ZEN MESTEREK ZEN MASTERS laquo Zen főoldal laquo vissza a Terebess Online nyitoacutelapjaacutera

森山 (法輪) 大行 老師

Moriyama (Hōrin) Daigyō rōshi (1938-2011)

Daigyō Moriyama rōshi (Otsuki 2010)

Two photographs taken in 1967Takuhatsu-ingAfter Ordination Ceremony of G Terebess

The zen lineage chart of Moriyama rōshi Dharma heir of Noiri rōshi and Dharma brother to Genshō (Gabor Terebess)

Daigyo Moriyama Roshi was born in 1938 and raised in a laymans family After graduating Philosophy department ofKomazawa University in 1962 he was ordained by Hakusan Roshi He practiced in the head temples of Soto Zen SchoolEihei-ji Soji-ji and Soji-ji Special Monastery Then he moved to Tokyo branch temple of Eihei-ji and practiced under NiwaZenji the head abbot of Eihei-ji until 1979 Between 1970 and 1973 he served as the head priest in Soko-ji a Soto Zentemple in San Francisco in US and experienced dramatic growth of Zen Buddhism in the United States in 1970s

In 1980 near the Mount Fuji mountains Moriyama Roshi founded Zuigakuin Zen Monastery to practice Bendoho traditionalteaching of Dogen Zenji and to promote Buddhism internationally In Zuigakuin without telephone or electricity MoriyamaRocircshis disciples dedicate themselves exclusively to daily manual chores and to Zazen Moriyama Roshi accepts and teachesJapanese and non-Japanese practitioners and also founded temples and Zen centers around the world such as in FranceUruguay Brazil Akita prefecture in Japan Sweden In 1992 he moved to Brazil and served as director of Soto Zen BuddhismOrganization in South America several years After retiring from the directorship he continued his missionary work in SouthAmerica and led various zen groups until 2002

Later Moriyama Roshi resided in Zuigakuin and is actively involved in teaching practitioners inside Japan as well as hisdisciples live outside Japan He is also communicating with other Buddhist groups outside Japan to further promoteinternational Buddhism missionary activity

Master Moriyama has not made any contact since the catastrophe of 11 March 2011 has touched Japan Our onlyinformation is that he could have been ndash or was ndash in the region that was affected by the Tsunami

httpgeocitieswszendo_3_tesorosmaestroshtml

森山 (法輪) 大行 Moriyama (Hōrin) Daigyō rōshi (1938-2011) httplarbredeleveilorgmaitreshtmmoriyama

Neacute dans lextreme Nord du japon dans lile de Sakhaline - occupeacutee depuis la guerre par les sovieacutetiques A 22 ans finissantdes eacutetudes de philo a Tokyo il rencontre son Maicirctre Hakusan Kocircjun Rocircshi (rocircshi vieux Maicirctre titre honorifique)Il commence a pratiquer zazen et impressionneacute par la digniteacute et la compassion vivante du Roshi il deacutecide de devenir

