By Stuart Lachs1
I show in this paper that the legitimating story and mythic history
of Zen Buddhism lays the groundwork for an authoritarian-
inclined leader—titled Zen or Chan master, or roshi—to draw
his followers into a cultlike world dependent on obedience, the
master’s approval, and an ethical framework that reflects the
master’s self-serving interests.
Zen As Presented by Some Zen Masters
Zen Master Seung Sahn, the most famous Korean Zen Master
in the West, in Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, one of his better-
selling books, related the following exchange of letters that
indicate his view of what a Zen master is supposed to do or be.
Someone asked,
If a Zen master is capable of doing miracles, why doesn’t
he do them? ...Why doesn’t Soen-sa-nim do as Jesus
did—make the blind see, or touch a crazy person and
make him sane? Wouldn’t even such a showy miracle as
walking on water make people believe in Zen...?2
The Master replied, “Many people want miracles, and if they
witness miracles they become very attached to them. But
miracles are only a technique. They are not the true way” (Sahn,
1976, p. 99).
Here we see Master Seung Sahn implying that he too could
perform the miracles that Jesus supposedly performed, but that
he dismisses them as “only a technique” which is “not the true
way.” So he claims not to do miracles because that would distract
people from “the true way.” His reply is also a not-so-understated
slap at Christianity and Jesus for using flashy techniques to attract
people who do not have the highest goals.
The well-known Chinese/Taiwanese Chan master Sheng-yen said
of the Chan master,3
…it should be remembered that the mind of the master
is ever pure. ...[and] Even if the master tells lies, steals,
and chases women..., ...he is still to be considered a true
master as long as he scolds his disciples … [for their]
transgressions. (Sheng-yen, 1984, pp. 1–2)4
6 ICSA TODAY
READY TO MINE:
Based on a paper presented at the 2017 ICSA International Conference in Bordeaux, France. The original content is also
available on the blog site operated by Tenzin Pelior (buddhism-controversy-blog.com).
Zen’s
Legitimating
Mythology and
Cultish Behavior
I show in this paper that the legitimating story and mythic history
of Zen Buddhism lays the groundwork for an authoritarian-
inclined leader—titled Zen or Chan master, or roshi—to draw
his followers into a cultlike world dependent on obedience, the
master’s approval, and an ethical framework that reflects the
master’s self-serving interests.
Zen As Presented by Some Zen Masters
Zen Master Seung Sahn, the most famous Korean Zen Master
in the West, in Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, one of his better-
selling books, related the following exchange of letters that
indicate his view of what a Zen master is supposed to do or be.
Someone asked,
If a Zen master is capable of doing miracles, why doesn’t
he do them? ...Why doesn’t Soen-sa-nim do as Jesus
did—make the blind see, or touch a crazy person and
make him sane? Wouldn’t even such a showy miracle as
walking on water make people believe in Zen...?2
The Master replied, “Many people want miracles, and if they
witness miracles they become very attached to them. But
miracles are only a technique. They are not the true way” (Sahn,
1976, p. 99).
Here we see Master Seung Sahn implying that he too could
perform the miracles that Jesus supposedly performed, but that
he dismisses them as “only a technique” which is “not the true
way.” So he claims not to do miracles because that would distract
people from “the true way.” His reply is also a not-so-understated
slap at Christianity and Jesus for using flashy techniques to attract
people who do not have the highest goals.
The well-known Chinese/Taiwanese Chan master Sheng-yen said
of the Chan master,3
…it should be remembered that the mind of the master
is ever pure. ...[and] Even if the master tells lies, steals,
and chases women..., ...he is still to be considered a true
master as long as he scolds his disciples … [for their]
transgressions. (Sheng-yen, 1984, pp. 1–2)4
6 ICSA TODAY
READY TO MINE:
Based on a paper presented at the 2017 ICSA International Conference in Bordeaux, France. The original content is also
available on the blog site operated by Tenzin Pelior (buddhism-controversy-blog.com).
Zen’s
Legitimating
Mythology and
Cultish Behavior
