From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below is a timeline of important events regarding
Zen Buddhism in the United States . Dates with "?" are approximate.
Events
Early history
1893:
Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the
World Parliament of Religions held in
Chicago
On November 18, 1903, Rev. Sokyo Ueoka, head minister of Tokujuan Soto Zen Temple in Honichi, Nuta Higashi Village. Toyota—gun (present day Mihara City), Hiroshima Prefecture. received an assignment to become a visiting minister to Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. Arriving in Honolulu on July 9, 1904 he built a temporary temple in the Aiea plantation. Upon the request of Japanese residents on Maui, he moved to Lower Paia on November 7, 1906 with his wife, Tomiyo, who joined him from Japan. Through the initiative of Sukesaburo Yamazaki, Kikujiro Soga, and Unosuke Ogawa, he leased a half-acre of land for 15 years from local Hawaiians. This site was adjacent to the present Paia Fire Station and behind the former County Courthouse. The construction of the temple began in March 1907 with a ceremony officiated by Rev. Ryoun Kan of Zenshuji Soto Zen Temple of Kauai. Rev. Kan is considered to be the honorary founder of Mantokuji with the title "Kanjyo Kaisan", while Rev. Sokyo Ueoka is the official founder or "Kaisan" of Mantokuji. The official title of the temple, given by the head temple in Japan, is “Machozan Mantokuji".
[1]
1905:
Soyen Shaku returns to the United States and teaches for approximately one year in
San Francisco
1906:
Sokei-an arrives in
San Francisco
1919:
Soyen Shaku dies on October 29 in
Japan
1922:
Zenshuji Soto Mission is established in the
Little Tokyo section of
Los Angeles, California
1922:
Nyogen Senzaki begins teaching in
California with his "floating
zendo "
1930:
Sokei-an establishes the Buddhist Society of America (now
First Zen Institute of America )
1932:
Dwight Goddard authors A Buddhist Bible , an anthology focusing on Chinese and Japanese Zen scriptures
1938:
Ruth Fuller Sasaki became a principal supporter of the Buddhist Society of America (later known as the
First Zen Institute of America ),
1939
Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka arrives in America
1945:
Sokei-an dies
1949:
Soyu Matsuoka establishes the
Chicago Buddhist Temple (now the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago)
1949:
Soen Nakagawa makes his first trip to the
United States to meet with
Nyogen Senzaki
1950s
Hsuan Hua , America's first Chinese Chan teacher.
1960s
1970s
1970:
Edward Espe Brown publishes the Tassajara Bread Book
1970: Shunryu Suzuki's book
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is published by Weatherhill
1970: Shunryu Suzuki ordains
Tenshin Reb Anderson
1970:
Shasta Abbey is established in
Mount Shasta, California by
Jiyu Kennett
1970:
James Ishmael Ford received Dharma transmission from Houn Jiyu Kennett 2 May 1971
1970:
Santa Cruz Zen Center is founded by
Kobun Chino Roshi .
1971 Shunryu Suzuki ordains Keido Les Kaye
1971:
Shunryu Suzuki dies.
1971:
Yamada Koun moves to
Diamond Sangha in
Hawaii to lead
sesshin
1971:
Kobun Chino Otogawa becomes abbot of Haiku Zen Center
1971:
Kyozan Joshu Sasaki founds
Mount Baldy Zen Center
1972:
Seung Sahn arrives from
Korea in
Providence, Rhode Island and founds the
Providence Zen Center
1972:
Green Gulch Farm opens in
Muir Beach, CA as part of the
San Francisco Zen Center
1972 First meeting of the
Zen Center of Syracuse founded by graduate students of Syracuse University
1972:
Dainin Katagiri founds the
Minnesota Zen Center
1972:
Eido Tai Shimano receives
Dharma transmission (Inka Shomei) from
Soen Nakagawa at NY Zendo
1973:
Haku'un Yasutani dies
1973:
Kyozan Joshu Sasaki founds
Bodhi Manda Zen Center
1973:
Jakusho Kwong founds the
Sonoma Mountain Zen Center
1973: Seikan Hasegawa founds Rock Creek Buddhist Temple of America, Inc., in Derwood, Maryland
1973: The
Cambridge Zen Center is founded as part of the
Kwan Um School of Zen
1973: The
New Haven Zen Center is founded as part of the
Kwan Um School of Zen
1974:
Robert Pirsig publishes
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values .