eacutegalement moineIl est ordonneacute a l acircge de 24 ans Il passe ensuite une anneacutee a Eiheiji le temple fondeacute par Maicirctre Dogen Puis 5 ans a Sojiji letemple de Maicirctre Keizan Jokin ou il poursuit sa pratique de moine et commence les cours speacuteciaux pour futurs enseignantsIl reccediloit la transmission de son Maicirctre Hakusan Kocircjun RocircshiSon Maicirctre lenvoie aupres de son frere dans le Dharma Niwa Roshi pour compleacuteter sa formation Il restera 2 ans a labranche de Tokyo de Eiheiji comme assistant personnel (Jisha) de Niwa Zenji Celui-ci lui demande alors daller a SanFrancisco reprendre le temple preacuteceacutedemment dirigeacute par Suzuki Roshi (celui-ci a quitteacute ce temple pour fonder le Zen Center)Ce sera la premiere rencontre du Roshi avec loccident le San Francisco de la fin des anneacutees 60 Grand choc et grandeadmiration pour la force de la pratique des occidentauxApres 3 ans Moriyama Roshi revient au Japon aupres de Niwa Roshi a ce moment il est enseignant puis Ino (Maicirctreenseignant aux moines) Apres 6 ans il reccediloit le titre de Shike (Maicirctre de monastere) Aideacute par ses Maicirctres il fonde Zuigakuindans la montagne japonaise Zuigakuin est un petit temple consacreacute a la pratique telle quelle est exposeacutee par Maicirctre Dogen meacuteditation (zazen) ettravail (samou) -la pratique inclut aussi Takahatsou (recherche daumocircnes) renouant ainsi avec la tradition bouddhiste desmoines mendiants et pauvres- lautre source de revenus est seulement les dons faits par les visiteurs et les disciplesPeu de confort -pas deacuteleacutectriciteacute ni de teacuteleacutephone peu de chauffage- mais riche du Dharma et ouvert a tous japonais oueacutetrangers hommes ou femmes seul compte le deacutesir de pratiquer et de suivre la voie des Patriarches une vie simplepreacutecieuse une pratique rare dans le Japon actuel cest le don de Maicirctre Moriyama a tous ses disciples Le temple a eacuteteacuteouvert en 1978 le Zendo acheveacute en 1980 (une grande ceacutereacutemonie de 20eme anniversaire est preacutevue en lan 2000)En 1992 Maicirctre Niwa demande a Moriyama Roshi de repartir cette fois en Ameacuterique du Sud Maicirctre Moriyama sera nommeacuteSokan (responsable national) Il habite Sao Paulo ville deacutemigration de nombreux japonais apres-guerre Il reconstruira letemple de la communauteacute et creacuteera des groupes de zazen pour les breacutesiliens a Sao Paulo et dans dautres villes du BreacutesilSa disciple Joshin Sensei commencera des groupes de zazen en Argentine en Uruguay et au Chili Mais deacutesireux depoursuivre sa voie simple de moine Maicirctre Moriyama lorsque tout est mis sur pied deacutemissionne et regagne Zuigakuin ou ilcontinue a accueillir visiteurs et pratiquants jusquau deacutebut de lanneacutee 2000 ou il repart pour le Breacutesil a Porto Alegre pour ydiriger un nouveau temple

La Demeure Sans Limites (Hokaiji) Founder Daigyo Moriyama Roshi Riou La Selle 07320 Saint-Agreve France httpwwwlarbredeleveilorg

野圦 (白山) 孝純 Noiri (Hakusan) Kōjun rōshi (1914-2007) httplademeureslfreefrmaitreshtm

Kocircjun Noiri Roshi (roshi vieux Maicirctre titre honorifique) est maintenant ageacute de 85 ans Il vit au temple de Kanyocirc-an Cest maintenant sa disciple Myozen Terayama Roshi qui soccupe du temple et des disciples Kojun Roshi est ceacutelebre au japon pour 2 choses dune part sa seacuteveacuterite envers ses disciples Cest un maicirctrestrict qui a deacutedieacute toute sa vie au Dharma Il a suivi les preacuteceptes des moines sans famille mais aupres de son Maicirctre puis avec ses disciplesIl a reccedilu lenseignement des Maicirctres de lEcole Soto et il a retransmis a tous les disciples assez courageux pouraffronter la force de la Montagne Blanche (Haku San)Il a eu deux successeurs la nonne Myozen Roshi et Moriyama Roshi Il est eacutegalement un grand lettreacute speacutecialiste des caracteres chinois Il fut le premier a faire imprimer les poemeseacutecrits en chinois par Maicirctre Dogen le Eiheikoroku Comme une grande montagne Kojun Roshi passequotidiennement une grande partie de la journeacutee en meacuteditation

Dans le systeme japonais traditionnel chaque maicirctre a lui-meme 2 Maicirctres le Maicirctre du lignage le Maicirctre du Dharma

Maicirctre Moriyama a eu pour Maicirctre du Dharma

丹羽 (瑞岳) 廉芳 Niwa (Zuigaku) Rempō zenji (1905-1993)

He succeeded Butsuan Emyocirc Niwa as superior of the Tokeiin After having assumed the station of vice-abbot hebecame in 1985 the 77th abbot of the Eiheiji monastery one of the two principal temples of the Socirctocirc school Hethen received the imperial title of Jikocirc Enkai Zenji (Great Zen Master of Compassion Ocean of Plenitude) He diedin September 1993 Tetsuzan Gendocirc Niwa succeeded him in 1986 as the abbot of Tokeiin

Zuigaku Rempocirc Niwa Zenji was noted for his brush calligraphy and works by him can be found under various pennames including Robai (the old plum tree) and Baian (the plum tree hermitage)Successors Daigyō Moriyama Gudo Wafu NishijimaNiwa roshi lineage gt httpwwwtreeleaforgarticlesTreeleafTheLineagehtml

