Japanese Shoji Screens :: Japanese Zen Shoji Screen (Black)

All things have a story...

Although it is uncertain when Zen actually reached the shores of the Americas, most historians believe it was in 1893 at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. During that time a Japanese monk named Soyen Shaku decided to attend the conference despite the protests of his fellow monks. He acted as the emissary for the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism from Japan and it became the first type of Zen Buddhism practiced in America. For the first 50 years after Shaku’s visit, the dominant form of Zen Buddhism practiced was Rinzai. Today, however, the Soto school is more popular.

The interest in Zen Buddhism of any kind peaked in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when such exponents as Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac and Thomas Merton began writing about it. Their books and talks helped increase Zen Buddhism’s appeal to Americans. Other Zen monks and masters made their way to American soil and established temples and training grounds for Westerners interested in learning and practicing the methods of Zen. One such person was Soyu Matsuoka-Roshi. In 1949 he established the Chicago Buddhist Temple and played an important influence in helping to make Zen more widespread in America. Another important figure in helping to popularize Zen Buddhism in the 1960s was Philip Kapleau. He was a white American who traveled to Japan in 1945 as a reporter. While there he met with the great D.T. Suzuki, who lectured widely on Zen Buddhism. In returning to America in 1953, Kapleau began studying Zen and in 1965 published a book called The Three Pillars of Zen. The book was mainly a transcription of talks by the Zen master Yasutani that outlined his approach to Zen. The book also included other interviews with Zen practitioners. The book went on to enjoy great popularity and Kapleau became the first American-born Zen master.

In 1966, Kapleau established the Rochester Zen Center in New York and it soon became independent of the Sanbo Kyodan school. Today, more than 40 years later, many Zen temples now exist where students and those who want to learn about Zen can practice. This author has been to a few Zen monasteries and there is one in particular that has been the place of many beautiful experiences. It is called the Zen Mountain Monastery and it is located in Mount Tremper, New York. Located far away from the city, on a mountain, this monastery is surrounded by a forest and is a great vehicle for learning the traditional ways of Zen.