friend must be exaggerating. He and his woman friend left the community without breaking their own silence. Years later, I would write him a long-overdue apology.”

“At the time I was paralyzed by fear and self-concern. Had I made the accusation public, my beloved community would have been thrown into uproar and my own influential position put at risk. I behaved like the member of a cult. I protected myself, when that protection belonged to others.”

“I should have spoken then. I am speaking now.”

[ See entry of: 02/09/11 ]

03/16/12

An On-Line Book

REMEMBERING NAKAGAWA SOEN ROSHI

ENDLESS DIMENSION UNIVERSAL LIFE

19 March 1907 ~ 11 March 1984

From the students and friends of

Mitta-Kutsu Nakagawa Soen

Abbot of Ryutaku Monastery in Japan, Abbot of New York Zendo Shoboji in America, in celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of his birth on March 19, 2007

With few revisions, this site is a replication of the book "Remembering Nakagawa Soen Roshi" that was compiled and published by Estelle Kashin Gerard in 2008. Initially intended as a gift to Ryutaku Monastery, where Soen Roshi served as its 10th abbot, and for the enjoyment of its contributors, it is now offered to a wider audience which may have some interest in the man whose Zen Buddhist practice affected so many.

04/04/12

Tricycle Blog

Eido Shimano and the Zen Studies Society on Sweeping Zen – An Interview With Adam Tebbe

Posted by Emma Varvaloucas on 04 Apr 2012 in Buddhism History

“But in 2010, an article printed by the NY Times reporting on the various allegations from female students that Eido had consensual and nonconsensual sexual relationships with them blew the lid of secrecy sky-high. The American Zen community already knew of Eido's misconduct – details of his indiscretions going back almost 50 years, kept by Robert Aitken, had been distributed since 2008 (online since 2010), and stories of his misdeeds had been circulating for decades in private circles.”

“These effects have for the last month or so been the focus of coverage on Sweeping Zen, a Zen website run by Adam Tebbe. First came an interview with Shinge Sherry Chayat, who took over as Abbess of the Zen Studies Society after the retirement of Eido Shimano. An interview with Genjo Marinello, another dharma heir of Eido's who has adopted a very critical stance towards his former teacher, followed. A guest blog post by Abbess Myoan Grace Schireson on how a Zen center can best "remediate and restructure in the aftermath of a teacher's misconduct," a post by Tebbe himself, and an interview with Kobutsu Shindo Kevin Malone rounded out the discussion.”

“The latest interview with Kobutsu was simply one I have been trying to do for a while now. His interview took place before my conversation with Shinge Roko Chayat. I had asked him previously whether or not he would like to participate in an interview but I think he just wanted to feel me out some, to figure out who I am and what the website is about. The interview with Genjo Marinello and Myoan Grace Schireson's article were more like reaction pieces to the interview with Shinge.”

“To be candid, I was as surprised as anyone to learn of what Genjo had to say in his interview. I knew that there had to be a reason behind his resignation from Zen Studies Society, but I was not aware of many of the things he brought to light in that interview. The whole thing is just sad. So, no it was not planned; which is interesting to me, even, considering the way it all unfolded.”

“You'll hear stuff off the record sometimes about certain teachers. I get e-mails from time to time from different people who wish to expose something. But that's a dicey situation because if I run something, I have to be absolutely sure that it is accurate. I don't believe in publishing rumors and I don't think it is good journalism to do so.”

“You know, there seem to be some within the American Zen community who feel that it is the coverage of these events, those like we see with Shimano and Genpo, that are reflecting poorly upon the tradition. ‘Enough is enough, enough press has been made, let's just move along.’ I see it, of course, much differently. I think that so long as these people continue to actively seek leadership roles, without having to really atone for any of their missteps – then I think it's wholly inappropriate to move on. It's inappropriate and it's irresponsible. Were we to do that, moving on would just mean we remain willfully ignorant.”