Master Renpo Niwa was born at Shuzenji in Shizuoka Prefecture as the third son of Katoda Shioya in February of1905 His father was a schoolmaster of several schools and had sons and daughters totalled 10 And Mura hismother worked hard as a farmer for further support of their family Master Niwa told me that he was a rathertender boy and enjoyed to play with girls But when observing the very smart style of a Budhist monk whocommuted to Shuzenji temple he found himself wanting to become a Buddhist monk So when he was 11 yearsold he asked his family if he could become a Buddhist monk and he was permitted

And fortunately because his uncle Master Butsu-an Niwa was the Master of Tokei-in in Shizuoka City and soMaster Renpo Niwa became a son-in-law of Master Butsu-an therefore Master Renpo Niwa commuted fromTokei-in to a primary school But because he selected Nirayama Middle school near Shuzenji and so hecommuted to the middle school from his home but because he entered into the Shizuoka High School thereforehe commuted to the high school from Tokei-in again

When Master Renpo Niwa was going to enter into a University Master Butsu-an asked Master Renpo to select alaw division in the University However because Master Renpo strongly hoped to study Buddhism in theUniversity he insisted his own strong hope and Master Butsu-an permited Master Renpo to enter into thedivision of Buddhism I guess that at that time even in the Soto Sect there might have been so many lawfulproblems occurring and so Master Butsu-an wanted to get a good assistant for himself in the Soto Sect But Iheard that Master Butsu-an easily permitted Master Renpo to select the Indian Philosophical Division

Master Renpo Niwa entered the division of Indian Philosophy in Tokyo Imperial University and during the firstsummer vacation he visited Eihei-ji as a Buddhist monk officially for one month After graduating from TokyoUniversity he became the head official in Tokei-in and then visiting Antaiji in Kyoto for commuting to OtaniUniversity and then he entered into Eihei-ji Then he became the Master of Ichjoji and Ryu-un-in in Shizuokaand he succeeded the Master of Tokei-in in November of 1955 He became the Master of the Tokyo Branch ofEihei-ji in 1960 and then he worked as the 77th Abbot of Eihei-ji from April 1985 to September 1993[by Nishijima Gudo Wafu] Zuigaku Rempocirc Niwa Zenji est neacute agrave Shizuoka au Japon En vertu du systegraveme de transmission familiale destemples introduit par la reacuteforme de leacutepoque Meiji il se fit moine assez tocirct apregraves ses eacutetudes au lyceacutee deShizuoka Selon le systegraveme inaugureacute au XVIIIdeg siegravecle par Menzan il reccedilut la transmission du Dharma (shiho) troisans apregraves avoir pris les preacuteceptes Il fut pour cela adopteacute par le supeacuterieur du temple Tokei-in de Shizuoka selonun systegraveme complexe de rotation entre plusieurs temples de la localiteacute occasion agrave laquelle il prit le nomheacutereacuteditaire de NiwaA 50 ans il fut nommeacute supeacuterieur de la branche de Tokyo du temple Eihei-ji Fervent pratiquant de zazen il y fitreconstruire le zendo (salle de meacuteditation) afin que les jeunes en formation (pour la plupart fils de chefs detemple) puissent revenir agrave cette pratique essentielleIl devint ensuite le supeacuterieur du Eihei-ji dans les montagnes du Fukui (mer du Japon) Ainsi quagrave Tokyo il ypratiquait zazen tous les matins avec les moines selon les enseignements du fondateur du lieu maicirctre DocircgenIl a eacuteteacute le maicirctre de Gudo Nishijima et de Moriyama Daigyo Apregraves la mort de T Deshimaru trois de ses plus proches disciples ont eacuteteacute certifieacutes maicirctres dans la tradition duzen soto par Niwa Zenji sans jamais avoir connu Steacutephane Kosen Thibaut Etienne Mokusho Zeisler et RolandYuno Rech

