http://www.chicagozen.org/
The Chicago Zen Center was founded in 1974 by a group of students from the Rochester Zen Center. The sangha of the Chicago Zen Center comprises teachers, residents, and lay practitioners (members and non-members). Most practitioners are Buddhist converts instead of immigrants. Yusan Graham is the current Abbot and Director of the Chicago Zen Center.
In 2010, Yusan was ordained priest in the Three Jewels Order (see: Sanbōkyōdan or Yatsutani-Harada tradition) and also received ordination in the shukke tokudo order of the Soto tradition. It was at this time that he changed his name from Jim to Yusan, which not only sounds similar to his hometown of “Houston”, but is also a classic Zen namesake. Ching Yusan is famous for the adage “Before practicing Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters…” (source: http://chicagozen.blogspot.com/2010/05/ordination-of-yusan-graham-and-elie.html).
Sevan Ross was the head teacher of the Chicago Zen Center before Yusan.
Ross was the Chicago Zen Center’s first autonomous resident teacher. He attained that position in 1997 after extensive training at the Rochester Zen Center. Before that, the CZC was an affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center under Philip Kapleau.
Kapleau is known for bringing an accessible form of Zen Buddhism to the West. His most famous book, The Three Pillars of Zen, provides guidelines on how to practice Zen for the average Western layperson. The purpose of Zen is kensho, or seeing one’s true buddhanature. Satori, or self-realization, is realized through zazen, during which one focuses the mind and allows mentally-imposed dualities to fade away with the rise and fall of each breath (Sharf, 418). It is important to note the historicity of Kapleau’s brand of Zen Buddhism—that is, Kapleau’s Zen “can be misleading if used uncritically as a model of traditional Zen monastic training” (Sharf, 419). Traditional Zen monasteries in Japan tended to be dogmatic and based on ritual. Kapleau’s tradition, on the other hand, is part of the Yatsutani-Harada lineage, which sought to blend the best elements of Rinzai and Soto Zen.
History of Sanbōkyōdan or Yatsutani-Harada tradition
The blending of the Japanese Rinzai and Soto Zen sects in Kapleau’s lineage can be traced back to Harada Daiun (1871-1961), the teacher of Yatsutani Hakuun (1885-1973), who started the contemporary Sanbōkyōdan or “Three Jewels” tradition (Sharf, 420). The “Three Jewels” are the three refuges of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma (way, truth), and the Sangha (community).
The original Sanbōkyōdan leaders wanted to take the best of Rinzai with the best of Soto, while leaving behind what they saw as the unnecessary and detrimental institutionalization, ritualization, and intellectualization found in traditional Rinzai and Soto monasteries. They insisted that “True Zen” is nothing other than the experience of kensho, “a personal and profound realization of the essential nonduality of all phenomenal existence” (Sharf, 426). As such, the traditional ceremonies, robes, scriptures, and other rituals were all viewed merely as means to an end: that of true insight. Sanbōkyōdan has always been geared toward laypeople instead of monastics. It is not necessary to live in a monastery to practice Sanbōkyōdan; instead, short retreats lasting a week or less, called sesshin, are encouraged.
The heart of the practice in the Yatsutani-Harada tradition is zazen (seated meditation) and a simplified form of koan study. According to the Chicago Zen Center, koans are “records” of improvised teachings used to “nudge” or “prod” students beyond conceptualization and toward the realization of inner truth (http://www.chicagozen.org/home/on-koan-work). The CZC prides itself on its rigorous koan tradition; once students have developed a degree of concentration, “koan work may be offered as a way to harness that attention in a dynamic way.”
The focus of zazen is correct posture and breathing. It is important not just to “observe”, but also to be “engaged” in the practice. Practitioners who wish to practice zazen at the Chicago Zen Center should arrive at least ten minutes before the session and optionally change into a “sitting robe” provided by the CZC. Changing into the robe is encouraged in order for the practitioner to get into the correct mindset. Zazen is practiced in the Buddha Hall, where CZC members bow before entering and exiting. Once they have entered, they should take a seat on their cushion facing the wall, and begin meditating. The focus is simply on the inhalation and exhalation of the breath while keeping the body in a relaxed yet upright position. The meditator will occasionally experience thoughts or physical discomfort; these should be noted but not resisted. In fact, it is crucial that the person practicing zazen remain as still as possible, as any motion is a distraction to others meditating in the room. Some meditators request the use of the kyosaku or “encouragement stick”, which is used by a monitor to strike the meditator once on each shoulder during zazen. Halfway through zazen, bells signal a posture change, at which time the practitioners may move to make adjustments to their posture.
Zazen at the CZC is sometimes followed by kinhin: walking meditation. This is helpful in transitioning from the static seated position back to daily motion, while retaining the focus of zazen. A bell signals practitioners to stand up and face the center of the zendo, bow, turn left and begin walking. During kinhin the eyes are lowered towards the floor and hands are held together at the base of the sternum, with the right hand over the left fist. Practitioners walk in a continuous line around the zendo, maintaining concentration, until bells signal the end of kinhin.