“That whole line about Zen showing us that there is no good or bad is a bunch of malarkey really. That's the line people have depended on to carry out abuses and it has to stop. I believe we also have to stop making cultural excuses for these behaviors. We have to stop making excuses period. It's weak language. It's a way to sidestep the real issue – abuse, outright abuse.”

“It's moral relativism. It's nihilism.”

“It isn't Buddhism and it isn't Zen. As far as I'm concerned, Zen is brutal honesty. I think transparency is honesty's best friend. If there truly were no good or bad, there would be no need for bodhisattvas. There would be no precepts.”

05/10/12

Zen Forum International - Internet Forum

Teacher Sexual misconduct -Eido Tai Shimano, ZSS, and others

May 2, 2012 thru July 8, 2012

Pages 95 through 103

Captured July 8, 2012

05/11/12

Saving a Dharma Treasure

by Genjo Marinello-Osho

Sweeping Zen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen

http://sweepingzen.com/saving-a-dharma-treasure/

“I must say I am feeling a bit burned by my continued efforts to bring change to the Zen Studies Society (ZSS). I’ve now been successively accused of being power hungry, motivated by my early abuse history, ‘Holier than thou,’ allowing dual relationships including the sin that my wife of twenty plus years is a member of the Chobo-Ji sangha and comes to dokusan with me, and finally sexual harassment followed by an apology. These attacks on me I think are diversions from what remains to be done at ZSS.”

“I am not the only one who has reported being treated very poorly when they publicly disagree with the course of the ZSS administration.”

“Here are the steps that I believe have been overlooked: 1) Eido Shimano Roshi should be excluded from being on ZSS property, 2) that there are good arguments that the 1995 Deferred Compensation Agreements that pay the Shimano’s in excess of $90,000 a year are bogus, essentially written by Eido Roshi himself, and should be challenged in court, 3) There needs to be a democratically elected ZSS Board, 4) There needs to be an organizational apology from the board of ZSS for not taking stronger steps to protect its own sangha, 5) There continues to be Insufficient investigation and outreach to those most harmed by Eido Shimano Roshi’s history of abuse of power and position.”

“I don’t see how any of the harmed or alienated sangha can feel relief or any possibility of being welcomed while Eido Roshi is still allowed on campus, at least the majority of the ZSS board is elected by the active sangha, there is an organizational apology, and further investigation and some sort of effort at restitution is made.”

06/04/12

An Email From The Zen Studies Society:

June Events at New York Zendo

06/06/12

Blog Posting by Genjo Marinello

A Step Backwards

Sweeping Zen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen.

“There is no question in my mind that Martin Hara, one of Eido Shimano Roshi’s staunchest supporters (who is now on the NYC Zendo Shobo-Ji Executive Committee) is a bad sign. He is a lovely person and I like him a lot, but the selection of someone who, to my knowledge, has always adamantly supported Eido Roshi’s efforts to continue to teach students, represents the opposite direction of where I hoped the organization was going. This just confirms that the organization, under Shinge Roshi’s leadership, still has not come to terms with the depth of the damage done, is still unable to acknowledge the organization’s part in this, and will be unable to reach out in any meaningful way to those who have been most harmed or alienated.”

“I recently read the following quote in the National Catholic Reporter that speaks to the opportunity that is being lost:”

“ ‘When a large group’s identity is threatened and power is lost, the healthy group will mourn before reworking their sense of self to accord with a new reality. When mourning goes well, there is a cleansing of mind, spirit, and psyche to go on after loss; to reconstitute self, relationships with others, hopes, dreams and beliefs in a renegotiated engagement with the real and the possible. There is self-examination about our own contribution to the control we are losing, perhaps ending in a rueful recognition that we never should have had that much control. The crisis of mourning well done can morph into a kairos leading to deeper connection with self, others and the Divine.

