More than an interview this felt like a conversation. I really appreciated the naturalness. You started sharing your views about Catholicism which was also my beginning. There was no mention of the fact that Sasaki Roshi knew the Catholic mindset well. He taught the Trappist monks at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts regularly for 10 years. When he came for retreat here in PR he adapted his koans to our "in the bones" Christian culture. Our most used phrase is "ay bendito" which translates to "oh blessed". Roshi's koan was "Where is God when...." It's sad to say that the stretching of sexual morality had reached the center and caused a conflict that I discussed with the Abbot and decided to leave. This was in the beginning of the 90's. When brought to memory, like with this conversation, I still feel the love I felt when after Roshi's admonishment against spiritual pride we hugged. Bald heads and robes create a great effect on impressionable people. I agree completely with Jack, having observed it directly, that the "robes do not make the monk". Life is the test.
never heard of your channel before, just happened to have this recommended to me because i enjoy jack haubner's videos. i figured id put it on in the background for a few minutes while i work on other things, ended up getting completely engrossed and watching the entire thing. really excellent interview, very engaging. i love how you can get to he heart of the tough questions while still being respectful. maybe see if you can get Brad Warner on here?
I wonder if anyone will mention the stark difference between Zens origins in China, and the japanese Buddhist thing that has become so ubiquitous in the west.
@@GuruViking Zen in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea are very distinctly different. Because of the popularity of Japanese Zen few people know anything about Zen’s history in China, Vietnam and Korea. What came to the West from Vietnam (in the form of Thich Nhat Hanh) is not entirely representative of Thien in Vietnam or the tradition there influenced by Chan from China. I felt that the western Zen narrative was so shaped by Japanese Zen that is very sectarian and not the same way as all as it was in China where it originated. Dogen’s Zen is definitely not Caodong Chan, but his own interpretation. Rinzai Zen in Japan also is not the same as Chan in China and Thien in Vietnam which was much more faithful to the monastic precepts of celibacy than Japanese Zen. I’ve been practicing Vietnamese Thien for 30+ years, been teaching students for 12 years upon my teacher’s request. I keep finding myself having to explain to students the difference between Japanese Zen and Vietnamese Thien. Lam Te Thien (the equivalent of Rinzai Zen in Vietnam) is alive a well in Vietnam but nobody knows about it because it doesn’t make noise nor it is sectarian like Japanese Zen. The kind of abuses that goes on in like what happened in Japanese Zen is rejected as acceptable behaviour of a monastic no matter how wonderful the teacher is. It is totally unacceptable and intolerable in Vietnamese Thien to allow it to happen once never-mind that it carries on because of the teacher’s power. In the Vietnamese temples, the sangha or monastic community as a whole carries more power than one person in the temple, even if that person is the most senior teacher.
@@moonmissy All religions in Vietnam are under the surveillance of Communist party so I doubt that Vietnamese buddhism is so exquisite as you depict. I grew up in a communist country and the Church was full of confidents of secret police and no real freedom of religion was present although from the outside the Church looked normal.
@@mispanludensprinck5652 I’m Vietnamese and I can tell you that Vietnam had relaxed religious practices a lot since the US trade embargo had been removed. There are some surveillance going on but mostly to restrict foreigners, not Vietnamese national. Zen is a thriving practice in Vietnam now because of the relaxed surveillance. Vietnam isn’t like other communist countries because it relies heavily on the USA walking a fine balance politically between relations between US and China. Without further backing from the dead USSR it is constantly under threat from being absorbed by China just like Taiwan. For a 1000 years in Vietnam’s history it was a province of China so China can easily use such historical citing to absorb it politically if it is powerful enough. The last Vietnam-China war was in 1979 right after the USA left. If the USSR didn’t get involved and amassed troops at it’s borders with China, Vietnam would have been absorbed into China. You’re not Vietnamese and speak from complete ignorance the current state of Vietnamese Buddhism. As long as Buddhism is practiced without political involvement now, the monks are pretty much left alone to do their stuff. I was in Vietnam for several years and stayed at Zen monasteries there. With Vietnamese nationality by birth, even though I grew up in North America, I was pretty left alone to practice with the monastics there. I experienced first hand what kind of surveillance goes on. It’s night and day from what happens in China and before US trade embargo was lifted. The monastics in Vietnam who were jailed or persecuted were those who spoke up and protest the government during the eighties. Many of them are now released, a few still experienced surveillance because they continue to be political inciting political movements. The average monk in Vietnam is allowed to practice and is not restricted. Buddhist University is thriving, many monks are sent abroad to India, China, Sri Lanka etc.. to study and get their PhD to return and teach at the university. Things are very different now! In China, you don’t get Facebook, Twitter and internet is censored. None of that happens in Vietnam now.