1974:
Robert Baker Aitken receives teaching permission from
Yamada Koun
1974: The
Chicago Zen Center is founded by
Philip Kapleau
1975?:
Taizan Maezumi founds the
White Plum Asanga
1975: The
Chogye International Zen Center is founded by the
Kwan Um School of Zen in
New York City
1975: Seikan Hasegawa's book, The Cave of Poison Grass, Essays on the Hannya Sutra is published by Great Ocean Publishers
[3]
1976:
Shohaku Okumura helps found
Valley Zendo in
Charlemont, MA
1976:
Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji opens in the
Catskill Mountains of
New York State
1976:
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman becomes
Taizan Maezumi 's first Dharma successor
1976: The
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is built, the first and still largest Chinese Ch'an community in the United States
1976:
Heng Sure is ordained by
Hsuan Hua , becomes one of the first Western Chinese Ch'an monks
1977:
Kyogen Carlson receives
Dharma transmission from
Jiyu Kennett
1977: Seikan Hasegawa's book, Essays on Marriage is published by Great Ocean Publishers
1977?: The
Atlanta Soto Zen Center is founded by Zenkai Michael Elliston
1978: The
Buddhist Peace Fellowship is founded
1978:
Charlotte Joko Beck receives
Dharma transmission from
Taizan Maezumi
1978:
Genki Takabayashi becomes resident teacher at the
Seattle Zen Center
1979:
Maurine Stuart becomes President of the
Cambridge Buddhist Association
1979:
Omori Sogen of
Tenryu-ji founds
Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Honolulu, the first Rinzai Zen temple headquarters established outside Japan.
1980s
1980:
Ch'an master
Sheng-yen begins teaching in the
United States
1980:
Dennis Genpo Merzel receives
shiho (permission to teach) from
Taizan Maezumi
1980:
Hartford Street Zen Center is established
1980:
Zen Mountain Monastery in founded in
Mount Tremper, New York by
Taizan Maezumi and
John Daido Loori
1981:
Toni Packer leaves
Rochester Zen Center and founds her own non-Buddhist retreat
1981:
Taizan Maezumi founds
Yokoji Zen Mountain Center
1982:
Maurine Stuart informally receives the title
roshi from
Soen Nakagawa in a private ceremony
1982: The Rinzai temple that would become
Daiyuzenji is founded in Chicago, Illinois as a betsuin (branch) of
Daihonzan Chozen-ji by Tenshin Tanouye and
Fumio Toyoda .
1983:
Jan Chozen Bays receives
Dharma transmission from
Taizan Maezumi
1983: The
Kwan Um School of Zen is established by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim
1983:
Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji is founded in
Seattle, Washington by
Genki Takabayashi
1983:
Zentatsu Richard Baker confers
Dharma transmission to
Tenshin Reb Anderson
1983:
Taizan Maezumi is confronted about his sexual relationships with some students and enters
alcoholism treatment
1984:
Zentatsu Richard Baker resigns as abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center amidst controversy
1984:
Katagiri Roshi , abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, agrees to serve as interim abbot of the
San Francisco Zen Center
1984: The
Kanzeon Zen Center is founded by
Dennis Genpo Merzel in
Salt Lake City, Utah
1984:
Soen Nakagawa dies at Ryutaku-Ji
1984: The
New Orleans Zen Temple is founded by
Robert Livingston in
New Orleans, Louisiana
1984:
Sojun Mel Weitsman receives
Dharma transmission from Hoitsu Suzuki, son of
Shunryu Suzuki
1985 Keido Les Kaye receives Dharma transmission from Hoitsu Suzuki
1985:
Tenshin Reb Anderson succeeds Dainen Katagiri Roshi as abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center
1985:
Robert Baker Aitken receives
Dharma transmission from
Yamada Koun
1985: Tozen Akiyama founds the Milwaukee Zen Center, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and heads it until 2000.
1986:
Bodhin Kjolhede is installed as abbot of
Rochester Zen Center as
Philip Kapleau retires
1986:
Sojun Mel Weitsman joins
Tenshin Reb Anderson as co-abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center
1986:
Furnace Mountain is founded in
Clay City, Kentucky by
Dae Gak and
Seung Sahn as part of the
Kwan Um School of Zen
1986:
Toronto Zen Center is incorporated.