When mourning is refused, however, we may deny that loss is permanent and instead manically try to restore that which is forever changed. Nostalgia, memory’s rose-colored cousin, rules the mind and soul. In some cases, we select someone or something defined now as ‘Other’ onto whom we direct rage for ‘causing’ our loss of power and control even if our own behaviors actually ushered in the loss. Mourning is submerged beneath rage and exclusivity — we are OK, they are not; the badness is out there while goodness and heroism is within.’ ”

“Unfortunately, the course set by Shinge Roshi for the Zen Studies Society, sounds eerily familiar.  Clearly there has been insufficient self-examination about the extent of the organization’s missteps that allowed Eido Shimano Roshi to groom female students to feed his sexual appetite for decades, occasionally plying female students with alcohol and committing date rape to have his way. Moreover, I have personally felt what it is like to be the subject of attacks and misrepresentations of my motives and character by the faithful. With the selection of Zensho Martin Hara to be on the Executive Committee, I am losing all hope that the organization can turn around in any meaningful way.”

06/11/12

A Letter from Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy to Kobutsu Malone.

"Thank you for your letters regarding the Dai Bosatsu Zendo property. I appreciate your bringing these concerns to my attention, and apologize for not responding sooner."

"I have asked Rick Werwaiss, the director of our Eastern New York Chapter, to respond to you·directly. Mr. Werwaiss is familiar with the situation that you reference and is in a position to address your concerns."

[See entry of 03/13/12 ]

06/20/12

Blog Posting by Genjo Marinello

The 2012 Annual Meeting of the AZTA

Sweeping Zen: the definitive online who’s who of Zen.

Posted on: Jun 20th, 2012

“Towards the end of the meeting, I recall Shinge Roshi said to me publicly and privately that many of the steps that I've been putting forth as essential prerequisites for renewal and growth at the ZSS are indeed necessary and would be addressed. The question that remains is when and how will these steps be accomplished, and which if any will be bypassed.”

“To begin I suggested that Shinge Roshi release the names of the four new ZSS board members and how and why they were selected. In addition, it is imperative that the new ZSS bylaws be made public. Announcing a projected date for the completion and public release of the forensic audit would also go a long way towards real transparency.”

“I can't know for certain before the new bylaws are released, but I am suspicious that the new structure still does not include a mechanism to have at least half of the board directly elected by the active sangha. Given ZSS's history there needs to be good separation of fiduciary management from the role of abbot. I'm told the retirement negotiations with Eido Shimano Roshi continue to drag on. My hope is that those negotiations take into account the fact that Eido Roshi's actions have greatly diminished the resources available to the organization. Moreover, I hope the needs of those harmed by his actions are not forgotten. These realities must take precedence over the Shimanos in excess of $90,000 per year claims for deferred compensation and benefits.”

“I know that ZSS is working on a land trust deal with the Nature Conservancy and I think everyone will agree that the first use of these monies should be dedicated to the preservation of the properties for generations of Zen students to come. Secondly, these funds should be committed to the healing of organizational ills and establishing a reserve of some portion of these funds to assist those most directly harmed by Eido Roshi's actions. Then and only then should the remainder of these monies be considered to fund the Shimanos retirement needs.”

“Sooner than later ZSS needs to issue some sort of organizational apology conceding that it could have done a better job to protect ifs own sangha from Eido Roshi's abuse of his position of power and authority over decades. At the same time, it will be essential to remove all of Eido Roshi's personal possessions from the properties; disputed items will need to be placed in storage off campus. In addition, as soon as possible, Eido Roshi should be excluded from visiting either property, except to do funeral services for those who insist on it and to occasionally visit his family's resting place in Sangha Meadow. I think it is fair to say there was a general consensus of those present that only when there is sufficient separation from Eido Roshi will the complete truth of his abuses of power and authority be revealed.”

07/02/12

Transcript of a telephone call from Rich Werwaiss, Executive Director, Eastern New York Chapter of the Nature Conservancy to Kobutsu Malone.

July 2, 2012

07/07/12

“Zen Has No Morals!” - The Latent Potential for Corruption and Abuse in Zen Buddhism, as Exemplified by Two Recent Cases

by Christopher Hamacher

Paper presented on 7 July 2012 at the International Cultic Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada.