@@moonmissy Thank you for the extremely interesting information. I didn't know it. I grew up in communist Czechoslovakia. Now in the Czech republic we still have a lot of Vietnamese and I am grateful for it: They are smart, hard working and decent citizens and the members of the second generation speak perfect Czech, they even win language competitions.
The 3rd death hasn't happened. I received dharma transmission remotely through a dream at the time of his death (I noticed the dream but found out about the time of death only later, as I was not part of his sangha and living in Thailand). I officially accepted it 3 years later, informed his Rinzaiji community and Myoshinji temple and announced it on my website.
Man this kinda tragic, this guy looks like he functions " from the bounciness of the void" as a zen guy but he also looks like he has some ptsd, so what good this lineage did to him, of course he can use his insights to work on the situation but i can imagine the trauma
So, jack haubner is admitting it is impossible to attain full enlightenment? 1:37:00 . Pretty discouraging to hear this from someone who has practice so long...
I loved doing this interview, thanks James! I’m looking forward to the next one!!
Thank you Jack for such a wonderful interview! Looking forward to part 2 :-)
And just when I think you couldn’t possibly put out anything more compelling than what has come before, this.
Thanks Mark! 🙏🏻
This was great!!! Thank you!
This felt really real and sobering - authentic, painful and refreshing at the same time. Much thank to both of you.
More than an interview this felt like a conversation. I really appreciated the naturalness. You started sharing your views about Catholicism which was also my beginning. There was no mention of the fact that Sasaki Roshi knew the Catholic mindset well. He taught the Trappist monks at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts regularly for 10 years.
When he came for retreat here in PR he adapted his koans to our "in the bones" Christian culture. Our most used phrase is "ay bendito" which translates to "oh blessed". Roshi's koan was "Where is God when...." It's sad to say that the stretching of sexual morality had reached the center and caused a conflict that I discussed with the Abbot and decided to leave. This was in the beginning of the 90's. When brought to memory, like with this conversation, I still feel the love I felt when after Roshi's admonishment against spiritual pride we hugged.
Bald heads and robes create a great effect on impressionable people. I agree completely with Jack, having observed it directly, that the "robes do not make the monk". Life is the test.
Riveting stuff. So much human drama. So much heart. I couldn't stop listening.
🙏beautiful interview 🙏
Fantastic interview, and a great conclusion.
Thanks Lev!
Great interview, thank you!
Excellent!
Such an amazing interview!
never heard of your channel before, just happened to have this recommended to me because i enjoy jack haubner's videos. i figured id put it on in the background for a few minutes while i work on other things, ended up getting completely engrossed and watching the entire thing. really excellent interview, very engaging. i love how you can get to he heart of the tough questions while still being respectful. maybe see if you can get Brad Warner on here?
your present awareness is nirvana.
I wonder if anyone will mention the stark difference between Zens origins in China, and the japanese Buddhist thing that has become so ubiquitous in the west.
Hi Lev, do you have any suggestions of teachers who specialise on this point who I could interview?
@@GuruViking Zen in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea are very distinctly different. Because of the popularity of Japanese Zen few people know anything about Zen’s history in China, Vietnam and Korea. What came to the West from Vietnam (in the form of Thich Nhat Hanh) is not entirely representative of Thien in Vietnam or the tradition there influenced by Chan from China. I felt that the western Zen narrative was so shaped by Japanese Zen that is very sectarian and not the same way as all as it was in China where it originated. Dogen’s Zen is definitely not Caodong Chan, but his own interpretation. Rinzai Zen in Japan also is not the same as Chan in China and Thien in Vietnam which was much more faithful to the monastic precepts of celibacy than Japanese Zen. I’ve been practicing Vietnamese Thien for 30+ years, been teaching students for 12 years upon my teacher’s request. I keep finding myself having to explain to students the difference between Japanese Zen and Vietnamese Thien. Lam Te Thien (the equivalent of Rinzai Zen in Vietnam) is alive a well in Vietnam but nobody knows about it because it doesn’t make noise nor it is sectarian like Japanese Zen.
