Shunryu Suzuki stories - Whalen overheard dis of SR

Shunryu Suzuki Stories - Suzuki Stories Index

David Schneider wrote on May 10th this year of 2013:

Found this today and thought it might be of some interest to you.

It's from Philip's journal.

That book is in the Bancroft Library at Berkeley if some day you wanted to chase down the specifics of this, and fill out the details. Alas, I didn't note who was "Margaret"

Not sure who the other characters are either…other than Joanne, of course, very newly back from Japan and marriage with Gary over...

18 Feb 64

The people at EW House {Joanne Snyder & I ate there last week} …[ds]...say that Miss Ikeda has announced that Gisen is a roshi of the most pure Rinzai stripe & carries the true Dharma, as contrasted with the Reverend Mr Suzuki at the Soto temple where {Margaret has reportedly said} “everybody just sits around” - implying that there’s no “zen” there. When told of this assertion, the Rev. Mr. Suzuki is said to have remarked “Maybe so.”…

DC note: Gary Snyder and Joanne Kyger. EW House is the East West House in San Francisco where poets, artists, Japanophiles, etc lived.. I should ask Gary Snyder or Joanne who Gisen and Margaret are. This sort of assertion was common in the early days and still Soto Zen is thought of by many as the sleepy sect as compared to vigorous Rinzai.

There's a lot of old material that's as good as new if you haven't read it. -DC