1986:
Village Zendo is established in
New York City in the apartment of
Pat Enkyo O'Hara
1987:
Maitri Hospice begins caring for
AIDS patients at the
Hartford Street Zen Center (the first Buddhist hospice of its kind in the United States)
1987:
Issho Fujita becomes abbot of
Pioneer Valley Zendo in
Charlemont, Massachusetts
1988:
Blanche Hartman receives
Dharma transmission from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
1988:
Yamada Koun gives
Dharma transmission to
Ruben Habito
1988:
Zoketsu Norman Fischer receives
Dharma transmission from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
1988 Keido Les Kaye invited to be abbot of Kannon Do in Mountain View, CA
1988:
Hsi Lai Temple is built, the largest Chinese Chan community in Southern California, a Triple Platform Monastic Ordination is convened
1988: The
Kwan Um School of Zen is rocked by revelations that
Seung Sahn had sexual relationships with three students
1989:
Issan Dorsey becomes abbot of
Hartford Street Zen Center
1989?: The
American Zen Teachers Association is founded
1989:
Nonin Chowaney receives
Dharma transmission from
Dainin Katagiri
1989:
Yamada Koun dies
1989:
Danan Henry Roshi receives Dharma transmission from
Philip Kapleau Roshi
1989:
Zen Center of Denver founded with
Danan Henry Roshi installed as abbot
1990s
1990:
Issan Dorsey dies of
AIDS
1990:
Maurine Stuart dies of
cancer
1990:
Gerry Shishin Wick receives
Dharma transmission from
Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi
1990:
Joan Halifax receives "Lamp Transmission" from
Thich Nhat Hanh
1990:
Dainin Katagiri dies
1990: The
Upaya Zen Center is founded by
Joan Halifax in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
1991: The
Maria Kannon Zen Center is founded by
Ruben Habito in
Dallas, Texas
1991:
Zenshin Philip Whalen becomes the new abbot of
Hartford Street Zen Center
1991: The
Mount Equity Zendo is founded by
Dai-En Bennage in
Pennsdale, Pennsylvania
1992:
Mary Farkas of the
First Zen Institute of America dies
1992:
Caitriona Reed receives teaching authorization from
Thich Nhat Hanh
1992:
George Bowman ,
Soeng Hyang , and
Su Bong receive
Dharma transmission from
Seung Sahn
1992:
Shi Yan Ming arrives in the United States
1993:
Wu Bong ,
Wu Kwang , and
Dae Gak receive Dharma transmission from
Seung Sahn
1994:
Charles Tenshin Fletcher receives
Dharma transmission from
Taizan Maezumi
1994:
Su Bong dies during a retreat in
Hong Kong
1994:
Still Mind Zendo founded by Janet Jiryu Abels and
Father Robert Kennedy in
New York City
1994:
Enkyo Pat O'Hara receives
shiho from
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
1994:
Taigen Dan Leighton founds Mountain Source Sangha
1994:
Shi Yan Ming founds the USA Shaolin Temple
1995:
Taizan Maezumi dies May 15
1995:
Charles Tenshin Fletcher appointed abbot of
Yokoji Zen Mountain Center
1995: The
Ordinary Mind School is founded by
Charlotte Joko Beck
1995:
Hsuan Hua dies June 7, age 77
1995:
Taitaku Pat Phelan receives
shiho from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
1995:
Anne Seisen Saunders receives
shiho from
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
1995:
Zoketsu Norman Fischer becomes abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center , and serves until 2000
1995:
Shodo Harada founds One Drop Zendo on
Whidbey Island in
Washington state .
1996:
Blanche Hartman becomes co-abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center
1996 Les Kaye's book, Zen at Work , published by Three Rivers Press
1996: The
Zen Peacemaker Order is founded by
Bernard Glassman and his wife, Sandra Jishu Holmes.
1996:
Jisho Warner receives dharma transmission from Tozen Akiyama and founds Stone Creek Zen Center in Sebastopol, California.
1996: The
Sanshin Zen Community is founded by
Shohaku Okumura in
Bloomington, Indiana
1996:
Jiyu Kennett dies November 6
1996:
Jiko Linda Cutts receives
Dharma transmission from
Tenshin Reb Anderson
1996: The
Hazy Moon Zen Center is founded by
William Nyogen Yeo in
Los Angeles, California
1996:
Dae Kwang receives
Dharma transmission from
Seung Sahn
1996:
Bonnie Myotai Treace receives
Dharma transmission from
John Daido Loori in the
Mountains and Rivers Order
1996:
Bernard Glassman confers
Dharma Transmission to
Dennis Genpo Merzel
1996:
Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association is established by
Sheng-yen
1997:
Dharma Drum Retreat Center is established in
Pine Bush, New York by
Sheng-yen and followers
1996:
Ji Bong receives
Dharma transmission from
Seung Sahn
1997:
Catholic priest
Father Robert Kennedy receives
inka from
Bernard Glassman
1997:
Soyu Matsuoka dies
1997:
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold receives
shiho from
John Daido Loori
1998: Sherry Chayat, born in Brooklyn, became the first American woman to receive transmission in the
Rinzai school of Buddhism. She received transmission from
Eido Tai Shimano .
