Modern day Zen masters/roshi, while enjoying the decided advantage of being part of a tradition that imputes to them quasi-divine qualities, suffer the disadvantage of living in an age of widespread information. Thus, while the image of the Zen masters of the past bask in the unquestioned glow of hagiography, modern day Zen masters risk charges of alcoholism, sexual harassment, and the threat of lawsuits, all of which can end up in books, newspapers or on the web.

This paper was delivered at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Washington D.C., Nov. 18, 2006, and is reprinted here with permission from the author.

The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves198.64 KB26/01/2012, 12:42

Copyright @ 2006 Stuart Lachs

 “It is almost always instructive to look at the actual evidence for what are taken to be ‘established facts'."

-- Schopen, Gregory

Modern day Zen masters/roshi, while enjoying the decided advantage of being part of a tradition that imputes to them quasi-divine qualities, suffer the disadvantage of living in an age of widespread information. Thus, while the image of the Zen masters of the past bask in the unquestioned glow of hagiography, modern day Zen masters risk charges of alcoholism, sexual harassment, and the threat of lawsuits, all of which can end up in books, newspapers or on the web. Read more ...