Sangha ethics…
According to the Chicago Zen Center Ethical Guidelines, adapted from the guidelines of Kapleau’s Rochester Zen Center, “Zen is a path of spiritual practice leading to insight into the true nature that we share with all beings” (CZC Ethical Guidelines, page 1). As such, an ethics of sixteen Boddhisattva precepts is essential both on and off “the cushion.” Buddhism holds that all beings are intricately bound to each other; each member of the net affects the others. It is important, then, to follow the three resolutions of Buddhism: Resolve to avoid evil; Resolve to do good; Resolve to liberate all sentient beings. Rounding out the sixteen precepts are the ten cardinal precepts, which are the resolutions not to kill, steal, misuse sexuality, lie, abuse alcohol or drugs, speak the faults of others, praise oneself at the expense of others, withold spiritual aid, indulge in anger, nor to revile the Three Treasures (CZC Ethical Guidelines, page 3).
The wider sangha of Zen communities affiliated with the Chicago Zen Center all trace their lineage to Philip Kapleau. Rochester Zen Center (Ven. Bodhin Kjolhede, Roshi), Madison Zen Center (Ven. Bodhin Kjolhede, Roshi; Rick Smith, Group Leader), Mountain Gate, New Mexico (Ven. Mitra Bishop, Sensei), Vermont Zen Center (Ven. Sunyana Graef, Sensei), Windhorse Zen Community, North Carolina (Ven. Sunya Kjolhede, Sensei; Ven. Lawson Sachter, Sensei), and the Zen Center of Denver (Karin Ryuku Kempe, Sensei; Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge, Sensei; Peggy Metta Sheehan, Sensei) in the United States of America; Montreal Zen Center (Albert Low, Teacher-Director) and Toronto Zen Center (Ven. Taigen Henderson, Sensei) in Canada; Casa Zen (Gerardo Gally, Sensei) in Mexico; Aukland Zen Centre (Ven. Amala Wrightson, Sensei) in New Zealand; Berlin Zen Group (Robert Goldmann, Sensei) in Germany; Śląska Szkoła Zen (Ven. Sthaman Prejzner, Sensei) in Poland; and Zenbuddhistiska samfundet (Ven. Sante Poromaa, Sensei; Ven. Kanja Odland, Sensei) in Sweden—all of these communities are part of the wider sangha of the Chicago Zen Center. For links to the websites of each of these communities: http://www.chicagozen.org/information/the-wider-sangha. For more information, the CZC also recommends Sweeping Zen, “The definitive online who’s who of zen”: http://sweepingzen.com/.
A few times a year, the Chicago Zen Center has special occasions. In Spring is Vesak, a commemoration of the Buddha’s birth. This celebration involves a round of zazen, followed by practitioners pouring sweet tea over the head of a statue of the Baby Buddha in the CZC Buddha Hall.
After that, everyone listens to a recounting of the narrative of the birth of the Buddha, and finally partakes in a potluck buffet.
The Ceremony of Gratitude takes place on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This family event consists of a chanting service and talk, followed by expressions of gratitude by those present, and then brunch.
New Year’s Eve is a ceremony of renewal, during which practitioners acknowledge their shortcomings, and rededicate their temple and themselves to further practice. Zazen and chanting are followed by repentence, the burning of klea papers, tea, the purification of the temple by the abbot, prayers of lovingkindness, and finally, dessert.
The Chicago Zen Center also conducts weddings—which can be seen as a “westernization” of Buddhism—and funeral services. During funerals, the community comes together to commemorate the loss of one of its members by offering incense, food, and chants.
The Chicago Zen Center runs its own Zen Buddhist publication called Zen Staff, published quarterly (a link to the website can be found here: http://zenstaff.blogspot.com/). The publication is supported by CZC members and friends who contribute poetry, photography, essays, and other reflections. Zen Staff, always with a tone of “openness and questioning”, seeks to provide a sort of translation of its dedicated contributors’ experiences with the world, whether that means thoughts on day-to-day practices, or more conceptual investigations of the Dharma. The following is a Haiku submited by Gregg Cooke:
Other pieces have included thoughts on the 2013 temple bombings at Bodh Gaya by Yusan Graham, a review of Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion by Neil Snider, and an explanation of how tofu can be a teacher by Hugh Thomas. Zen Staff appears to be a male-driven publication, and its website has not been updated in years.
Works Cited
CZC Ethical Guidelines, October 2011. < https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=Y2hpY2Fnb3plbi5vcmd8Y3pjdGVzdDF8Z3g6MTljMWUwOTUwOWUyYWY4ZA >.
Sharf, Robert H., “Sanbōkyōdan: Zen and the Way of the New Religions”. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 1995. < http://buddhiststudies.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/sharf/documents/Sharf1995,%20Sanbokyodan.pdf >.