httplademeureslfreefrmaitreshtm Zenji car il fut le preacuteceacutedent supeacuterieur du temple de Maicirctre Dogen Eiheiji Cest la plus haute position de leacutecoleSoto Zen Il est mort le 7 septembre 1993 Niwa Zenji est neacute dans un temple de haut rang lieacute a laristocratie Il devint moine tres tocirct puis Maicirctre et futnommeacute a 50 ans supeacuterieur de la branche de Tokyo du temple Eiheiji Il y fit reconstruire un nouveau zendo (sallede meacuteditation) car lui meme pratiquait beaucoup le zazen et il souhaitait que les religieux venus faire leurs anneacuteesde formation pratiquent eacutegalement de faccedilon plus intensivePuis il devint le supeacuterieur du temple de Eiheiji auquel il imprima un nouvel eacutelan venant chaque matin pratiqueravec les moines redonnant a ce lieu le gout du Dharma de Maicirctre Dogen Il devint aussi un grand soutien pourles groupes de zen a leacutetranger ainsi comme il est de tradition pour les Zenji de faire entrer dans leurs lignagesceux qui pour une raison ou pour une autre nont plus de Maicirctre il donna sa transmission a plusieurs disciples deMaicirctre Deshimaru a la mort de ce dernierIl aida Maicirctre Moriyama a commencer Zuigakuin puis il aida eacutegalement la disciple de ce dernier Joshin Sensei afonder la Demeure sans limites Nous avons tous pratiquants en Europe une grande dette de gratitude enverslui

Moriyama Roshi has disciples in Brazil USA Argentina Uruguay France Germany Sweden Austria CanadaKorea and Sri Lanka

Joshin Luce Bachoux Sensei (Sensei=enseignante) Apregraves avoir pratiqueacute en Europe Joshin Sensei part pour le Japon Elle passe plusieurs anneacutees agrave Zuigakuin ougrave elleest ordonneacutee puis elle y reccediloit le Sceau de la transmission de Maicirctre Moriyama devenant ainsi enseignante deleacutecole Soto Zen A la demande de ce dernier elle rentre en France pour y partager lenseignement reccedilu agrave laDemeure Sans Limites Elle a fait eacutegalement de nombreux seacutejours en Ameacuterique du Sud pour y aider son Maicirctre Elle a ouvert en 2006 Le Chemin du Vent agrave Vaudevant (Ardegraveche) pour ses eacutetudiants les plus anciens et voyagepour donner des confeacuterences ou diriger des retraites Elle collabore au suppleacutement laquo Les Essentiels raquo du magazine La Vie depuis cinq ans Pour Moriyama Roshi mon Maicirctre httpwwwlarbredeleveilorgdaishinbulletinspipphparticle376

Jokei Ni Marie Lambert (Ni = nonne) Elle a eacuteteacute ordonneacutee agrave Zuigakuin en 1999 elle vit agrave la Demeure sans Limites Durant ses anneacutees de formation ellea effectueacute plusieurs laquo angos raquo (retraites de trois mois) aux USA aupregraves de Bennage Ni-Osho et eacutegalement auJapon aupregraves de Maicirctre Aoyama Shundo nonne et Supeacuterieure du monastegravere de Nagoya auteure de laquo Graines deSagesse raquo Jokei Ni a aussi fait plusieurs seacutejours au Village des Pruniers Cest elle qui accueille les personnes qui viennent pratiquer agrave la Demeure sans Limites et dirige les retraites httpwwwbuddhachanneltvportailspipphparticle851

MORIYAMA ROSHIhttpwwwnossacasanetshunyadefaultaspmenu=1044

Nasceu em Marccedilo de 1938 no extremo norte do Japao conhecido como ilha de Sakhaline - ocupada depoisa da guerra pelossovieacuteticos Aos 22 anosconclui seus estudos de filosofia em Tokyo e reencontra seu mestre Hakusan Kojun Roshi

Ele comeccedila a praticar o zazen e impressiona pela dignidade ecompaixao viva de um Roshi Decide tornar-se monge

Eacute ordenado com a idade de 24 anos e passa um ano em Eihei-ji templo fundado por Meste Dogen Durante 5 anos em Soji-jium templo fundado por mestre Keizan Jokin ele realiza a praacutetica monaacutestica e inicia um curso especial para transformar-seem professor do Dharma

Ele recebe a transmissao de seu Mestre Hakusan Kojun Roshi

Seu mestre o envia par seu irmao do Dharma Niwa Roshi para completar sua formaccedilao Ele ficaraacute 2 anos na seccedilao de Tokyodo Eihei-ji Niwa Roshi lhe pede entao para ir a Sao Francisco na Califoacuternia USA retomar o templo precedentemente dirigidopor Suzuki Roshi (este havia se retirado deste templo para fundar o Zen Center Esse seria o primeiro encontro de RoshiMoryama com o ocidente - o Sao Francisco do fim dos anos 60 Grande choque e grande admiraccedilao pela forccedila da praacuteticados ocidentais

