Overseas Missions and the
Future of the Tendai-sect

Your Eminence Archbishop Watanabe, Your Excellency Nishioka-sensei, Your Excellency Kiyohara-sensei, Jigyodan, and honored guests, thank you for providing me the privilege of being here and the honor of addressing this gathering. It is truly wonderful to meet again so many friends and colleagues we have known and to meet for the first time those whom I trust will be our friends for many years. It is with great humility that I offer you my thoughts. Just a little over one year ago Karuna Tendai Dharma Center was officially designated the Tendai-shu New York Betsuin. I was designated the Jushoku. Here I must add that without Tamami, my wife, I would never have been able to establish the temple, nor receive the Betsuin designation. It was our dream and life’s work. She is truly my partner and co-director of the Betsuin.

Designation as the Betsuin is a great honor. However, our goal was much more modest, it was to develop a Tendai temple in the U.S. that would make the Dharma available to all who were interested and to do so in a way that would reflect positively on my Master Ichishima-sensei and Tendai-shu as a whole. Since being designated a Betsuin many positive changes have taken place. It is with humility and gratitude that we move forward in our new position. I would like to thank the Jigyodan for all they have done that has assisted us in so many ways. I’ll talk more about this in a few minutes.

I feel an obligation to place the Betsuin into a larger context of Buddhism in America. Let me begin by addressing my view of the state of Buddhism in the United States, how this guides the Tendai-shu New York Betsuin, how American Tendai-shu might fit into this picture and finally I will address how Japanese Tendai-shu might facilitate this process.

The United States is one country on a map with a, more or less, single language, monetary system, and trade network. In reality America is several large distinct regions with a diversity that might rival Europe. Perhaps we are similar to India and Brazil in this respect. The cultural values in New York City are distinct from the values in Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, Denver or Chicago. Eastern New York State shares values with New England, while central and Western New York share values with Ohio and Michigan. Miami is the capital of Latin America and the values are more similar to Cuba and Columbia. The American Southwest, New Mexico, Arizona and parts of Texas have more similarities with Mexico than they do with Oregon or the state of Washington. Can you imagine how different Hawaii is from Alaska? There are also class and race differences, as well as ethnic, religious and educational dissimilarity that make us a very multicultural society. The point is we can’t discuss the U.S. as single entity. Each American person’s worldview is conditioned by geography as well as social disparities. When we speak about America we need to denote which America we are discussing.

When we focus on Buddhism in America the writings of Jan Nattier inform us that there are three distinct Buddhist groups in the States identified as, ‘Import’, ‘Export’ and ‘Baggage’. Americans of Asian heritage; Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, and others, brought Buddhism with them as ‘Baggage’ or as part of their total life experience. Buddhism is part of the Asian culture. These groups typically speak their native language in the temples and, with the exception of Hawaii, seldom have much to do with other Buddhist organizations. Other Asian Buddhists such as Soka Gakkai and Taiwanese forms actively ‘export’ their type of Buddhist practices and philosophy to America and adapt their form of Buddhism to the cultural environment, encouraging colloquial English and fashioning their practices for the purposes of proselytizing. The third group or ‘import’ is composed of people who encounter a specific type of Buddhism when traveling in Asia and imported their teachers to begin schools in the American religious collage. Almost all of the Tibetan, Theravada and Korean teachers as well as the early Soto and Rinzai Zen Roshi found their schools from these origins. The forms of practice and expectations of each of the Import, Export and Baggage groups are very different from one another.

Asian immigrants to the United States represent a broad demographic diversity. The single unifying theme is that they see the Buddhist temple as a link to their culture as well as a religious institution. The temple becomes less a factor in the lives of the children and grandchildren and each subsequent generation. The people who respond to export Buddhism often are attracted by the belief-based aspect of these groups. They are not as interested in philosophy or personal improvement. They are specifically interested in salvation.

