The Ordinary Mind Zen School is a network of independent Zen centers established by
Charlotte Joko Beck and her
Dharma Successors in 1995.
History
The school is unaffiliated with any Zen centers which fall outside of its own network, however many Ordinary Mind Zen teachers are members of the
White Plum Asanga.
The history of the Ordinary Mind Zen School dates back to 1983, which was the year that Joko Beck had left the
Zen Center of Los Angeles
The Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA), temple name Buddha Essence Temple, is a Zen center founded by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi in 1967 that practices in the White Plum lineage.
ZCLA observes a daily schedule of zazen, Buddhist services, and work pr ...
.
That was the year her teacher,
Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi
Hakuyū Taizan Maezumi ( Maezumi Hakuyū, February 24, 1931 – May 15, 1995) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and rōshi, and lineage holder in the Sōtō, Rinzai, and Sanbo Kyodan traditions of Zen. He combined the Rinzai use of '' kōan'' ...
, had been confronted by his students about his
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
and sexual liaisons with some female students. Joko Beck established the Zen Center of San Diego in 1983.
According to Richard Hughes Seager, "By 1998, the Ordinary Mind School had centers in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metrop ...
,
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...
, Portland, Oregon and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
." There is no one set structure of curriculum in the Ordinary Mind School, as the
Dharma Successors of Joko Beck get to decide their method of training independent of any organizational head. Long before retirement, Joko Beck had done away with all titles and no longer wore her
okesa. (For formal occasions she often wore a rakusu after ceasing to wear okesa; she also ordained several Zen priests throughout her life.) She had distanced herself considerably from her roots in the
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
school, and much of the ceremony had been abandoned in favor of pure meditation practice.
Teachers
*Ordained by
Joko Beck
Charlotte Joko Beck (March 27, 1917 – June 15, 2011) was an American Zen teacher and the author of the books ''Everyday Zen: Love and Work'' and ''Nothing Special: Living Zen''.
Biography
Born in New Jersey, Beck studied music at the Oberlin ...
:
**Larry Jissan Christensen
**Anna Christensen
**Geoff Dawson (Ordinary Mind Zen School Sydney)
**Gregg Howard (Ordinary Mind Zen Brisbane)
**
Barry Magid (Ordinary Mind Zendo)
**Gary Nafstad
**Barbara Muso Penn
**Elihu Genmyo Smith (Prairie Zen Center)
**
Diane Eshin Rizzetto (Bay Zen Center)
**Ezra Bayda
**Elizabeth Hamilton
* Claire Slemmer
* Marc Poirier
* Dan Myoen Birnbaum (Bay Zen Center)
* Pat Jikyo George (Zen Center of Philadelphia)
* Peter Nichols (Zen Center of Philadelphia)
* Bob Koller (Zen Center of Philadelphia)
* Malcolm Martin (Ordinary Mind UK)
* Andrew Sono Tootell (OzZEN Ordinary Mind Zen)
* Karen Terzano (OMZ Europe)
* Jani Henttonen (OMZ Europe)
* Timo Teräväinen (OMZ Europe)
* Magnus Norén (OMZ Europe)
* Brenda Chiko Hess (Prescott Zen Center)
* Diane Moore (Santa Rosa Zen Group)
* Bernie Rhie (Williamstown Zen Group)
* Robert Rosenbaum
* Ed Mushin Russell (Prairie Zen Center)
* Al Zolynas (Freeway Zen Group)
* Spencer McWilliams (Freeway Zen Group)
* Vince Jensen (Ordinary Mind Zen Brisbane)
Note that Joko wrote a letter saying that she revoked transmission for two teachers she gave transmission to: Ezra Bayda and Elizabeth Hamilton. However it is unclear if Joko or anyone had the authority to revoke transmission.
See also
*
Buddhism in the United States
The term American Buddhism can be used to describe all Buddhist groups within the United States, including Asian Americans, Asian-American Buddhists born into the faith, who comprise the largest percentage of Buddhists in the country.
American Budd ...
*
Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States
References
Further reading
*
External links
Ordinary Mind ZendoZen Center of PhiladelphiaZen Center of PortlandPrairie Zen CenterBay Zen CenterOrdinary Mind Zen BrisbaneOrdinary Mind Zen SydneyOzZEN Ordinary Mind ZenAppamada in Austin, TXOrdinary Mind Zendo FinlandOrdinary Mind Zen Galway, IrelandFreeway Zen Escondido, CaliforniaSanta Rosa Zen GroupZen Center San DiegoSAMU Zen Lab, Nicaragua
Buddhist orders
Schools of Buddhism founded in the United States
Zen sects
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