Christopher Hamacher graduated in law from the Université de Montréal in 1994. He has practiced Zen Buddhism in Japan, America and Europe since 1999 and run his own Zen meditation group since 2006. He currently works as a legal translator in Munich, Germany. Christopher would like to thank Stuart Lachs, Kobutsu Malone and Katherine Masis for their help in writing this paper.

"Zen Buddhism was long considered by many practitioners to be immune from the scandals that occasionally affect other religious sects. Zen’s iconoclastic approach, based solely on the individual’s own meditation experience, was seen as a healthy counterpoint to the more theistic and moralistic world-views, whose leading proponents often privately flouted the very moral codes that they preached. The unspoken assumption in Zen has always been that the meditation alone naturally freed the accomplished practitioner from life's moral quandaries, without the need for rigid rules of conduct imposed from above. The perfect embodiment of this state was held to be the Zen Master, a type of person to whom almost superhuman qualities of insight, spontaneity, compassion, and freedom from desire have been imputed. However, the veracity of such claims is now slowly being called into question, due to numerous modern Zen Masters having in the meantime exhibited behaviour no less scandalous than that seen in other religious communities."

"In this paper I examine two of the most recent and egregious of such scandals in Western Zen: the well-publicised case of Eido T. Shimano in New York, USA, as well as that of Dr. Klaus Zernickow (also known as Sotetsu Yuzen), who is still relatively unknown outside of his home country of Germany. Both of these Zen teachers have been accused of long-term, systematic abuse of their students, with allegations ranging from sexual predation to financial improprieties."

07/08/12

Mondo Zen with Jun Po Roshi at Shobo-ji in New York City - Aug 24-25th, 2012

Starting Date: 24-Aug-2012

"The Zen Studies Society is hosting an Introduction to Mondo Zen at Shobo-ji, Friday evening August 24th and all day Saturday, August 25th. The event will be led by Roshi Jun Po Denis Kelly."

"Mondo Zen is based on Japanese and Chinese Zen and updated for the 21st Century.  Mondo Zen transcends the hierarchical/authoritarian, gender-biased and constraining monastic aspects of traditional Zen in favor of practical, experiential, 'in-the-world' engagement."

"Please join us and experience this unique cultural adaptation of Rinzai Zen for Americans."

07/09/12

7-Day Mondo Zen Sesshin - led by Jun Po Roshi - Dai Bosatsu Zendo, NY - June 15-22, 2013

Starting Date: 15-Jun-2013

"Jun Po Roshi and the Hollow Bones sangha will be returning to Dai Bosatsu Zendo for a specially designed seven day Mondo Zen sesshin."

"You are invited to return home with Jun Po to Dai Bosatsu Zendo in the Catskill Mountains of New York state to attend the Mondo Zen sesshin that Jun Po will be leading from June 15-22, 2013."

07/09/12

Marnie Froberg

Smiling Buddha Cabaret Blog

"Zen Has no Morals"

"An academic paper by Christopher Hamacher presented on 7 July 2012 at the International Cultic Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada has been uploaded to The Zen Site. It covers the cases of Eido T. Shimano in the USA, and Dr. Klaus Zernickow (also known as Sotetsu Yuzen) in Germany.  'Zen Has No Morals!'- The Latent Potential for Corruption and Abuse in. Zen Buddhism, as Exemplified by Two Recent Cases by Christopher Hamacher [PDF from The Zen Site]"

"It's lengthy at 44 pages but well worth a read, footnotes included, as they provide further insight and documented references into the abuse and misuse of the Buddhadharma in the Zen context."

"One of the most pertinent elements of the paper is the eight types of behavior the author describes as being characteristic of both these cases and possibly other cases as well. These behaviors include:

07/21/12

The Buddhist Channel: Issues

The Shimano saga: Selling off to pay the rent?