The people who seek Buddhism as import are currently being referred to as proponents of the New Buddhism. They tend to be well-educated, middle class, with expectation that this religion will bring them “enlightenment.” They want their religion to be rational, logical and often philosophically oriented. The introduction to Donald Lopez, Jr.’s recent work identifies this group and asserts, “Modern Buddhism is for them a homeward journey to the vision of Buddha himself. Putting far more stress on meditation and spirituality than on ritual and relics, it embraces the ordination of women and values of science, social justice, tolerance and individual freedom.” I would add that these new American Buddhists often compartmentalize their lives and view religious activities as a separate compartment in a life along with a work compartment, social compartment, family compartment, community involvement compartment, etc. They expect their religious institutions to provide a sense of personal empowerment, meeting emotional needs during times of personal crisis, and provide a sense of meaning in a dehumanized world. More about this later.

Geographically where are the Buddhists? A quick peruse of The Buddhist Directory: United States of America and Canada reveals a bicoastal distribution, again, outside of Hawaii, which is a truly unique in America. The areas that have the most temples and Dharma Centers are California from Sacramento south to Los Angeles and on the east coast from New York City north to around Albany, NY then east to Boston. To a lesser extent there are specific areas such as around Denver, Colorado and the American southwest, especially New Mexico where retreat and teaching centers have located in spectacularly beautiful environments. Additionally, there are many centers around specific cities with large university populations such as; Ithaca, NY home of Cornell University, Ann Arbor, Michigan – the University of Michigan, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and other University cities, such as Austin, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts. As pointed out earlier, each of these areas represents a very different demographic and cultural composition with very distinct sets of expectations and needs.

I will now address the situation in the Northeastern U.S., where the Tendai-shu New York Betsuin is located. In an area about 200 km or about a two-hour drive from the Betsuin there are dozens of Buddhist monasteries, Dharma Centers, retreat centers, temples and sangha. More and more are being established each year. All four of the Tibetan schools, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean Zen along with a secularized form of Theravada are most familiar forms of Buddhism to the non-Asian American population. Other schools, such as Pure Land, Tendai, Shingon, etc. are less well known.

Why has Buddhism becomes such a force in this area of the U.S.? There is a subtle beauty and a spirit that runs deep within the hills and mountains. It is an area that spawned many religious institutions and has from the earliest colonial period been associated with utopian communities. Additionally, the area is convenient to large population centers and major transportation hubs.

When Tamami, my wife, and I chose to return to the U.S. eight years ago to start a Dharma Center there were several large monasteries and a few temples and sangha in our area. In the interim the number of Buddhist institutions and practitioners has grown at a fast pace.

However, there were, and still are, very few local temple oriented sangha in our area, or any other area in the U.S. It was this style of sangha that Tamami and I chose to create. The notion of a temple-based sangha may seem obvious to Buddhists of Asian heritage. It is not obvious to non-Asian Americans. To be candid it was not obvious to me before I lived in Japan for six years. It was only after living at Tamonin that I saw the relevance of a temple to Buddhist life.

Our intention has always been to establish a center that would provide a village temple to local Buddhist practitioners. We considered this important because there are many monasteries, and program centers where people who are interested in the Buddhist path can attend retreats and teaching programs. These are one-day teachings, week-end and longer retreats. However, if Buddhism is to mature in America we need local sangha where people can develop a relationship with a teacher that they see on a regular basis, and a community where everyone knows everyone else as a friend. When we recite the Sanborai we venerate the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Not the Buddha, Dharma and program Center. Instruction on the internet by e-mail is not direct transmission. Only a face-to-face teacher and a sangha can create a true Buddhist community.

When Tamami and I returned to the States from Japan we acquired a farm with 32 acres of pasture and forested land, a main house and two barns. It was our dream to turn this rural land into a village temple that would serve the local community. We started small with 6 or 7 people attending weekly meditation services, and grew over the next few years. Formal membership in the temple is encouraged, though a percentage of the sangha chooses to be affiliated without becoming a member. Our format is a lecture and meditation periods followed by a potluck dinner. We also offer monthly retreats, gyo, and other specific rituals, such as Segaki, New Years, O-Higan. The gyo come in many forms. For instance in October we had a three day gyo that focused on the three-fold practice of Chih-i and the Suchness Contemplations of Genshin. Part of temple offerings include, spiritual direction, pastoral counseling, refuge (Jukai), house blessings, funeral, memorial and wedding services. The meditation service included very little ritual at first. Slowly familiar Tendai ritual elements were included in our weekly ceremony until now we have found a comfortable combination of ritual and meditation. We also offer morning services and evening services several times a month as part of our regular activities.

