Sangha
Occasionally people ask, whether we practice Rinzai- or Soto-Zen. Usually we say that we practice a kind of ‚integral‘ Western Zen, since the teachers of our teachers trained in both traditions. Roshi Philip Kapleau´s teachers Harada Roshi and Yasutani Roshi were ordained Soto-priests, who had completed the curriculum of the classical koan-collections established by Zenmaster Hakuin. In our training we find elements of both traditions. Some of us work with a koan, others with breath-practice or shikantaza (just sitting).
Philip Kapleau made it his life´s task to introduce a Zen adjusted to our time and culture while preserving its spirit, just as Buddhism, coming from India, adapted to the cultures of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
For example we sit on chairs for meals and use plates, forks and spoons instead of chopsticks and oryoki (nested bowls). We usually wear robes, because they are most comfortable. We chant classical zen-buddhist texts as practiced for centuries in China and Japan.
We recommend two books that describe the way we practice: „The Three Pillars of Zen“ by Philip Kapleau (esp. Part One with Yasutani-Roshi´s Introductory Lectures on Zen Training) and Robert Aitken´s „Taking the Path of Zen“.
Other centers of our tradition
