I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words. Maureen Friedland-Broschi is here with us tonight from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she's head of the Cambridge Buddhist Association. A group of women from different local Buddhist communities asked Maureen to come. She likes to be called Maureen, asked Maureen to come and we sat last week a five day session with her. So I'm not going to say anything more. She promised that she'll talk about her lineage tonight and say what's needed to be said. First of all, I want to thank you all very much for coming and for inviting me here to be with you this evening.

[01:08]

We did have a wonderful time together and I heard much about the Berkeley Zindo when we had concluded our session and looked forward to coming and meeting you and talking to you a little bit. I want to speak to you first, and then I want to spend a good portion of our time together talking together. You ask me, I respond. And so that please, if you have any questions that come up as I'm speaking and even want to interrupt me, don't hesitate to do so. This is an exchange, not just a lecture. So with this in mind, let us begin. As early as 1957, distinguished Japanese scholars came to Columbia and to Harvard, as some of you may know.

[02:15]

And one of these distinguished scholars was a man called Shinichi Hisamatsu. He started with other people, the Cambridge Buddhist Association, of which I am the president and the teacher. And at the time that he came, he said this about Zen. and particularly about Zen in America. He said, I stress the flexibility of Zen. One must know something of its history to understand it, but one must be aware of its flexibility, the way it adapts itself to various circumstances. It is not rigid, and Zen must be able to change its form from what it was centuries ago. How will Zen differ in the present from the past. So we are witnessing in our country various changes already. As you are chanting this in English, this would not be done in traditional style.

[03:20]

Many things we accommodate to our way of being, and this is the nature of Zen, to be flexible. To know something of its history in this country is important for us too. and to know something of its history even before it came here briefly is important for us to know. My tradition, as some of you may know, is Rinzai tradition. And as early as in the middle of the 19th century, a great Rinzai teacher, Kozen Roshi, was interested in the promulgation of Zen among laymen. His monks were important to him. that he felt that it was important, too, to have a lay tradition and even a lay transmission. He was also very interested in Western knowledge. He wanted to learn about the rest of the world, and he had his monks go to universities.

[04:22]

As well as knowing their ancient tradition, he had them find out about Western history, culture, poetry, all this sort of thing. This was the first time in the history of our tradition that this had been done. So his lineage was open outwardly rather than a rigid establishment. And it was from this opening outwardly from temple Zen to something beyond that, it was in this way that Son Shaku came to America. the first Zen priest, the first Zen teacher to come here. He came to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, and he was prepared by his teacher, this great Kozen, to come with the knowledge of Western philosophy, to speak English, and to be freely conversant with all the other people who were there from all other traditions.

[05:33]

There was great opposition in Japan to his accepting the invitation to come to America. In fact, his associates and followers, both monks and laymen, said it was beneath the dignity of a Zen priest to go to this barbarian country. But he came, thank goodness. So, he came to that conference, And then he came again in 1905 to San Francisco at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Russell. As I came down the street, I thought, isn't this interesting? You are on Russell Street. So this Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Russell of San Francisco invited him to come. But it was Mrs. Russell in particular who was the interested party. And it was this woman, Mrs. Russell, who was the gate-opener of Zen in America.

[06:36]

She was the first American to do Koan study, and she did it thoroughly well with Son Shaku. He spent quite a long time here with her and her husband, and they did intensive training together. This Son Shaku, then after being here and visiting many American cities, not just San Francisco, was very impressed with the quality of American mind and felt that this would be a great place for Zen to be planted. He did not live to see the wonderful transplanting of Zen here and how many earnest students of Zen are now on this continent, but he had this feeling When he left America on his way back, he went by way of Europe and India. And while in India, he went as a simple pilgrim.

[07:39]

I mention this because I think it gives you a wonderful insight into the character of this extraordinary first Zen teacher to America. He went as a pilgrim, took off his special robe, and begged his food from door to door, confirming his vow that to live in magnificent temples and wear gorgeous robes is really contrary to the commandment for monks. His adopted son, another great Zen teacher, Sokatsu Shaku, came to California in 1906 and settled here in Berkeley. Several of his disciples had become students at the university and he felt this was a good place for them to come. They tried farming together. Somebody sold them 10 acres of land, barren land somewhere, and they struggled at farming for a while and finally decided that they should do just what they were doing and not farm.