Apoacutes 3 anos Moryama Roshi volta ao Japao junto a Niwa Roshi nesse momento ele eacute professor depois Ino (Mestreprofessor de monges) Depois de 6 anos ele recebe oo tiacutetulo de Shike (Mestre de monasteacuterio) Ajudado por seus mestres elefunda o Zuigakuin nas montanhas japonesas

Zagakuim eacute um pequeno templo consagrado a praacutetica tal como ela eacute exposta por mestre Eihei Docircgen meditaccedilao (Zazen) etrabalho (Samu) - a praacutetica inclui tambeacutem Takahatsu (pedir esmolas) reatando assim com a tradiccedilao budista dos mongesmendicantes e pobres - a outra fonte de renda eacute somente doaccediloes feitas pelos pelos visitantes e disciacutepulos

Pouco conforto - nada de eletricidade nem telefone pouco aquecimento - mas rico de Dhrama e aberto a todos japonesese estranjeiros homens e mulheres o uacutenico que conta eacute o desejo de praticar e seguir o caminho dos Patriarcas uma vidasimples preciosa umma praacutetica rara no Japao atual eacute o dom de Mestre Moryama a todos os disciacutepulos O templo foi abertoem 1978 o zendo terminou em 1980

Em 1992 Roshi Niwa pede a Moryama para partir desta vez para a Ameacuterica do Sul Mestre Moryama foi nomeado Sokan(responsaacutevel nacional) Ele mora em Sao paulo cidade de emigraccedilao de numerosos japoneses apoacutes-guerra Ele reconstroacutei otemplo da comunidade e cria grupos de Zazen para brasileiros em Sao Paulo e em outras cidades brasileiras Sua disciacutepulaJoshin Sensei comeccedilaraacute grupos de zazen na Argentina no Uruguai e no Chile Mas desejoso de seguir a vida simples demonge Meste Moryama quando tudo estaacute em ordem se demite e volta a Zuigakuin onde continua a acolher visitantes epraticantes ateacute o iniacutecio do ano 2000 quando parte para Porto Alegre no Brasil para dirigir um novo templo Em sua ausenciaZuigakuin nao ceita mais os visitantes estrangeiros e as pessoas interessadas podem dirigir-se a Demeure Sans Limites aiacuteonde prosegue seu Dharma atraveacutes de sua sucessora Joshin Sensei

Moryama tem ministrado ensinamentos tanto para monges quanto para disciacutepulos leigos por mais de 30 anos Desde o iniacuteciosempre teve especial interesse em acessar a praacutetica do Zen para pessoas que nao tem experiencia anterior no Budismo

Em 26 de fevereiro de 1998 Roshi Moriyama concedia uma entrevista para Revista Bodigaya em que declarava eu tenho umnovo projeto O Grupo VIAZEN vai iniciar a construccedilao de um Centro de Treinamento Zen nas montanhas

Em fevereiro de 2000 mudou-se para Porto Alegre e conforme declaraccedilao sua para Revista Bodigaya quando anunciou aconstruccedilao do Mosteiro Zen Internacional Dogen Zenji ele veio par ficar Vim morrer no BrasilDados pessoais1970-73 - Monge Superior do Soko-ji Zen Temple em San Francisco USA 1978 - Fundaccedilao do Zuigakuin International Zen Temple proacuteximo a Tokyo Japao 1992 - Fundaccedilao do Hokai-ji International Zen Temple em StAgreve Franccedila 1993-96 - Monge Superior do Templo Bushin-ji em Sao Paulo Brasil Nessa ocasiao teve seu primeiro contato e visita aViaZen em Porto AlegreFevereiro de 2000 - Muda-se para Porto Alegre Brasil

SEIS PALESTRAS-DARMA de Daigyo Moriyama Daigyo Moriyama Roshi O Zen oferece a Paz

wwwbodigayacombr

104 paacuteginas

Precio

R$ 2000 (U$S 77 aprox)

AutorMaestro Zen

Moriyama Roshi

Formato 21 X 14 cm

PRIMEIROS PASSOS NO ZEN (Első leacutepeacutesek a zenben)

En este libro uacutenico encontramos las preciosas enseńanzasdel gran Maestro Zen Moriyama Roshi un Patriarca del ZenEn un lenguaje claro lleno de simplicidad y belleza sin sersuperficial eacutel recorre todos los elementos del Camino Zendesde la practica de la meditacioacuten Zen (o Zazen) hasta losaspectos maacutes sultiles de la mente para todos los lectoresinteresados en recorrer esta maravillosa jornada espiritualbudista