1998:
Maylie Scott receives
Dharma transmission from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
1998:
Hozan Alan Senauke receives
Dharma transmission from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
1999:
Genjo Marinello founds
Chobo-ji
1999:
Joan Halifax receives
Dharma transmission from
Bernard Glassman
1999:
John Tarrant establishes the
Pacific Zen Institute
1999: Seikan Hasegawa's book Mind to Mind is published by Great Ocean Publishers
[4]
1999:
Zen Center of Pittsburgh – Deep Spring Temple is founded by
Nonin Chowaney in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2000—2009
Merle Kodo Boyd became the first African-American woman to receive Dharma transmission in Zen Buddhism in 2006.
2000:
Deer Park Monastery is founded in
Escondido, California as part of
Thich Nhat Hanh 's
Order of Interbeing
2000:
Taigen Daniel Leighton receives
Dharma transmission from
Tenshin Reb Anderson .
2000:
Bon Yeon receives
Dharma transmission from
Seung Sahn
2000:
Sweetwater Zen Center established in
National City, California
2001:
Maylie Scott dies May 10, age 66
2002:
Peter Schneider receives
Dharma transmission from
Sojun Mel Weitsman
2002:
Zenshin Philip Whalen , abbot of
Hartford Street Zen Center , dies on June 26
2002:
Great Vow Zen Monastery founded by
Jan Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays in
Clatskanie, Oregon
2002:
Kobun Chino Otogawa drowns in
Switzerland
2002:
Seirin Barbara Kohn becomes head priest and guiding teacher of Austin Zen Center in
Austin, Texas
2002: Tim Burkett becomes Guiding Teacher of the
Minnesota Zen Meditation Center
2003: Jy Din Shakya opens the Hsu Yun Temple in Honolulu before dying on March 13
2003:
Paul Haller becomes abbot of
San Francisco Zen Center
2003:
Brad Warner publishes the book
Hardcore Zen
2003:
Daniel Doen Silberberg receives
Dharma transmission from
Dennis Genpo Merzel
2004:
Philip Kapleau dies on May 6 from complications of
Parkinson's disease
2004:
Seung Sahn dies on November 30 in
South Korea
2004:
Soeng Hyang succeeds Seung Sahn as Guiding teacher of the
Kwan Um School of Zen
2004:
Angie Boissevain receives
Dharma transmission from Vanja Palmers, a Dharma heir of
Kobun Chino Otogawa
2004:
Enkyo Pat O'Hara receives
Dharma transmission from
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman
2004:
Golden Wind Zen Order is founded by
Ji Bong in
Long Beach, California
2005: Rinzai
Daiyuzenji (formerly a branch temple of
Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Hawaii) becomes independent
2005: Harvey Daiho Hilbert receives Dharma transmission from Hogaku Shozen McGuire and founds Order of Clear Mind Zen.
2006:
Gerry Shishin Wick receives
Dharma transmission from
Bernard Glassman
2006:
Merle Kodo Boyd becomes first
African-American woman to receive
Dharma transmission in Zen Buddhism, which she received from
Wendy Egyoku Nakao .
[5]
2006: The
Nashville Mindfulness Center is founded by Tiếp Hiện
2007: Joko Dave Haselwood receives dharma transmission from
Jisho Warner .
2007 Kannon Do completes construction and occupies larger center in Mountain View, CA
2007:
Rochester Zen Center completes country
zendo in
Batavia
New York called
Chapin Mill Zen Retreat Center.
2007:
New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care is founded by Robert Chodo Campbell and Koshin Paley Ellison in
New York, NY .
2008:
Roko Sherry Chayat is formally recognized as a "Zen master"
2008:
Genjo Marinello receives
Dharma transmission from
Eido Tai Shimano
2008:
Hsi Lai Temple celebrates 20th anniversary
2009:
Sheng-yen dies on February 3 at age 80 in
Taiwan
2009:
Ancient Dragon Zen Gate is founded by
Taigen Daniel Leighton in Chicago.
2009:
John Daido Loori dies in New York at age 78 in
Mount Tremper
2010–Present
Taitaku Pat Phelan is a Sōtō Zen priest and current abbot of
Chapel Hill Zen Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
2010:
Robert Aitken dies in Hawaii at age 93.