In addition to the forgoing activities we have a Survey of Buddhism class once a month in which we study in depth sutra and commentary. There are other classes offered as the need arises. One very successful class was a weekly class that met for three months that investigated just the central platform of the Taizokai Mandala. We have hosted Tibetan monks who responded to our generosity by constructing a Amitabha Sand Mandala in our Hondo. There are far too many events to list at this time. However, you can see we have a full schedule.

As our numbers began to grow we had several important decision to make. First was that a small number of people had achieved a point in their practice that suggested a more systemic practice was warranted. Several of these people also wished to learn Mikkyo practices. I strongly support the historic position of Tendai-shu that these practices should not be given to people who have not had at least a novitiate level of Tokudo and must participate in formal and rigorous gyo. Thus I accepted several deshi who were willing to live nearby so that we would be in an ongoing direct relationship and they would undergo a series of week-long gyo and regular workshops plus they must directly serve the temple in significant ways. Several people moved from long distances and now live in the area around the Dharma Center. After consultation with Ichishima-sensei I formed a group called Doshu, who receive the instruction I have just discussed with the conditions imposed. There are a dozen people who have either completed the Doshu level or are Doshu trainees. Five people have taken lineage Tokudo.

It is my intention that the numbers of Doshu and Soryo I train be equally divided between men and women. This is important; the leadership of American Tendai sangha must represent men and women equally. We revere the Patriarchs, but we must encourage future Matriarchs.

The training of Western Tendai monks, nuns and priests must be thorough and rigorous. It must represent Japanese Tendai values while meeting Western needs. Western Religious leaders are expected to be leaders in the larger world speaking out about social circumstances and the values the religion embodies. There is an expectation that religious traditions focus on a person’s inner lives. We also need communities as part of this exploration into our inner world. We must fuse the East and West in a way that reflects the best of both traditions.

At about the same time that the Doshu order was being formed there was a second decision to be made. We were drawing people to the Dharma center from over 100 km away. The question was do we continue to put all of our effort into growing Jiunzan Tendaiji (the temple) sangha at the Dharma Center in Canaan, NY or should we make sangha available closer to people’s homes. Our original premise was that sangha should be local and intimate. As a result of this we chose to establish sitting, or meditation, groups in Great Barrington, Massachusetts to the east and Albany, New York to the west. each about 50 km from the Dharma Center. Later Sangha were established in Buffalo, New York, west about 500 km and Lowell, Massachusetts, about 130 km to the east. Several Doshu have gone on to become leaders of these sangha.

Recently, I have accepted two men from Germany and Austria as deshi. They both have been dedicated Pure Land practitioners for 15 and 30 years, leading a Pure Land sangha in their native lands. They desired to change their allegiance to Tendai and requested my assistance. They have agreed to all that I have mentioned above, except that they will continue to live in Germany. They come to the States for training. One has already spent a ten-day period with me and they will both attend a ten-day Doshu Gyo next summer. After their first level of training they will be forming Tendai sangha in Germany and Austria. We must determine, sometime in the future, when to transfer the guidance of these Sangha from an American Betsuin to the Jigyodan as a whole.

As mentioned earlier we chose to start sangha away from the Dharma Center. As a result our membership at the Jiunzan Tendaiji, the temple portion at the Dharma Center, has been able to meet the physical needs of our sangha. We have renovated about a third of one of the barns into a Hondo, this space will seat about 40 people for Shikan and services. It is rustic and very fitting with our environment. However, we need now to grow, meet the training needs of our Doshu and Soryo, host visitors, and have a facility that reflects Tendai-shu in America. We are embarking on a renovation project. Raising the money right now in America is difficult because of changes in national priorities since 9/11/2001.

