Joan halifax fearless and fragile upaya zen center. Zen mind, beginners mind has become one of the great modern spiritual classics, much beloved, much reread, and much recommended as the best first book to read on zen. He cofounded the honolulu diamond sangha in 1959 together with his wife, anne hopkins aitken. Richard baker is an extremely bright and talented person and a born salesman. Shunryu suzuki roshi, shortly before his death in december 1971, gave him dharma transmission in the soto sect of zen, thereby making baker, for his students and for all future people in his lineage, an authentic link to the buddha. Richard baker has 71 books on goodreads with 36860 ratings. Richard bakerroshi, imported buddhism, and the transmission of ethics at the san francisco zen center jason c. Sex, lies and the dharma culture detroit detroit metro. Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing. Suzuki roshi, as his students called him, died of cancer in 1971. Richard bakerroshi, imported buddhism, and the transmission of ethics at the san.
Richard baker and the myth of the zen roshi by stuart lachs means of authorization. Original mind chapters from bakers yet published book. The only one of the four whose reputation was unblemished, shunryu suzuki of the san francisco zen center, gave his sangha over to a man named richard baker, who was later embroiled in a sex scandal of his own, resigned from his abbacy, and became the subject of a book with the appropriately suggestive title shoes outside the door. It seems that baker roshi could not accept the most basic zen idea of being responsible for what you are doing. Datasets available include lcsh, bibframe, lc name authorities, lc classification, marc codes, premis vocabularies, iso language codes, and more. Richard baker and the myth of the zen roshi, 17 page pdf at terebess. Zentatsu richard baker born march 30, 1936, born richard dudley baker, is an american soto zen roshi, the founder and guiding teacher of dharma sanghawhich consists of crestone mountain zen center located in crestone, colorado and the buddhistisches studienzentrum 1 johanneshof in germanys black forest. He was also the leading force in setting up zen centers financial base of support, including greens restaurant at fort mason and tassajara bakery in san. He exists freely in the fullness of his whole being. He is the dharma successor of shunryu suzuki roshi. Before knowing our name or who we are, before being able to recognize any specific experience we are.
As his successor suzuki roshi chose his protege richard baker. Tucked narrowly into a canyon of the forbidding santa lucia mountains ten miles east of big sur and 150 miles south. Zentatsu richard baker, born richard dudley baker, is an american soto zen master, the founder and guiding teacher of. Richard baker on alan watts sent to dc spring 2015. Alan chadwick and the origins of the organic movement in california, north atlantic books. It looks like we dont have any biography for richard baker roshi yet be the first to contribute. In the zen book zen mind, beginners mind, richard baker, says. He is founder of the crestone zen center and cofounder of tassajara zen center in california. Richard baker and the myth of the zen roshi thezensite. Zentatsu richard baker born march 30, 1936, born richard dudley baker, is an american soto zen master or roshi, the founder and guiding teacher of dharma sanghawhich consists of crestone mountain zen center located in crestone, colorado and the buddhistisches studienzentrum johanneshof in germanys black forest. In the united states he lives at the crestone mountain zen center in colorado. Photo from pauls book, there is a garden in the mind. Then in 1992, laurance rockefeller and richard baker roshi gave halifax a house in new mexico, between the santa fe river and cerro gordo mountain.
Founded in the late 1960s by the charismatic japanese monk suzuki roshi, the san francisco zen center brought the practice of zen buddhism to the united states for the first time. Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nondualityin a way. Nov 11, 2001 suzuki roshi, as his students called him, died of cancer in 1971. Laoshi is a title in zen buddhism with different usages depending on sect and county. Paul lee introduces alan chadwick to richard baker roshi. A method of zen meditation, link opens a 30page pdf at tibetan buddhism enters the 21st century. Zentatsu richard baker born march 30, 1936, born richard dudley baker, is an american soto zen master or roshi. Mar 27, 2019 a talk based on joans book standing at the edge. A roshi is a person who has actualized that perfect freedom which is the potentiality for all human beings. Shortly before his death in november 1971, suzuki roshi installed richard baker as the abbot of the extended community.
This story about richard baker of the san francisco zen center seems to be. The married richard bakerroshi, father of two children, is discovered having a sexual affair with the wife of friend and zen center supporter, paul hawken. Aug 01, 2004 forsaken house by richard baker was one of the best forgotten realms books i have read in a while. The enemies in the book are half sun elf blood, half demon blood, which as you can imagine can be pretty powerful and vengeful.