“In America, everybody's got to pay the rent, and the Zen Studies Society, a Zen Buddhist organization based in New York, with its two multi-million dollar centers, is no different.  Upkeep is required if the two centers -- Dai Bosatsu Zen monastery set on a 1,400-acre tract in the town of Hardenburgh, N.Y., and New York Zendo Sho Bo Ji, a converted carriage house on East 67th Street in Manhattan -- are to survive.”

“But the Zen Studies Society has been feeling the crunch of late not just because of hard economic times but also because of a variety of scandals centering on the former abbot, Eido Tai Shimano  – a man who, over a period of 46 years, stands credibly accused of a variety of depredations, including lying, character assassination, sexual misconduct and financial improprieties.”

“Large numbers of people were left mentally scarred in ways reminiscent of the child sex-abuse victims of the Vatican:  A trust and a body betrayed.  Year after year, decade after decade…  Denial after denial – after denial…”

“Now the Zen Studies Society faces some very hard financial choices. Shimano was forced into retirement in 2010, but his self-mandated deferred retirement package demands a $90,000 per year payment, that includes upkeep for the Manhattan apartment he and his wife live in, medical and life insurance for both of them, and various other benefits...  All coming out of the Zen Studies Society's donor supported pockets.”

“As a result, Zen Studies Society is in negotiations with The Nature Conservancy of Arlington, Va.,  either to lease, sell outright or create an easement on 1,000 acres of Dai Bosatsu's 1,400 total acreage.  This is land about which Shimano once said, ‘Under any circumstances, not even a square foot of property or a speck of dust should be sold. Right now this is under your [the Board of Directors] management, but strictly speaking it is the property of the Dharma, Keep that in your mind.’ The money from such a sale/lease/easement would clearly be used not only to support and advance the institutions under Zen Studies Society control, but also to meet its coerced contractual obligation with Shimano.”

“It is not entirely clear at the moment where the negotiations stand. Neither Zen Studies Society nor the Nature Conservancy has offered any transparent discussion about the amount of land in question or the financial arrangements under consideration.”

“The Nature Conservancy's lock-step mantra of ‘our mission is to protect and preserve the lands and water on which all life depends,’ is likely to be perceived by survivors of Shimano's depredations as the equivalent of a kick in the teeth – in the same fashion as would be a statement by the Penn State Athletic Department to the effect of, ‘all we want to do is play football.’ "

“It is clear that everyone has to pay the rent.”

07/22/12

Announcement:

Segaki Zazen-Kai All Day Ceremony
Sunday July 22, 2012
Kips Bay, NY

"You are cordially invited to attend a very special Rinzai Zen Tradition:"

"Segaki Zazen-Kai All Day Ceremony
Sunday July 22, 2012
Kips Bay"

"Ven. Eido Shimano Roshi, Founding Abbot (ret.) of Dai Bosatsu Zendo and Shobo-Ji and Aiho-san have accepted our invitation to attend this Segaki Zazen-kai as guest hosts and look forward to seeing you there."

07/23/12

Email From Zensho Martin Hara to Dharma Brothers and Sisters.

"Attached is a photo of the shrine that Roshi had set up for Segaki. Thank you all for making this day complete."

"On another matter, Eido Roshi will be attending DBZ for OBON on August 11th-12th. He will also conduct a special ceremony on Sunday with honored guests from Japan, to inaugurate the new Samon Gate for DBZ. This will be an auspicious weekend and an opportunity for all Sangha members to share and honor our Dharma lineage for all times."

"HOWEVER, I have just been informed of some talk about CANCELLING OBON due to a lack of Sangha response or support. Cancelling OBON to our Rinzai tradition would be like the Christian Church canceling Easter due to inconveniences. I believe that THIS is not possible as long as there are Sangha members alive who understand the importance of Segaki and OBON as part of our dharma practice and tradition. This is one time where showing up will make a difference."

"Please, if you have any intention of attending OBON August 11th -12th, 2012 at DBZ, please register now!"