[08:47]

But this was a part of what their experience was here. Other great Japanese teachers I'm sure you know about. Nyogen Zenzaki, who came to this part of the world in 1905, did all kinds of extraordinarily ordinary things to earn his living. And finally, after, I think, some 20 years, because his teacher had said to him, do not attempt to teach at all until you have practiced yourself and settled yourself well, and after 20 years you may. be able to help someone. But in those 20 years, he became a very distinguished Buddhist scholar, worked hard to have this kind of background for his teaching, and then came to being a Zen teacher. Maybe some of you know, so forgive me if I add to your already knowledge about him, but in the beginning, what he did

[09:52]

was simply hire a hall with whatever money he had been able to earn in whatever menial task, washing dishes, doing gardening, babysitting, whatever it was that he could do. Hire a hall, invite people to come, give a little talk, and teach them how to practice Zazen, sitting on chairs. Because he said, these Americans will never be able to sit on the floor. Eventually, some of his students said, I think we can sit on the floor. And they came to that, as we all do. But in the beginning, he was very considerate of our normal way of sitting and taught people how to sit on chairs. He was an extraordinarily simple, ordinary, plain, and extraordinary man. He and Tsoen Roshi had a very strong connection with one another. When Yōgen Zenzaki was here.

[10:53]

He read Japanese papers because this was his own country, and he wanted to know what was happening and to keep in touch with his own language, of course. And one day read a beautiful poem in one of these magazines or newspapers and wrote to the monk who had written this poem, who turned out to be Kagawa Soen. They wrote to one another, they bowed to one another, they had special days where they communicated over the ocean with their minds, and finally met in San Francisco after the war. It was at the invitation of Nobunzan Zaki that Soenroshi came. Dr. Suzuki, I'm sure you all know about this extraordinary national treasure of Japan. who came to us and interested people intellectually in Zen.

[11:55]

His talks at Columbia I remember well. When I lived in New York, he was even on a television program at that time. And sitting in the room watching him on this television screen, I felt as if I went right in and sat down beside him. It was a very compelling experience of him. And during that period, He and Dr. Hisamatz, whom I mentioned earlier, came to Harvard in Cambridge, where I live, and they gave a series of seminars and public talks there on Zen. Apparently, their lectures were profoundly interesting. We still have tapes of them in our library in Cambridge, if any of you ever come to visit and want to listen to them, they are there. But among the group of listeners was a smaller group who wanted to know how to practice. So they asked if they could be given instruction, and Dr. Hizmetz, with great generosity of spirit, got up earlier every morning before going to his Harvard lecture and had a group together where he really gave instruction, advice, sat with the people, and

[13:12]

This was the way that our Cambridge Buddhist Association began. He and Dr. Suzuki both gave very freely of their time and energy to people who wanted to know about actual practice. So a zendo was started in the house of one of these people who was extremely interested in practice and not just intellectual knowledge. An important part of the founding of this Cambridge Buddhist Association was that it was always to be non-sectarian. People of all traditions were to come and practice and still do. I do not have a Zen center. We have a Zen Do in the Cambridge Buddhist Association house, but this is a place for everyone to come. People of other traditions come, of other religions, and they come to do this in the light of helping them understand their own religion even more clearly.

[14:23]

We have a wonderful library of some 2,000, 3,000 volumes, not all on Buddhist subjects at all, and certainly not all on Zen, too many books about Zen. But many traditions, and we as Buddhist students are always involved in finding out about what's going on and other tradition ways of doing things, too. This being, I think, in the true spirit of Buddhism. In 1964, Suzuki Roshi joined our Cambridge Buddhist Association. He came quite often, at least two or three times a year, to visit for Zazen, for Taisho, and for general advice. And although I was not in Cambridge at the time he was there, I am told that he gave great inspiration, of course, to all who came, and was most generous and kind in his help.

[15:28]

There is a funny story about one of the times he came. It seems he came a day early, and my friend Elsie Mitchell, with whom he was staying, came home to find him up on a ladder outside her house in his underwear washing the windows. Much to the dismay of these very, very conventional New England ladies in the area. Oh, he was making things shine in every way. So our connection with Zen Center has been continuing over these 20 years. And at this moment, we have two residents in our zendo, in our house in Cambridge, who came from Zen Center, and we have many visitors coming back and forth, which is a great joy to us. And if any of you want to come and visit, please feel free to do so if you are in our area. We would be delighted to have you. Now, really the title of this talk, if it has a title, is Teachers, Zen Teachers.

[16:36]

known and unknown. So already I have given you some Zen teachers very well known and some not so well known to you. My first teacher was Yasutani Roshi. Soto school teacher. Wonderful grasshopper of a man. Hopping here, hopping there. Always brightly, always lively eyed. Wonderful doksan with him. He did not speak any English at all, so everything had to be translated, but sometimes no need for translation. In fact, most times, no need for translation. So expressive was everything that he said, did, demonstrated, you could get the message without any need for translation. If he was telling a story that was sad, tears poured out of his eyes, demonstrating some activity, used his fan and showed enormous storms coming or whatever it was.