2010: Eko Little resigns as abbot of
Shasta Abbey due to misconduct and subsequently disrobes
[6]
2010:
Eido Shimano resigns from the board of the
Zen Studies Society due to misconduct in July; retires as abbot of the
Zen Studies Society in December
2010: The
Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA) approves a document honoring the women ancestors in the Zen tradition at its biannual meeting on October 8, 2010. Female ancestors, dating back 2,500 years from India, China, and Japan, may now be included in the curriculum, ritual, and training offered to Western Zen students.
[7]
2010: Karin Kempe, Ken Morgareidge, and Peggy Sheehan receive
Dharma transmission and appointment of abbacy from
Danan Henry Roshi who steps down as abbot of the
Zen Center of Denver .
2011:
Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery [(行仏寺 gyōbutsu-ji)], a Soto Zen monastery in the line of
Shōhaku Okumura is dedicated near Kingston, Arkansas.
2011:
Roko Sherry Chayat was installed as the second Abbot of
Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji on New Year's Day.
2011: February,
Dennis Genpo Merzel steps down as abbot of the
Kanzeon Zen Center and resigns as elder of the White Plum Asanga due to sexual misconduct
[8]
2011:
Joko Beck dies
2012: Helen Cortes, Lee Ann Nail and Maria Reis-Habito received Dharma Transmission from Ruben Habito of Maria Kannon Zen Center.
2012: Dana Kojun Hull receives Dharma Transmission from Jan Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays at Great Vow Zen Monastery
2012: Seikan Hasegawa's book Essays for Buddhist Trainees is published by Great Ocean Publishers
2013:
Korinji [祖的山光林禅寺], a Rinzai Zen monastery in the line of
Tekio Sogen Roshi , is dedicated near Madison, Wisconsin.
2014:
Kyozan Joshu Sasaki dies in Los Angeles at age 107.
2014: Kyogen Carlson dies in Portland at age 65
2015: Harvey Daiho Hilbert retires as abbot of the Order of Clear Mind Zen and becomes abbot emeritus.
2015: Kathryn Shukke Shin Hilbert is installed as abbot of the Order of Clear Mind Zen.
2015: Joshin Brian Byrnes becomes vice-abbot of
Upaya Institute and Zen Center .
[9]
2016: Robert Livingston Roshi retires as abbot of New Orleans Zen Temple and becomes abbot emeritus. Richard Collins Roshi becomes abbot.
[10]
2016:
Rafe Martin receives
Dharma transmission from
Danan Henry Roshi in a ceremony at the
Rochester Zen Center .
2016:
Rebecca Li receives
Dharma transmission from Simon Child.
[11]
2016: Ron Hogen Green receives Dharma transmission from
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold at Zen Mountain Monastery.
[12]
2017: Jody Hojin Kimmel receives Dharma transmission from
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold at Zen Mountain Monastery.
[13]
2018: Vanessa Zuisei Goddard receives Dharma transmission from
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold at Zen Mountain Monastery.
[14]
2018:
Harvey Daiho Hilbert was re-instated as Abbot of the Order of Clear Mind Zen.
2018: Joshin Brian Byrnes founds and becomes guiding teacher of Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community
[15]
References
^ Lawson, Dawn (2001).
Suzuki, D. T. (1870–1966), the foremost exponent of Zen Buddhism in the West .
doi :
10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0801898 .
ISBN
978-0-19-860669-7 .
^ Kernan, Michael (March 19, 1974). "When East Meets West". The Washington Post .
^ Berkley, Jack (June 26, 1975). "A Priest in Pursuit of Zen". The Montgomery Journal .
^ von Sturmer, Richard (2000). "Mind to Mind". ZenBow . Numbers 2 & 3. XXII (Summer 2000): 25–27.
^
Zen master who?: a guide to the people and stories of Zen By James Ishmael Ford
^
"Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, Public Statement from the General Meeting of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives " .
^
"Women ancestors document approved « Empty Nest Zendo" . Archived from
the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2016-02-04 .
^
"Genpo Merzel Disrobes" .
^ Staff, Lion's Roar (15 February 2015).
"Joshin Brian Byrnes appointed as Upaya vice-abbot – Lion's Roar" . Retrieved 2020-10-14 .
^ Enns, G. S. (2016-07-09).
"Zen Fellowship of Bakersfield: Here and Now Newsletter – Summer 2016" . Zen Fellowship of Bakersfield . Retrieved 2017-03-11 .
^
Rebecca Li receives Dharma Transmission
^
"Ron Hogen Green Receives Dharma Transmission in MRO" . December 23, 2016.
^
"Practice Leaders – Zen Mountain Monastery" .
^
"About" . Vanessa Zuisei Goddard .
^
"Linkedin page for Joshin Brian Brynes" . Linked-in page for Joshin Brian Byrnes . 13 October 2020.