Vashon Seminar on Buddhism in the West

The 4th Annual Vashon Seminar on Buddhism, a multi-tradition forum sponsored by the Puget Sound Zen Center, explored the topic “Moving the Buddha: How the West is Stepping into Buddhism.” The seminar, an all-day event held August 26th, included a morning keynote address by Victor Sogen Hori, an afternoon panel discussion, morning and afternoon meditation sessions with instruction, and a sumptuous midday meal. Seventy participants—monks and lay Buddhists from various traditions as well as people new to Buddhism—came to Vashon Island, Washington from all over the Northwest to be challenged and inspired.

Speaker Victor Sogen Hori, a third-generation Japanese-Canadian, is associate professor of Japanese religions at McGill University in Montreal.  After receiving his Ph.D. in philosophy from Stanford he spent 13 years as a Rinzai Zen monk in Kyoto.  He has written several books, among them Teaching Buddhism in the West: From the Wheel to the Web and Zen Sand: the Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice.

Ven. Polwatte Pagnananda, founder of Sarana International Buddhist Center in Tukwila, Washington, talks with Steve Wilhelm, panel moderator.

As Buddhism becomes established in the West it faces potential problems in adapting to a new culture, according to Hori.  In his talk he suggested that though the lures of territory, power, and greed are ubiquitous in East and West, teachers and sanghas in the process of transforming themselves to fit western society are sometimes more susceptible to them.  Reflecting on well-known allegations of impropriety in the past, Hori expressed concern that some disappointed practitioners turn away from the Dharma and cautioned against  “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

He also warned about mistaking form for substance.  While his own training has been in the strongly meditative Rinzai Zen tradition, he believes “it’s not always necessary to sit on a cushion” and advocates strong practice of Dharma in the world.  Popular culture in the West has embraced a number of the superficial forms of Buddhism, he pointed out, citing the use of the “gassho” bow in ordinary conversation in Southern California, but just as “you can put sweet and sour sauce on anything and call it Chinese” so you can adopt a “Buddhist” flavor without experiencing authentic Dharma.

Most of the day’s activities took place in the “Chinese House” at the home of David Smith. During the lunch interlude, many participants drifted outdoors to sit on Smith’s steps, green grass, or stone sculptures where they greeted friends from other years and made new ones. For some, this unstructured exchange of ideas was one of the highpoints of the day.

Following the meal (served entirely without disposable items!), Jarrad Powell, Professor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, played a Javanese suling (bamboo flute), accompanying singer Jessika Kenney’s performance of The Stonehouse Songs, a six-song cycle based on a text by a 13th-14th century Chinese poet.

The afternoon panel discussion, moderated by Steve Wilhelm of the Northwest Dharma Association, a practitioner in both Vipassana and Vajrayana traditions, ranged over a variety of topics including questions about family and daily practice, as well as comparisons of different traditions and methods of teaching. The lively exchange included questions from the seminar’s responsive, articulate audience.

Panel member Shinjo Brewer spoke about devotional practice through the arts and her vision of a center for teaching the arts as deep Buddhist philosophy. Brewer (Rinzai Zen), a Butoh dancer, ordained for eleven years at Sogenji Monastery in Japan with Shodo Harada Roshi and also studies with Catherine Genno Roshi in Paris.