Mar 09, 2018 roshi joan halifax introduces her new book standing at the edge. Baker said, there was a lawyer who kept bugging me. The practice of zen in the west, will be published by riverhead books putnam. Roshi joan halifax introduces her new book standing at the edge. She set about building a new retreat center from scratch, regreening the trodden desert land. Zentatsu baker roshi zentatsu richard baker is the founder and head teacher of the dharma sangha centers in the united states and europe. He studied architecture and history at harvard college and in 1960 left the east coast for san francisco. He lived in a zen monastery for six years before getting his phd in counseling psychology at the university of wisconsinmadison, where he had the good fortune to learn from neuroscientist richard j. Zentatsu richard baker on his practice with shunryu suzuki. Most of the feeling for practice and the teachings in this book come from the first five years of practice with suzuki.
Given that this book isnt exactly for those in the nascent stages of zen buddhism, it can be quite enigmatic in some spots. Longtime member ed browns tassajara bread book was riding the. In rinzai zen, the term is reserved only for individuals who have received inka shomei, meaning they have completed the entire koan curriculum. Jun 19, 2009 most people think of zen as being iconoclastic, antiauthoritarian, simple, direct, and unattached. Very interesting read about how an entire zen community was tested and divided when it was discovered the sole american dharma heir to shunryu suzuki roshi, richard baker roshi, was having an affair with the wife of one of his students. Richard baker s most popular book is condemnation forgotten realms. Joseph smiths golden plates that became the book of mormonto. Meditating on a 20yearold scandal an outsiders view of the. See all books authored by richard baker, including condemnation, and swordmage forgotten realms. The richard bakersan francisco zen center story is a story of one of the fumbles along the road. Bivins i think you will have more difficulty in practicing zazen in america than we do in japan. Over the next twelve years, baker roshis work included the founding of the green gulch zen practice community in marin county, the tassajara bread bakery, and greens restaurant.
Baker also penned the introduction to suzukis famous book, zen mind, beginners mind. Zentatsu baker roshi is abbot, head teacher, and founder of the dharma sangha centers in europe and the united states. But during the 1960s, suzuki attracted an eager flock of meditating westerners, including baker, who showed up in 1962 and was. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the biography submission guide.
If suzuki was californias zen messiah, then richard baker was his apostle paul. Richard baker roshi in the heart of the buddhas teaching, now with added material and new insights, thich nhat hanh introduces us to. Mindtomind transmission implies that the student has attained an understanding equal to his zen master roshi and so on backwards, hence being equal to the original, unmediated wordless understanding that supposedly passed between sakyamuni and mahakasyapa. Ntroduction for a disciple of suzuki roshi, this book will be suzuki roshi s mindnot his. Its raison detre is to produce people who possess a fundamental insight into life, people who are not fooled by appearances or ideas. Paul lee introduces alan chadwick to baker roshi richard bakers poem for grahame petchey read to grahame shortly before he died, one written after, and what he read at the funeral. Richard bakerroshi in the heart of the buddhas teaching. Robert baker dairyu chotan aitken roshi june 19, 1917 august 5, 2010 was a zen teacher in the haradayasutani lineage. Has this book, or any moments in the book, done that for you. Read any of these texts of zen, the book of serenity, a soto sect koan. Michael downing had barely tasted zen when he began this book, but he is a. Baker roshi is the dharma heir of shunryu suzuki roshi author of zen mind, beginners mind. He was instrumental in the purchase of tassajara zen mountain center and green gulch farm. The fallout around baker roshis personal indiscretions brought into sharper.
Richard baker roshi also notes, for any reader, the book will be an encouragement to realize his own nature, his own zen mind. Richard baker has 71 books on goodreads with 36899 ratings. Zen mind, beginners mind arvindguptatoys books gallery. This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. Source for information on baker roshi, richard 1936. As you read the text closely, the same statement or sequence of ideas is simultaneously simple and obvious, obscure and perplexing, and illuminating. Downing brings baker to life in a vivid and compelling way. Zentatsu richard baker born richard dudley baker zen teacher richard baker was born in maine in 1936. Here indeed is a book of intense, profound, joyous reflection. As wellwritten as a good mystery and full of zen gossip stretching from suzuki roshi up through richard baker roshi and subsequent leaders of the san francisco zen center, it contains everything you could possibly want to know about the goingson at the retreat center, at tassajara, and elsewhere. Since we were a little early we stopped by george fields, my.