[17:42]

You got the message in a wonderful way. So let us think about this Yastani for a moment. Where did he come from? He was early in his life ordained as a monk, but then he went off, married, had five children, was a school teacher, worked very hard to support his family, and did not avoid any of the pains and joys of ordinary life. This is a direct reflection of the Mahayana ideal that self-realization is for the householder no less than for the celibate monk. He showed this very clearly. Once I went to Doksan with him, and although we're not supposed to tell about these Doksan matters, this one you should know, because I find it wonderful. And some people asked me especially to tell this story tonight.

[18:45]

I had been sitting next to a man whose breathing was, I cannot stand this one minute more. So I ran to Doksan, as was our custom, and plopped myself down in front of Yasutani Roshi and said, and it was translated to him, I cannot stand the sound beside me. It's driving me crazy. It's so distracting. And, you know, I'm a musician, and I'm even listening to what key this man is breathing in. And I was terribly pretentious, I'm ashamed to tell you. And Yasutani Roshi looked at me and said, you must come to the place where you no longer hear the thunder, but you hear the voices of the ants. Never forgot it. So this Yasutani Roshi also lived in a very simple way, very simple, indifferent to wealth

[19:53]

to finery, to all kinds of things. And we are told that he was often seen trudging around Tokyo in sneakers and an old tattered robe, going to some Zazen meeting or other, encouraging people's practice in a singularly marvelous way. Simple, direct. Then, the next teacher I would like to tell you about is Soen Nakagawa, who died just recently, passed away. and whose death was not an unhappy-making thing for those of us who knew him and loved him because we all feel that we have him in our hearts so deeply that his physical presence, although wonderful to have, is not absolutely necessary and since he needed to go on to his next experience, we accept this. He left in a remarkably delightful way. Apparently, he knew that he was going to die So he went to take a bath, and in the bath slipped away, bare naked, as he came.

[21:01]

He came to California, as I told you, at the invitation of Nyogen Zenzaki after the war, and his very first talk was given in San Francisco at a Theosophical Society meeting. This talk is in a book called Namu Dai Bo Sa. If any of you have that book and look it up, you'll find it a very beautiful and meaningful first talk in America. The essential thing about Soan's teaching for me was, and is, that it was strict but warm. Always warm. Very strong, but always warm. Everything he did was immersed in compassion. Every single thing was for the sake of everyone else, and he was so aware of this. One of my friends went to a session at Ryutakuchi, which is his monastery, a couple of years ago, and it was a very tough session.

[22:15]

It was actually for the monks in training, and it was going fast, and it was hard. It was very hard. And poor George was having difficulty keeping up with this. And in running outside and the kind of exercising they were doing, they had some kind of straw sandals that they had to put on. And his feet were bleeding from these straw sandals. So when he came in to put his sandals down, it was obvious that he was in pain and having trouble. And so on, saw this, keeping his eye on everyone so wonderfully. removed those straw sandals and put in their place a pair of comfortable slippers for George. This is not unlike all the things this wonderful man did. Saw what everyone's comfort, discomfort, what was going on with him and took care of us all in an extraordinary way. He turned every situation, however difficult,

[23:20]

however hard and sometimes even ugly situations into some wonderful teaching. Even the death of a cat, I remember once at the monastery, he turned into some wonderful kind of teaching. We had a special ceremony for that cat. We made all kinds of special things about just ordinary things with him. It was an amazing experience to be with him. He often said in his taisho, remember the third most important precept, keep your mind pure and warm. Just be doing what needs to be done simply, step by step, and keep your heart, your mind, pure and warm. Anything that was tarnished, he turned into some fresh and shining scene.

[24:23]

He made everything remarkably clear. Ordinary things became extraordinary. In the middle of session, he would say, very often, the moon is shining. Come out. Look at the moon. We would do a kin-hin outside. Or if it was especially beautiful, we might have danced to Namu Daivosa. or watch the stars at some other point. One doksan we had together was at sunrise, early morning doksan, and the sun was coming up, and as each person came up the steps, he was standing there, stopped them, put his hand on their shoulder, and said, look, there is your teaching, look. Always was saying, look to the universe, Don't look to me. I am just an ordinary monk. Like you, I need to train all the time. Nothing special about me.

[25:26]

Look at the universe. There is your teacher. When I left New York in 1970, I was devastated. not only to leave him, he happened to be in New York at that time, but to leave the wonderful sangha, the zendo, where I sat, and all the nourishment and help and support that we all are so grateful for from one another. So it was with deep sadness that I was leaving. And so Enroshi took both my hands and both his hands and he said to me, Do not be so sad. Find Elsie Mitchell, and you'll be all right." He was quite right, indeed. I did find Elsie Mitchell, and I found an extraordinary teacher and friend.

