The New York Times: “Sex Scandal Has Buddhist Looking Within”
by Danny Fisher
"The Zen Studies Society monastery. The society's abbot was linked to a series of affairs." Photo by Suzanne DeChillo for The New York Times.
The New York Times takes on the issue of the “Shimano Archives”, a collection of letters held at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Library Archives, and the furor surrounding their contents. Check it out. (To read my previous blogs on the situation, follow this link.)
In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I was interviewed for this piece by author Mark Oppenheimer. Though I was not quoted, I was glad to see that Mr. Oppenheimer consulted an important article by Katy Butler that I recommended. (You should all read it too if you haven’t.)
The Buddhist teachings on rebirth is indispensable for leading an ethical life. Zen, in particular, disbelieves in rebirth. So what do you expect?
Believe and practice the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Buddha and Nichiren taught and find out what it is to lead an ethical existence.
Of course Zen has faith in rebirth. It is just not emphasized in the same way as in Tibetan Buddhism.
Here is a letter I sent to the Times in response to Mark Oppenheimer’s piece.
Thanks,
Alan
Re: Sex Scandal Has U.S. Buddhists Looking Within
By MARK OPPENHEIMER, August 20, 2010
To the Editor:
Many teachers and practitioners in American Buddhist communities are encouraged to see that New York’s Zen Studies Society has at last taken steps to address old and continuing questions about sexual improprieties linked to their abbot, Eido Shimano.
Mark Oppenheimer is correct that western Buddhism has no coordinating hierarchies or governing bodies. Given how well hierarchy has worked out for the Catholic Church, that might not be a bad thing. But he also writes: “Sex, alcoholism and drug abuse by major Buddhist leaders have all been tolerated over the years…” On the contrary, over the last twenty years, Buddhists of all traditions have been establishing ethical guidelines, detailed procedures, and principles of transparency for teachers and students. Abuse of authority and sexual misconduct tends to arise with unchecked spiritual power and lack of accountability. Shakyamuni Buddha recognized this problem right from the start, and established clear ethical precepts for his Indian sangha twenty-five hundred years ago.
The Buddha’s ethical teachings are being skillfully translated into our modern congregational life. This work was spearheaded by the non-sectarian Buddhist Peace Fellowship and concerned teachers in the 1990s. It has been taken up widely by practice places, and by organizations like the American Zen Teachers’ Association, the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, and the major Vipassana training centers. There is more work to do, and as long as we are human there will be problems. But I believe we are well begun.
Sincerely,
Rev. Alan Senauke
Berkeley, CA
The author is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, director of the Clear View Project.
Terrific letter, Rev. Senauke! I hope they run it at the Times. _/|\_
[...] Miller offers some insightful reflections on Mark Oppenheimer’s recent New York Times piece “Sex Scandal Has U.S. Buddhists Looking Within”. Here’s a good snippet: It is undeniable that the news is hot on stories of what [...]