ZCLA STATEMENTS OF SOLIDARITY

Whereas, the United States of America has, from its inception, implicitly and explicitly promoted a white-supremacist system, as evidenced in the genocide of Indigenous peoples and the institution of slavery, and

Whereas, this systemic white-supremacist ideology has resulted in the oppression of Indigenous peoples, Blacks, Latinx, Asians and all those who are deemed People of Color, to the present day, and

Whereas, George Floyd has become a “Bodhisattva in death,” awakening the world to take actions that will end, once and forevermore, the dehumanizing and deluded narrative of “other” and its consequences, and

Whereas, our country is currently experiencing a potentially transformative moment to forever root out this racist ideology as it is manifested in individual, collective, and systemic behaviors, and

Whereas, the injustices that target Black lives in particular have given rise to the undisputed dharma that Black Lives Matter, and

Whereas, white-supremacist racism and all forms of racism are the most virulent and dangerous forms of delusion, that of a separate identity of human beings when, in fact, all beings are empty of separateness and are wholly interdependent, and

Whereas, the vow of Zen Buddhist practitioners is to end suffering caused by delusion, including the ways that it manifests in subtle and overt forms of violence such as murder, lynching, torture, unjust treatment under the law, and unequal opportunities of employment, education, and access to health services, public spaces and opportunities.

Therefore, we, the stewards of The Zen Center of Los Angeles, as practitioners of the Buddha Way, pledge to end these delusions by diligently applying the practices of The Three Tenets of Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action.

Specifically, we will:

  • hold ourselves resolutely accountable for recognizing attitudes and acts of racism in ourselves and others and for never turning away from the suffering these cause,
  • do the essential inner work of being truthful about our own deluded self which results in individual racism and its consequences and rooting it out, no matter how uncomfortable it may be,
  • do the essential work of educating ourselves on the white-supremacist history of the United States and its consequences,
  • do the essential work together of deep listening, deep learning, and council in order to illuminate the Black Experience and commit to creating spaces to do this,
  • do the essential work together of deep listening, deep learning, and council in order to illuminate the experiences of Indigenous peoples, Latinx, Asian and all those deemed People of Color and commit to creating spaces to do this,
  • do the tireless work that is required to uproot any and all forms of racism that exist in our Sangha and the larger community of public institutions and government whenever and wherever we encounter it,
  • continually affirm our intention that our Sangha does everything it can to safeguard access and inclusion and to uphold the equality and dignity of Black lives and of Indigenous lives and the lives of People of Color,
  • create and establish life-affirming and liberating practices, policies, and organizational changes that support the values of equality, equity, and diversity.

—The Teachers and Board of Directors Zen Center of Los Angeles • 6/14/20

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ZCLA Statement in Solidarity and Support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities and Individuals

The Teachers and Board of Directors of Zen Center of Los Angeles, acknowledge and bear witness to the hate crimes and injustices being perpetrated against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and individuals. We denounce these actions and renew our commitment to uproot and dismantle systemic and individual racism and work for the liberation of all people.

Our Founder, the Venerable Taizan Maezumi Roshi immigrated from Japan to plant the seeds of dharma wisdom on American soil. We owe boundless gratitude to Maezumi Roshi and the extensive support system of Japanese-Americans who made his work possible to establish ZCLA and the White Plum lineage. We also owe boundless gratitude to the Zen pioneer Nyogen Senzaki Sensei, and to the many Buddhist teachers who have immigrated to the United States from across Asia to plant Buddhism in the West. Our respect runs deep and we bow to them as we practice the Way. We also hold dear the Asian-Americans in our Sangha as we acknowledge the precariousness of these times.

While hate crimes against Asian Americans have significantly increased over the course of the pandemic, racism against AAPI communities is not new in our country, indeed it is quite old. The political climate of the pandemic has unleashed and made visible what has long been present. The pandemic has brought increased vulnerability and violence as political leaders invoke xenophobic, stigmatizing rhetoric targeting China. This is happening at the same time that AAPI people, who are disproportionately represented in low-income service jobs, have suffered economic deprivation. These conditions contribute to what is certainly a significant under-reporting of such attacks, compounding the trauma and isolation too often experienced in AAPI communities. Anti-Asian sentiments and policies must move all of us to a greater commitment to educate ourselves and to take action to build and nurture the beloved community.

We commit to supporting the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities and promoting through our practice of the Buddha Way through participation in solidarity events and other actions, trainings such as Hollaback!, and our Many Hands and Eyes – Race process.

We reaffirm that we will do the tireless work that is required to uproot any and all forms of racism that exist in our Sangha and the larger community of public institutions and government whenever and wherever we encounter it.

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Statement of Solidarity Against Anti-Semitism

The Teachers and Board of Directors of Zen Center of Los Angeles Buddha Essence Temple acknowledge and bear witness to the verbal and physical attacks taking place against Jews, individually and as communities, here in Southern California, in the United States, and globally.  We categorically stand against anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic hatred and all acts that arise from it.  We stand in solidarity with our Jewish brethren against such attacks and we call on all peoples to uproot and dismantle systemic and individual anti-Semitism and to work for the liberation of all people everywhere.

The Zen Center of Los Angeles has had a long and enriching connection with the Jewish community.  Maezumi Roshi’s first Dharma successor was Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, a Brooklyn-born Jew, and various other successors and senior students were – and, to this day, are – also Jewish.  Roshi Bernie, in turn, gave transmission to Rabbi Don Ani Shalom Singer, a Reform rabbi, and Zen Center hosted the High Holy Days services for his congregation, Shir Hadash, for eight years.  Roshi Bernie was also the co-founder of the Zen Peacemakers and the force behind its annual Bearing Witness retreat at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland.

Many Sangha members who identify as Jewish are experiencing tremendous suffering and fear from the increasing attacks against Jews locally, nationally, and internationally.  We bear witness to this suffering and say, clearly:  We see you, we acknowledge your pain, and we stand with you – we are you.

While verbal and physical violence against Jews has increased significantly in recent weeks, anti-Semitism is ancient – Jews have been a convenient “other” to blame for long centuries.  All such acts of violence are wrong.  They are not aligned with the Zen Bodhisattva precepts, which call us to affirm life.  All forms of racial, ethnic, religious or other group-based hatred are wholly contrary to the teachings of the Buddha.

In our current world, there is no lack of “others” to dehumanize and stigmatize.  We equally stand against verbal and physical attacks against Muslims and Palestinians arising from such group-based hatred. We disavow such “othering” in each and every circumstance.

We reiterate Zen Center’s vision:  “Let us create an enlightened world free of suffering, in which all beings live in harmony, everyone has enough, deep wisdom is realized, and compassion flows unhindered.”  May we work tirelessly together to make it so.