Shoes outside the door by michael downing tricycle. Suzukiroshi, as his students called him, died of cancer in 1971. One day i was on the way to a samurai movie with a painter friend whom i had known in cambridge, massachusetts, and whom i saw occasionally in san francisco. Zentatsu richard baker born march 30, 1936, born richard dudley baker, is an american soto zen master or roshi, the founder and guiding teacher of dharma sanghawhich consists of crestone mountain zen center located in crestone, colorado and the buddhistisches studienzentrum 1 johanneshof in germanys black forest.
In december, 1971, shortly before his death, shunryu suzuki roshi gave richard baker dharma transmission in the soto sect of zen, thus making baker, for his students and for all future people in his lineage, an authentic link to the historical buddha. This scheme was later institutionalized through the ritual of dharma transmission. There are so many interesting halfblood characters. Ultimately, it is the character of richard baker that dominates the book, looming larger than life even in the lives of those who forced him from absolute power in 1983. Roshi, shortly before his death in december 1971, gave him dharma transmission in the soto sect of zen, thereby making baker, for his students and for all future people in. The title of the book is a reference to the shoes of a female zen student that were. A year later he began studying zen with shunryu suzuki roshi. Did you have this experience with any parts of this book. The book is a devastating indictment of shimano roshi, filled with hard evidence of the affairs and the coverups, the testimony of several victims, and occasionally lurid details. Richard baker books list of books by author richard baker. Bakerroshi goes on to make the center even more wellknown and successful. Zen mind, beginners mind shunryu suzuki, richard baker. Jul 11, 2017 the shocking scandal at the heart of american zen. Agentco authors mail, riverside press, penguin putnam, 375 hudson st.
Book club discussion zen mind, beginners mind shambhala. There was no bathing or distractions such as books, television, food or exercise. Finding freedom where fear and courage meet get it now. Richard bakers most popular book is condemnation forgotten realms. Baker finally dropped the case, saying he was pressured to push the suit by a lawyer who was a student of his. The linked data service provides access to commonly found standards and vocabularies promulgated by the library of congress. The heart of the buddhas teaching by thich nhat hanh. By shunryu suzuki introduction by richard baker preface by huston smith edited by trudy dixon. Establishing hierarchy in chan zen buddhism in america by stuart lachs. Update information for richard bakerroshi quick links. The heart of the buddhas teaching is an adequate choice, but prepare for a long, hard slog. Michael downings dramatic and thoughtful book begins with, and then encircles in widening orbits, a conference held in march 1983 at zenshinji, or zen mind temple, better known to the world as tassajara.
The book weaves together scientific research she will share with us and her own powerful personal experiences as a social activist and. Zentatsu richard baker roshi was the second abbot of zen center, serving from 1971 until 1983. Profiles robert aitken roshi, a zen buddhist master, with links to his books, articles, teisho, and essays, and to groups around the world affiliated with the diamond sangha. Other zen roshis with similar allegations against them include richard baker, joshu sasaki, taizan maezumithe list. Roshi one day i was on the way to a samurai movie with a painter friend whom i had known in cambridge, massachusetts, and whom i saw occasionally in san francisco. Nov 16, 20 the zen buddhist who preyed on his upper east side students. Baker roshi is the dharma successor of shunryu suzuki roshi author of the book zen mind beginners mind. Zen mind, beginners mind by shunryu suzuki is a rather intricate but deep view into the mindscape of what the zen mind entails. American soto zen master or roshi and american dharma heir to shunryu suzuki, the soto zen monk who helped popularize zen buddhism in the united states. Log in or sign up for facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. The zen buddhist who preyed on his upper east side students.
Zentatsu richard baker is the founder and head teacher of the dharma sangha centers in the united states and europe. Jun 19, 2009 this scheme was later institutionalized through the ritual of dharma transmission. Paul lees letter of 2000 to cuke archives about shunryu suzuki original of paul lee letter i must have met suzuki roshi around 19667, through my friendship with richard baker who became my first friend when i moved to california to teach at the u. In the thirty years since its original publication, zen mind, beginners mind has become one of the great modern zen classics, much beloved, much reread, and much recommended as the best first book to read on zen. Within a very short period of time baker broadened the scope of sfzc, starting first with the acquisition of green gulch farm in southern marin county, in 1972. The discovery of the students shoes outside richard bakers cabin, and the.