Ethics Post-Zen

Abstract

In North America the transplanted Ch’an or Zen sect of Buddhism flourished largely — but certainly not wholly — under the influence of Japanese antecedents. The inevitable conflict between those and North American customs and attitudes placed a strain on Zen’s Western practitioners. For example the Samurai boot-camp aura of the awesome Zen sesshin, or silent retreat, alienated some North Americans used to easier-going ways. Again, an ‘I’m from Missouri’ attitude here threatened certain doctrinaire, traditional Zen beliefs.

I am indebted to comments by Radhi Hertzberger, to those by the participants at the Claremont Conference, to the critical remarks of Frank J. Hoffman, and, above all, to talks and comments by Toni Packer, some of whose ideas are, I am sure, reflected in this paper.