07/25/12

Post by "Spike" on July 25, 2012.

"We at The Zen Studies Society hope you are all enjoying the summer. We want to let you know that Shinge Roshi was taken to the emergency room on Saturday morning after losing consciousness. A battery of tests ruled out cardiac arrest and stroke, but did reveal mild emphysema and degenerative disc disease."

"We have reviewed the summer schedule at Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji with an eye to moderating her commitments, and to consider projected attendance and event preparation. As a result, we are cancelling Samu Sesshin (August 3-8). We will continue to host 0-bon (August 11-12), but with a more reserved format. Aside from these changes, we will continue to offer the events published on our Calendar for August and September. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause."

07/26/12

Telephone Message to Kobutsu Malone from Rick Werwaiss: Received July 26, 2012 – 1:29 PM   

Return Telephone Call to Rick Werwaiss  –  (518) 242-6312

July 26, 2012 – 1:41PM    2:19 Duration

07/27/12

A Letter From Genjo Marinello-osho to Rick Werwaiss and Mark Tercek of The Nature Conservency.

"I wish to add my voice to the plea that you NOT proceed with the land trust deal that is in the works with the Zen Studies Society (ZSS) at this time. I have no argument with protecting the land concerned, but I do object the fact that the resources generated from this trust will mainly go to a known sexual predator, the founding abbot of ZSS, Eido Shimano Roshi, who serially groomed vulnerable female students under his care and direction for his sexual gratification over the course of decades, even reportedly engaging in date rape if he didn't have his way.”

“The land is not going anywhere and the deal should be at least postponed until after the ZSS has concluded all financial obligations and organizational connections with the Shimanos (they still invite him to events and ceremonies). At the moment, as the Buddhist Channel article correctly states, the Shimanos are being paid in excess of $90,000 a year in deferred compensation and benefits, which is bankrupting the organization, making it clear that if the trust would go forward at this time the monies would end up going to him. Please let the ZSS become disentangled financially before proceeding. I believe not going forward with the trust at this time will force the ZSS to go to court to abrogate what are legally flawed, unjustifiable Deferred Compensation Agreements with the Shimanos. Please don't help ZSS give this precious resource away. If anything the monies should be used to support the victims not the victimizer.”

08/09/12

Post by "Spike" on August 9, 2012.

“So many of you have written beautiful cards and emails and have phoned regarding my health. Please know that I am grateful for your concern and your chanting, and it has helped a lot. I have taken every imaginable test, and the results are very encouraging: no sign of stroke, my heart is functioning fine now, and the congestion in my lungs has cleared. After a few days' rest, I was able to lead the three-day summer sesshin at Hoen-ji, and I am now looking forward to O-Bon, which is such a deeply meaningful ceremony for all of us.”

“As I know you all know, sitting and sharing the Dharma is incomparably the best way to heal. At the same time, I am learning to listen to my body, and to yield when rest is needed. This Mind is unlimited, but our bodies are not. I will do my best to model this for all of us.”

“We are really fortunate in having a great group of residents at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, three of whom will begin 1,000-days training as monks at the end of Golden Wind Sesshin. All who did spring kessei are returning, and several new kessei students will be joining us in September, bringing our total to about fifteen.”

08/15/12

Genjo Marinello, Osho - Shimano's Fifth Dharma Heir.

Post to Zen Forum International.

“As we know, just recently on August 12, 2012, Eido Roshi was scheduled to conduct a special ceremony with honored guests from Japan, to inaugurate the new $100,000+ Samon (Main Temple) Gate to Dai Bosatsu Zendo (DBZ), the Zen Studies Society (ZSS) monastery in the Catskill Mountains of New York."

[ See entry of: 06/10/2010 ]

" The current abbot of ZSS invited him, Shinge Sherry Chayat Roshi, appointed by Eido Roshi to be his successor. Many former ZSS students, including myself, and some current participants, including some ZSS Board members did not consider this invitation a good idea. In fact it is my recollection that nearly the entire ZSS board, at least when I sat on it, did not intend to invite Eido Roshi to this or any other ceremony on ZSS property, let alone allow him to ‘conduct’ one (see: http://playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/segaki ... 2Email.pdf ).”