No deberiacuteas menospreciar tu primer paso en el caminoespirit ual Es tal vez el maacutes importante y no deberiacutea serdado de cualquier modo displicentemente Por favor estaacuteatento presente consciente de corazoacuten dando tu primerpaso en el Zenˇ Esto es muy importante Quisiera quetodos ustedes viesen que en el fondo este sencillo ypequeńo primer paso ya contiene en siacute mismo todo elcamino Si das un paso en la direccioacuten correcta con una orientacioacutenadecuada rumbo al Buda y al Dharma verdaderos enverdad ya llegaste ˇ Caminar en direccioacuten al Budaverdadero es haberlo ya encontrado Si el viaje seraacute largo ocorto no importa Cuaacutel es la prisa Caminando asiacute estaremosserenos nuestro andar respetaraacute nuestro propio ritmoSeremos gentiles con nuestros pies con nuestro cuerpe ymente Todo esto nos permitiraacute permanecer atentos yreceptivos para disfrutar todas las maravillas del paisaje quese descubre a cada nuevo paso Por eso a veces digo quecaminar bien el camino es maacutes importante que llegar Cuando camines asiacute te vas a dar cuenta de que cada pasoen el Zen es siempre el primer paso (Moriyama Roshi)

bodigayabodigayacombr

O Budismo no BrasilPor Cristina Moreira da Rocha httpwwwnossacasanetshunyadefaultaspmenu=885

Cristina RochaAll Roads Come from Zen Busshinji as a Reference to Buddhism Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 351 81ndash94httpnircnanzan-uacjppublicationsjjrspdf787pdfhttpwwwuwseduaustaff_profilesuws_profilesdoctor_cristina_rocha

Cristina RochaZazen or Not Zazen The Predicament of Sōtōshūs Kaikyōshi in Brazil httpnircnanzan-uacjppublicationsjjrspdf678pdf

Daigyō Moriyama Rōshi the sōkan (superintendent) for South Americaappointed by Sōtōshū for the period 1993 to 1995) started travelling to PortoAlegre Based at Busshinji Moriyama would frequently go there conducting sesshintwice a year At first he followed the steps of Tokuda giving talks and teachingzazen at UFRGS GFU and the martial arts school where many had practicedunder Tokuda However after leaving his post of sōkan at Busshinji in 1995 Moriyamamoved to Porto Alegre to lead his sangha He returned to Japan in 2005After many years without a sōkan for South America Sōtōshū finally sentDaigyō Moriyama Rōshi to Busshinji temple in 1993 Between 1970 and 1973

Moriyama had been the abbot of Sōkōji the Sōtōshū temple in SanFrancisco There he substituted for Shunryū Suzuki Rōshi (1904-1971) akaikyōshi forced to resign from his post as abbot of the temple because his activitieswith his non-Japanese American students were not accepted by the Japanesecommunity Although Moriyama worked in the temple and Suzuki wasmanaging his newly established San Francisco Zen Center they maintainedclose contact When interviewed Moriyama told me he shared Suzukis ideas offoreigners having a beginners mind (shoshin) that is one which is

empty and ready for new things (Suzuki 1980 p 21) This is how Moriyamaexpressed his discontent with Japanese Zen and his hopes for Brazil

In Japan monks are more interested in social practices and money to bereceived for services rendered to the community such as funerals and worshipof ancestors than spiritual work That is why I put my energy in a foreigncountry here [in Brazil] Zen Buddhism can be created again in a purer way Traditional Buddhist countries are losing the essence of Buddhism I thinkreligions are created evolve and degrade and this is happening in Japan nowI feel that here the same thing that I witnessed in California is taking place inBrazil there is a kind of energy that I dont find in Japan(Personal communication Săo Paulo October 1999 my italics) This resembles the words of Shunryū Suzuki Rōshi I came to America tobring the pure way of Zen Buddhism (Chadwick 1999 p 326) Moriyamaswords were translated into actions and after three years working as the sōkan atBusshinji he experienced the same problem Suzuki did in 1969 The Japanesecongregation was not happy with his preference for the Brazilians of non-Japaneseorigin and pressed Sōtōshū to dismiss him As mission temples belong to the congregationrather than to the priest as is the norm in Japan the congregation hadthe right to do so In 1995 Moriyama was ousted from the temple and from hispost at Sōtōshū He welcomed the change and took his non-Japanese Brazilianstudents with him establishing two Zen groups one in Săo Paulo city and theother in Porto Alegre the capital of state of Rio Grande do Sul Today he lives inPorto Alegre and together with his sangha is building a monastery in the countrysideAlthough living in Brazil his international connections are strong hisoldest disciple runs a Zen center in France he often travels to Argentina andUruguay to oversee other groups of students and he has a German disciple assistinghim in BrazilSharf and Nattier paint an accurate portrait of Tokuda Ryōtan and DaigyōMoriyama and their desire to leave Japan for Brazil Both kaikyōshi held a marginalstatus in their own country The former did not belong to a temple familyand chose not to marry into one mdash as is the norm in Japan in order to acquire aposition in the institution mdash but rather left the country to preach his own ZenBuddhism to foreigners The latter albeit having his own temple in Japan(Zuigakuin in Yamanashi Prefecture west of Tokyo) has chosen marginalityby not offering the regular set of services to the surrounding communityThis choice is revealed in a leaflet advertising Zuigakuin to prospectBrazilian students There one reads