[26:28]

A friend and teacher who saw that the loneliness of my new situation was best relieved by my being given more and more to do in the Zen Dome and Library and Sangha of the Cambridge Buddhist Association. Answering correspondence, giving Zen instruction, life became more and more involved with the practice of helping others in their practice. And this is what she urged me to do. The president of the Cambridge Buddhist Association, who was a wonderful Shingon priest, Shinmyo Horioka, who was also a curator at the Fine Arts Museum in Boston, when he passed away, and it was agreed by the board of governors of the Cambridge Buddhist Association at Elsie's suggestion that I should become president.

[27:33]

And so I was given that responsibility too. In this way, of constantly adding more to my responsibilities, she was giving me the greatest gift. Because in doing all those things, indeed, I forgot my loneliness and separation and found that the greatest and most wonderful joy and treasure was to be involved in this in every way possible. And so it happened, and here I am. More and more people came, and this meant we needed a place just for practicing, and not our homes, which had been the case. The Cambridge Buddhist Association had been housed in Elsie's home. I had a zendo in my own home. And more and more people coming to both of these places made it necessary to have our zendos out of our households, much to the relief of our husbands.

[28:36]

Great relief that finally they had their homes to themselves. So Elsie found a wonderful house, which some of you know and have visited. And we've had this house for some five years now. It is open, as I said before, to people of all traditions. It is open to everyone, in fact. We have people come who are students, Groups of school children come and find out that after all this Zen practice is not such a funny, spooky thing. It's pretty wonderful to sit down on a cushion and be quiet and find out about what goes on inside of you. We have groups of students who have come to spend a weekend or a few days to live with us to find out what it is we are doing. And these students go out then to the rest of the community and say, you know, those Buddhist types are not so crazy after all.

[29:40]

It's not so bad in there. They're keeping their house shining clean. The outside garden is absolutely beautiful. They don't make a sound. They're as quiet as can be. So we did have some trouble with our neighborhood. Maybe you know about this in your practice too. But some people were afraid of our coming to that particular street and thought that we would be banging gongs at five o'clock in the morning. We do strike gongs at five o'clock in the morning, but with the windows closed so that we don't disturb them. Other things that go on in relation to our practice. This is an interesting story, I think, to tell you. I'm a pianist as well as Zen teacher. And one day, one of my former students was going to a prep school up in New Hampshire, a very, very, very posh prep school called Exeter.

[30:42]

Maybe some of you know it. Called me and said, would you come and talk to my religion class? So I said, why not? She said, I've told my religion teacher that my piano teacher is a Zen priest. And he said, oh yeah? I'll believe that when I see it. Anyway, I went. The teacher could not be present. So he said, would you please tape this class? I think maybe he tells me this is not so now. We've become very good friends. I think maybe he was afraid to be present with this strange Zen priest pianist type who was coming and he absented himself. Anyway, he listened to the tape and he said, Get that lady back here. Let's hear more about this. So I went back, and he had the whole school congregate. And we had a talk, and we had Zazen in the wrestling room. And the principal came, the principal of the school came, and his wife and all the faculty.

[31:50]

We chanted, we did kin-hin, we did Zazen together. And the upshot of this three years later is that we now have a zendo in the top of the church on the campus of this very posh school. It is taken for granted that this is a part of everyday life in that school if people want to do it. I am asked to go on a regular basis to give talks to instructants as in. And in an interim period in the school they have two or three weeks, which is free time, and children may choose what they want to do in that period. There are various things offered. Last winter, Zen practice was offered, and it was signed up for the most of anything. Interesting. So now, I have been talking about teachers. And this experience in Exeter has taught me a great deal too, so I put it in there.

[32:57]

Dogen Zenji said, if you cannot find a true teacher, it is better not to practice. Who or what is the true teacher? Zazen is the most venerable and the true teacher, the only teacher. from Dogen. What is our attitude to this true teacher, to this Sazen? Are we sitting with some thought of dependency on someone else, some gaining idea, getting something from somebody or somewhere, instead of the no gaining, no knowing original self-practice? Wonderful Zen saying, the expansive sky does not obstruct white clouds floating.

[34:03]

Finding our own Dharma treasure, never exhausted, never ending. Endless dimension universal life, so in the Kagala I used to always say. The final words final words of Nyogen Zenzaki to his students were these. Friends in Dharma, be satisfied with your own heads. Do not put any false heads above your own. Then minute after minute, watch your steps closely. Always keep your head cool and your feet warm. Thank you. Anything to ask?

[35:15]

Anything to say? Anything we should speak about together? Daniel has something to say. Wonderful. If there's nothing, then let us just chant together.

[35:40]

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