It's incredible to me that you'll turn 60 this year - Zen seems to have kept you young in mind and body. Anyways, thank you for the teachings, Warner Roshi.
When I started Zazen in a group, I met a guy who would soon to be a “Zen Master” (German: Zen-Meister). He seemed to like that term. So I had a strange gut feeling and left that group. When I now watch his RU-vid videos, I know that was the best I could do.
So… yeah. Language, words… 🤷♀️ Zen exists in life …aside from words… Hey, It’s okay to be a “master” … practicing! No one practices to be a master. Well, almost nobody. A few people just get way too attached to titles. 🙏🏼
Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009) published many books under the moniker “Chan Master Sheng Yen”, while he was still alive. But his Temple was in Taiwan, rather than Japan. And, of course, ‘Chan’ is the original term, referred to as ‘Zen’ in Japanese. Granted nobody ever ‘totally’ masters anything. But then nobody refers to themself as a ‘Total Master’ of Chan/Zen. It’s all a matter of tradition, in each line of endeavor.
Hey Brad, I'm the guy suggesting you should try out Yokoji in the mountains near where you live. Yokoji is a Maezumi White Plum place. Sensei is like you've been given permission to teach and conduct dokusan but you're still under the care of the Roshi. Roshi is when you've been given Inka from your Roshi, and you're cut loose. That's all. Senseis still got some shit to do before they can run away and start their own thing with full blessings from the "masters." If the current masters (I love calling them master because no one else does and they hate it) at Yokoji ever said they were Roshis, or when Jokai Roshi was a Sensai ever said he was a sensei unsolicited... they would make fun of themselves, I certainly would make fun of them to their face and they'd love it. I'm tellin you, you'll like this place. They just get down with the get-down.
Call me naive, but I always assumed "master" was relative, like "you're a master *compared to me*!" Zen is a skill, obviously nobody "masters" a skill, everyone knows learning a skill is a lifelong effort. You can be amazing at something, because you've done it longer and with more effort than a newcomer, but that doesn't mean you've perfected it. It just means you're more familiar with it than most people. And if you'll excuse me for this one, I think I also should defend people calling themselves "sensei" - not that they *should*, but obviously Japanese honorifics are a foreign concept in English, being a "sensei" or "roshi" is just a job title to the English repertoire. "I'm a teacher" is different from the Japanese concept of "people call me teacher", there is no English analogue to that, so, we have to compromise with information loss. "I call you sensei", "oh, now I'm sensei!" That's just how English and western culture operate. Sorry, didn't mean to make this sound "I know better than you", just trying to comfort you in a weird way. I totally get being annoyed by semantics (you should see me when someone say "pin number")
Does it matter? It might be a useful litmus test to identify frauds and fools. I spent almost 10 years in China and the terms are more prosaic. Roshi / laoshi is "teacher" - pretty much of any kind. Sensei / xiansheng is "Mr" which is used in a sense as an honorific for some occupations too. Overall, I blame the Karate Kid.
How much momentum still exists today in the packaging of Zen from East to West in the imagery of Japanese Zen? Re-reading The Way of Zen by Alan Watts several years later from first reading it, it's clear that Zen (the actual act of meditating) and at least Japanese culture could not be teased apart, at least in Watt's time. Stripped down to its bare bones, what then is Zen? You're aware of breathing, aware you're questioning, aware you're just sitting (I suppose). Seems Zen may be burden with a lot of unnecessary packaging that may hinder new people to it. I'm sure there are books about Zen without Buddhism, but curious your thoughts.
If it is appropriate I would like to ask a question. Since I started studying Buddhism a few years ago, many things around me started to seem clear and more "obvious" (I have no better term to describe it). But there is also a feeling of deep confusion present all the time. Like my mind is trying to solve a puzzle or trying to imagine a new color. Would you try to describe what can be a source of such thought/feeling to arise? Thank you, for your videos!
Thanks! That might be a good topic! I did something about prayer in Zen a while ago. There are prayers recited in Zen temples sometimes in which you ask the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past for assistance. I always thought of it as a metaphor, although, who really knows? Maybe the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do help us in some weird way...
Hey Brad my name is Matt, I totally feel the same way in regards to Zen. The Ancient Dragon Zen Gate is right near me. Taigen Leighton is The Guiding Dharma Teacher. What was their policy during the pandemic that did not agree with you? I feel, if I want, I can do zazen without guidance. Not sure if I want to go there. I've read Zen Mind Beginners Mind and like Shunryū Suzuki very much. I'm reading Opening the Hand of Thought. Not sure what can be gained from going to the "zen gate" that I can't do for myself with the exception of joining a sangha. Sorry to be long winded. Thanks,Matt
Second bite - true story - I once heard an esteemed zen practitioner respond to being called "zen master" by saying "there are no masters, just students, like me". I liked that.
In response to the question: "Why do you tour so much?' Stand up comic Jimmy Carr said: "I think when you know who you are, it's important to be where your feet are standing.''🙃
It’s comparable to the haiku community, maybe. It’s understood that no one can master haiku. Therefore, no one is a haiku master. Most “great” poets don’t consider themselves masters of their art. They usually think of themselves as constant students of their art.
Great talk. I always thought of master as the traditional western concept. A master was someone who could take on apprentices, train journeymen (journeypeople?) but could not designate someone to be a master. I think that had to come from a committee of masters. As for sensei, I was told to used it as a statement of respect for someone who taught you something. The auto mechanic or the hair dresser (as you mentioned) can teach you things. That still works for me.
To make matters more confusing, White Plum has the term "Dharma Holder." I believe this refers to a layperson who's had Dharma transmission. Some of the points you made refer to the difference between Japanese and American culture. Japan values being humble while America values success and selling yourself. An American would seem rude in Japan while a Japanese master would go unnoticed in America.