“Personally, I’ve come to forgive Eido Roshi for turning out to be a sexual predator who preyed on the most vulnerable female students under his care, resorting to date rape when he couldn’t get his way, and passing STDs to his students. Perhaps this forgiveness is not mine to give, as I was in no way abused or assaulted by him, but somehow I’ve come to understand that he clearly had no capacity to control his impulses, even though he was confronted about his problem multiple times over the course of decades. I have no desire to see him in prison, even though in many states he would be in prison for having sexual relations with multiple females (often at the same time) in the ‘congregation.’ ”

“You see, though he has my forgiveness and understanding, I do not want more innocent students exposed to his abuses of power and authority.”

“What I'm not yet able to forgive is that Shinge Roshi and the ZSS board continue to expose the ZSS Sangha to this man that still denies he has a problem, at least not any kind of problem that would require him to work on his culpability. What I also cannot forgive or understand is why they are bankrupting the organization trying to pay him his deferred compensation at the rate of $90,000+ per year in compensation and benefits, even though he continues to teach in New York and elsewhere around the world. (See: http://playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/where.html ). Unfortunately, Shinge Roshi has told me he deserves this amount, which is why I think she is unwilling to test the issue in court. Yet, by holding to this position, she and the board are indirectly funding Eido Roshi’s ability to continue to teach, exposing more students to his predations. As many know, ZSS is currently seeking to set up a conservation trust with the Nature Conservancy for about half of the DBZ property, an idea which I support, to fund the Shimanos retirement, which I don’t support or forgive (see: http://www.choboji.org/NC.pdf), as it will continue to fund Eido Roshi’s teaching and predations off property.”

“Many have said to me, ‘Shinge Roshi is doing the best she can,’ but sometimes we must come to recognize ‘the best we can’ just doesn't cut it, and if we are clear eyed enough to see this we must say so. In my opinion, Shinge Roshi’s loyalty to Eido Roshi is clouding her better judgment and hurting ZSS's chances of recovery. By supporting only the sangha left standing after another mass exodus, so many are ignored and left out of the process. At least this is how I see it.”

08/17/12

(Sanitized Version)

LINK:

Teacher Sexual misconduct -Eido Tai Shimano, ZSS, and others.

August 15 – 19, 2012   Page 107

08/18/12

Click on above thumbnail for high-res image.

Dai Bosatsu Zendo O-Bon and
Sanmon Gate Ceremonies
August 11–12, 2012

Photographs by Zensho Martin Hara.

The sign above the gate entry way reads:

鳳雲山

~ Hounsan ~

“Male phoenix bird cloud mountain.”

Pursuant to an appeal for pictures of the DBZ Sanmon gate on the now expunged Zen Forum International (ZFI) "Teacher Sexual misconduct - Eido Tai Shimano, ZSS, and others." thread (August 16, 2012;  Page 107) (Please note that the original non-expunged ZFI thread is archived here:)

The shimanoarchive received an anonymous email on 08/18/12 pointing to the Playful Moon website:

http://www.playfulmoon.com/EidoRoshi/where.html
containing the following:

"Eido Roshi at Kongo-ji for Obon and Gate inauguration, August 2012"

"After talks of cancellation, ‘Over 100 Sangha members attended the OBON Ceremonies on Saturday, August 11th, 2012 [...], over 60 guests remained for the Sanmon Gate Ceremonies. Eido Roshi conducted the inauguration announcing a new Dharma name for DBZ: Hounzan Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji.’ (extracted from an email to Sangha Members from Zensho Martin Hara). Here are links to photos:"

"OBON at DBZ: photobucket.com/obon2012 Last accessed August 16, 2012"

"Sanmon Gate Ceremony: photobucket.com/hounzan Last accessed August 16, 2012"