The Jigyodan has assisted us in innumerable ways. They have visited us and given us council. They have arranged for some monetary assistance so that we no longer have to worry about losing our property if we are unable to meet our mortgage payment. They assisted me in participating in a gyo on Hiei-zan, my previous two gyo were under the tutelage of Ichishima-sensei at Tamonin. Individuals within the Jigyodan have also assisted us privately. Ichishima-sensei arranged for an altar to be built to our specifications in Japan and shipped to us. This was presented to us through the generosity of the late Yoshizaki-san. Ara-sensei arranged for a Angai to be presented to us by Ichikawa-san. Yamada Shunwa-sensei has given us a goma-dan and implements for our hondo. We have already used it for training purposes. Eventually, it will be permanently installed in our renovated Hondo. Yamada-sensei’s son and his wife, Shunsho and Tae have assisted me, twice, in teaching during our yearly Doshu/Soryo gyo. Just as important the Jigyodan has been supportive of our efforts to translate Japanese Tendai into a truly international Tendai.

The future of Tendai-shu in the West can be a bright or dim based upon how we precede in the next few years. This is a critical period in the development of Buddhism in the West, Tendai-shu can be instrumental in nurturing a constructive growth.

In order to encourage the growth of Tendai-shu in the west it is my opinion that we must differentiate ourselves in a constructive way from other traditions and demonstrate the unique qualities of our teachings and the teachers. We can do this first by emphasizing Ekayana tradition. How do we do this? We need to demonstrate that we embody a delicate balance between meditation and chanting practices, scholarship, Mikkyo, rituals for the benefit of others and Bodhisattva practices, what we refer to as Engaged Buddhism. We need to demystify Mikkyo while simultaneously presenting the sacred mysteries inherent in these essential teachings. From a philosophical perspective the Tendai notion of Hongaku should be stressed. We have so much to offer, we should not be shy in pointing out our strengths.

Second, we must ask our revered teachers in Japan to publish and/or translate books into English for popular consumption. These same teachers must be willing to join us for retreats, gyo and workshops. From a practical perspective there are many materials that you take for granted in Japan that we do not have access to, in some cases we don’t even know what is available. We would like to have more information about Tendai history, philosophy, practices, etc., from the patriarchs, Zasu and other important teachers.

Third, we must ensure that there is a well-trained and authentic leadership to represent Tendai-shu in the West. That includes authorizing formal gyo for Western people to be completed outside of Japan, in English and other languages, with the guidance and assistance of Japanese Tendai-shu priests. The people who are potential leaders do not come from temple families and they are not accustomed to Japanese methods of teaching and training. However they are dedicated, talented people of leadership caliber. We must combine the strengths of Hiei-zan gyo with the strengths of Western methods to create a truly vital and dynamic gyo-in. Then we must have a means of registering these people in a way that assures potential sangha members that their leaders are members of a legitimate lineage and are authorized to teach by Hiei-zan. I can tell you that many members of the Betsuin are with us because I had trained with Ichishima-sensei, had undergone formal gyo with him and represent a genuine lineage. I cannot overemphasize this point too much.

Finally, we must find ways for young and older people from the west to stay with temple and other Tendai families in Japan, study on Hiei-zan and places like Taisho Daigaku. This year to next I will have four young people staying with temple families in Japan. Only one of these people is my deshi. The others are students at Simon’s Rock College of Bard where Tamami and I teach. It is of course important for my deshi. However, the others will be scholars and professionals. They will learn about Tendai-shu in an intimate fashion and this will become part of their lives and translate into a better understanding of Tendai-shu to be revealed to the West. Conversely, young and old from Japan should visit the Tendai-shu New York Betsuin and other temples and Centers outside of Japan. This would provide our Japanese and non-Japanese supporters with a sense of continuity and true fellowship.

In conclusion, I would once again like to say a most heartfelt thank you to the Jigyodan and all of Tendai-shu for providing me with an opportunity to address you on this historic symposium. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude for the fellowship, guidance and assistance I have received from Ichishima-sensei, Saito-sensei, all my teachers, such as Ara-sensei, the Jigyodan, including Nishioka-sensei, Sono-sensei, and Yamada-sensei, the teachers and instructors on Hiei-zan during my gyo, Yamada-sensei, and all the patriarchs and teachers through the many past kalpas who have brought us together today.

Gassho . . . Monshin Paul Naamon
Address given at the Hiei-zan Symposium
on Overseas Missions and the Future of the Tendai-sect