Or Something Like That

Zen in the West a film by Daniel Luke Fitch.  With Henry Shukman Roshi, Yamada Ryoun Roshi, David Loy Roshi, Reuben Habito Roshi, Venerable Dr. Parravati.  Part of Tricycle’s BuddhaFest Online.  ***1/2.

I rarely sign up for anything like BuddhaFest, the yearly event that Tricycle puts on, but this year, since it’s strictly virtual, and they’re sponsoring seven movies, and I could save money with the earlybird special, I thought I would.  Six movies for thirty bucks doesn’t sound bad.  Of everything they were showing, Zen in the West sounded the best to me.  I practice Zen, and was familiar with more than one of these teachers.  I figured I’d have a look.

So I should say right off the bat that this is a perfectly good movie and I enjoyed it.  It included a number of talking heads saying interesting things about Buddhism, and I appreciated their words.  There is a bit more of an emphasis on social justice work than I might have expected, but that’s partly a function of the times we’re living in, and I agree with what they say.  What I hadn’t noticed when I glanced at the publicity was that most, though not all, of the teachers come from a single organization, now known as Sanbozen.

The talking head who appears most in the movie, Henry Shukman, is part of that organization, and we see him traveling to Japan to see his teacher, who is the head of the group.  A number of the other speakers are part of it.  It has a little bit of a feel of being propaganda for a single group, though it doesn’t ever make a pitch for it, and though a few people from outside the group appear.  It just gave me a weird feeling, to be watching a movie entitled Zen in the West and to have it focus overwhelmingly on a single organization.

I’ve actually had a long-term interest in the group, and once maintained a kind of lay membership.  They have a wonderful statement of purpose, which I sometimes read for inspiration:

“The fundamental position of the SANBÔZEN is to stand at the origin point of Buddhism through the Dharma gate of Dôgen Zenji.”

“The “origin point of Buddhism” means Shakyamuni, especially his great enlightenment experience itself. After a long period of ascetic training Shakyamuni was confident that true enlightenment was not a product of asceticism; therefore, he nourished himself through proper meals and then sat under a tree, which later became known as the Bodhi-tree. On 8 December, upon glimpsing the twinkling morning star he suddenly came to a great and thorough enlightenment. This experience of great realization of Shakyamuni is the origin point of the Buddhist Way.

“The purpose of our practice is to follow the footsteps of Shakyamuni through correct zazen practice and to realize our true nature which is infinite and absolute; furthermore, we aim to eradicate our attachment to enlightenment as such and keep making endless efforts to let our true self manifest itself in our personality and daily life. This is what is meant by ‘the Dharma gate of Dôgen Zenji.’

“Through this actual practice we can attain true and ultimate peace of mind and come to foster spontaneously a deep Bodhisattva-wish to share this joy with all other beings, while constantly engaged in the great activities of purifying this world and this entire universe. In the Way of Zen, handed down through the buddhas and ancestors in the past, the way to actualize this great aim is traditionally established in a concrete and distinct manner – that is zazen. It is the ultimate aim of the SANBÔZEN to contribute to steadily realizing true and everlasting peace among all people through this actual practice of zazen.”

I certainly can’t object to any of that.  I’m also fascinated by the fact that this group has a long history of being associated with Christians who began practicing Buddhism, beginning with the famous Father LaSalle and coming down to such contemporaries as Elaine MacInnes and Reuben Habito.  I love stories like that and am interested in these people.  And a couple of the Japanese teachers had full lives as Zen teachers while maintaining a whole other life in the business world.  The current leader, Yamada Ryoun Roshi, does that.

I do feel uneasy when I hear—which I’ve heard from a couple of people—that this group practices with koans.  I’m not sure how that is Dogen Zen.  And there is a lot of talk—certainly in the work of Henry Shukman, whose memoir I’ve read, but also in this movie in general, about experiences of opening, or kensho.  Soto Zen—the sect associated with Dogen—has always downplayed specific experiences.

So I worry that people might get the wrong idea about Zen in general, or about Dogen Zen in particular.  I don’t think this film is representative of Zen in the West.  On the other hand, within its limited sphere, it’s informative and well done.  And it does step a little out of the sphere of Sanbozen.  Joan Halifax appears.  Kaz Tanahashi makes a brief appearance.  And Bernie Glassman is featured in what they advertise as his final interview.  That is especially welcome.  And a woman from my current neck of the woods—Hendersonville, NC, quite near Asheville—Venerable Dr. Pannavati makes a couple of brief but extremely eloquent appearances.  I’m not at all clear on her Zen lineage.  But she’s worth listening to.

What I think I’m saying is that this movie doesn’t cover the ground.  It mostly focuses on a single group and leaves many other notable groups out.  And though at the end it seems to try to make up for that, the effort ultimately seems half-assed.  I mean, Jeremy Irons narrates the film, a great choice (especially when he reads from The Four Quartets at the beginning), but now and then he steps in and offers his opinions about Zen too.  Has he ever practiced?  I have no idea.

One more minor quibble, while I’m at it.  My understanding of Zen is that the title Roshi is one of extreme respect, bestowed on a somewhat older teacher by her students to show their reverence for her teachings.  But the term is thrown around rather freely in this movie, especially in the credits.  As we say in the South, you can’t swing a dead cat in this movie without hitting a Roshi.  And that ain’t right.

Buddhafest movies show through August 16^th.  The current price—not sure when this changes—is $30 for the entire festival.  Seven wisdom talks and seven films.