The kind of abuses that goes on in like what happened in Japanese Zen is rejected as acceptable behaviour of a monastic no matter how wonderful the teacher is. It is totally unacceptable and intolerable in Vietnamese Thien to allow it to happen once never-mind that it carries on because of the teacher’s power. In the Vietnamese temples, the sangha or monastic community as a whole carries more power than one person in the temple, even if that person is the most senior teacher.
@@moonmissy All religions in Vietnam are under the surveillance of Communist party so I doubt that Vietnamese buddhism is so exquisite as you depict. I grew up in a communist country and the Church was full of confidents of secret police and no real freedom of religion was present although from the outside the Church looked normal.
@@mispanludensprinck5652 I’m Vietnamese and I can tell you that Vietnam had relaxed religious practices a lot since the US trade embargo had been removed. There are some surveillance going on but mostly to restrict foreigners, not Vietnamese national. Zen is a thriving practice in Vietnam now because of the relaxed surveillance. Vietnam isn’t like other communist countries because it relies heavily on the USA walking a fine balance politically between relations between US and China. Without further backing from the dead USSR it is constantly under threat from being absorbed by China just like Taiwan. For a 1000 years in Vietnam’s history it was a province of China so China can easily use such historical citing to absorb it politically if it is powerful enough. The last Vietnam-China war was in 1979 right after the USA left. If the USSR didn’t get involved and amassed troops at it’s borders with China, Vietnam would have been absorbed into China.
You’re not Vietnamese and speak from complete ignorance the current state of Vietnamese Buddhism. As long as Buddhism is practiced without political involvement now, the monks are pretty much left alone to do their stuff. I was in Vietnam for several years and stayed at Zen monasteries there. With Vietnamese nationality by birth, even though I grew up in North America, I was pretty left alone to practice with the monastics there. I experienced first hand what kind of surveillance goes on. It’s night and day from what happens in China and before US trade embargo was lifted. The monastics in Vietnam who were jailed or persecuted were those who spoke up and protest the government during the eighties. Many of them are now released, a few still experienced surveillance because they continue to be political inciting political movements. The average monk in Vietnam is allowed to practice and is not restricted. Buddhist University is thriving, many monks are sent abroad to India, China, Sri Lanka etc.. to study and get their PhD to return and teach at the university. Things are very different now! In China, you don’t get Facebook, Twitter and internet is censored. None of that happens in Vietnam now.
@@moonmissy Thank you for the extremely interesting information. I didn't know it. I grew up in communist Czechoslovakia. Now in the Czech republic we still have a lot of Vietnamese and I am grateful for it: They are smart, hard working and decent citizens and the members of the second generation speak perfect Czech, they even win language competitions.
The 3rd death hasn't happened. I received dharma transmission remotely through a dream at the time of his death (I noticed the dream but found out about the time of death only later, as I was not part of his sangha and living in Thailand). I officially accepted it 3 years later, informed his Rinzaiji community and Myoshinji temple and announced it on my website.
😲😲😲
Interesting
go shozan!
Man this kinda tragic, this guy looks like he functions " from the bounciness of the void" as a zen guy but he also looks like he has some ptsd, so what good this lineage did to him, of course he can use his insights to work on the situation but i can imagine the trauma
If you think your Roshi needs psychiatric treatment maybe is time to reconsider certain things...
So, jack haubner is admitting it is impossible to attain full enlightenment? 1:37:00 . Pretty discouraging to hear this from someone who has practice so long...
I challenge you to find a single long-term practitioner of Zen who thinks that permanent full irreversible enlightenment is possible
@@kw1ksh0t it is possible but not what people think it is
There is nothing to attain. It's there already.
.