Buddhism Now
I’m sitting on my cushion in the morning before going to work and that feeling of openness comes, — not a thought-free feeling but one of awareness of being there, on the cushion, and of being content with just that. Then there is a feeling of gratitude for being taught a zazen with no strings attached—no elaborate initiation, no progress reports, and no conclusions. But there is a personal mystery that shrouds my feeling of gratitude. Why have I felt such ambivalence for the man who introduced me to and guided me through this practice? I feel that I must contact him again and work through these feelings and put some kind of closure to our relationship. The man is Uchiyama Kôshô Roshi and he was abbot of Antaiji from the time of his teacher’s death in 1965 until his own retirement in 1975. During his ten years as abbot of Antaiji, Uchiyama set up a temple where clergy and lay people, Japanese and westerners, men and women, could practise zazen together in as accommodating an atmosphere for practice as one can imagine in a temple in Japan. (more…)
Filed under: Arthur Braverman, Ch'an / Seon / Zen, Encyclopedia, History, Mahayana | Tagged: Antaiji, Sawaki Roshi, Sodô san, Uchiyama Kôshô Roshi | 1 Comment »