Zuigakuin (Zen Buddhist Center for Cultural Exchange) temple was foundedin 1978 by Daigyō Moriyama and differs from other Zen temples in twoaspects it intends to reestablish Dōgens Zen practice and it offers Westernstudents access to this practice

Moriyama and his students are presently working at building a monastery significantly called International Buddhist Monastery Dōgen Zenji in Rio Grande do Sul state

ZUIGAKUIN ZEN BUDDHIST CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE address 401 Yamanashi-ken Otsuki-shi Hatsukari-cho JapanFax 0554-25-6282

INTRODUCTIONZuigakuin was founded in 1978 by Zen Master Daigyo Moriyama and is unique in two aspects First - in its intention ofreestablishing a way of practice as Zen Master Dogen has pointed it out in the 13th century Second - in its attempt toprovide access to foreign Zen students Everyone is welcome to share in the daily schedule of zazen sutra chanting mealsand work The temple is located deep in the mountains There is no electricity and telephone Life becomes simple and clearin the presence of sounds silence and the rhythm of nature Thus Zuigakuin provides ideal circumstance for the preservationof mindfullness in all our activities Roshi

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE CENTER Zuigakuin conducts relations with many Zen groups and centers in the USA Brazil and Europe At any time several languagesare spoken Besides English also French and German for the time being A branch temple is located in the South of Franceunder the direction of Rev Joshin Bachoux one of Moriyama-Roshis dharma heirs

HOW TO PARTICIPATE At least one week before coming to Zuigakuin send a letter (return postage appreciated) or fax including your nameaddress telephone or fax number the date of arrival and intented length of stay (The temple is closed from January to midMarch) Please bring loose clothes for zazen as well as working clothes Keep in mind that the location is in the forest and at700 m of altitude so its always cooler than in the city Also bring flashlight toiletaries towel and sheets The charge is Y4000 per day and decreases after the first weekFor further information (also in English) contact Miss Fukushima at the Tokyo officeTel 03-3864-4631 or fax 03-3864-4638

TRANSPORTATION Zuigakuin is about one hours hike from Hatsukari the nearest station on JR-Chuo Line The trail to the temple is well-markedand the local inhabitants can point the way Hatsukari is about 2-hours from Shinjuku and Tokyo Station

CONTACTS ABROADLa Demeure Sans Limites 07320 Riou La Selle - St Agreve - France telephone 04 75301362

Oakland Zen Center 6140 Chabot Road Oakland California 94618 USAtelephone 5106531916

ZendoEl Arbol del Despertar Migueletes 1169 CP 1426 Buenos Aires Argentinatelephone 7736545

Sangen Zendo Rua Germano Petersen Jr 634 90540-140 Porto Alegre RS Brazil

Associacion Zen del Uruguay Bartolome Mitre 1330 apto 1 Montevideo Uruguay

Centro Zen de Estudos e Meditaccedilao AC Espaccedilo Kiokawa Travessa Meroipe 25 Vila Mariana 04012-020 Sao Paulo SP Brazil

ZUIGAKUINby Stefan Chiarantano Published on 102406httpwwwthingsasiancomstories-photos3755

It was a cloudy morning when I set out to visit Zuigakuin on Mt Takigo in Hatsukari Im now staying in Uenohara which isperched on a mountain The JR station is located in the valley below on the other side of the Chuo expressway I walked tothe station below Along the way birds of prey were circling above the mountain tops There were very few people about Ipassed a young girl walking her dog and a father pushing his child in a stroller The ramps that connect the city to the JRstation below provide wonderful vantage points to take in the surrounding scenery and beauty of the mountains I stoppednow and then to take in the greenery The leaves were a deep green and some were turning colour

Hatsukari is about 30 minutes away on the Chuo line from Uenohara Im visiting Zuigakuin a Zen temple and retreat house Ihavent called ahead to announce my arrival nor do I have a map as to how to get there from Hatsukari JR station All I knowis that the temple is about a hour and a half walk on foot from the station I soon discovered that Zuikaguin is perched ontop of Mt Takigo 700 meters above the JR station

The JR attendant gave me my starting point and told me to ask someone when I got to that point for directions Then aJapanese couple approached asking if they could be of some assistance They were very kind and drove me to this pointThey asked if I was planning to stay there No Im just visiting I said From there I inquired at a garage and was told tofollow the road beside it So I did and walked on It was so quiet and the air was crisp and fresh I could hear the gushing ofwater from the river running beside the road I was sweating profusely Sweat was dripping my forehead and flies hoveredaround my head I could distinguish different birds sounds coming from the neighbouring woods I was feeling a little nervousPerhaps I thought I should have called ahead I continued on with my doubts When the road forked up ahead I was luckyto come upon an elderly Japanese woman who gently pointed the road to follow

When I came to a marker which read Zuigakuin 2 kilometers ahead I thought great Then I came upon another marker whichread Zuigakuin 1 kilometer ahead I thought Im nearly there Along the way I passed a small Shinto Shrine Its Torii wasfashioned out of logs of wood

When I reached the two tall marble gate posts one on either side of the road to the entrance of the temple I was excitedWhen I neared the temple which I could see through the woods I heard the sound of a car approaching and pulled over tothe side to let the car past The driver stopped and rolled down the passenger window It was Moriyama Roshi the Zenmaster By this time I was sweating profusely and out of breath I said Hello Im visiting the Zen temple but dont have anappointment I hope its okay He got out of the car and introduced himself He got back in and then asked if I wanted aride up My aching feet told me to say yes so I did

He escorted me inside and told me to take a rest inside a lovely tatami room which overlooked the surrounding nature Onthe walls of the tatami room hung photographs of Moriyama Roshi his disciples and students There was a shelf withliterature some of his books and Zen material He asked me how much time I had and I said a little since I didnt want tointrude on his daily routine

We spoke in English which was a relief since my Japanese is very poor

He gave me a tour of the center We first visited the Zendo the meditation hall which was very spacious and airy The highceilings gave it a majestic feel Blue cushions were laid out on elevated wooden benches running along the walls It wasdivided into two sections one for lay practitioners and one for monks and nuns to sit zasen A beautiful carved clapper inthe shape of a fish hung from the ceiling At the entrance to the Zendo was a drum and a very small kane hanging from theceiling A statue of Manjushri the Buddha of Wisdom was centered in the section reserved for monks and nuns Then wevisited the Hondo where Buddhist chanting takes places Its a spacious room with tatami flooring Theres an altar with a

TRANSPORTATION Zuigakuin is about one hours hike from Hatsukari the nearest station on JR-Chuo Line The trail to the temple is well-markedand the local inhabitants can point the way Hatsukari is about 2-hours from Shinjuku and Tokyo Station

CONTACTS ABROADLa Demeure Sans Limites 07320 Riou La Selle - St Agreve - France telephone 04 75301362

Oakland Zen Center 6140 Chabot Road Oakland California 94618 USAtelephone 5106531916

ZendoEl Arbol del Despertar Migueletes 1169 CP 1426 Buenos Aires Argentinatelephone 7736545

Sangen Zendo Rua Germano Petersen Jr 634 90540-140 Porto Alegre RS Brazil

Associacion Zen del Uruguay Bartolome Mitre 1330 apto 1 Montevideo Uruguay

Centro Zen de Estudos e Meditaccedilao AC Espaccedilo Kiokawa Travessa Meroipe 25 Vila Mariana 04012-020 Sao Paulo SP Brazil

ZUIGAKUINby Stefan Chiarantano Published on 102406httpwwwthingsasiancomstories-photos3755

It was a cloudy morning when I set out to visit Zuigakuin on Mt Takigo in Hatsukari Im now staying in Uenohara which isperched on a mountain The JR station is located in the valley below on the other side of the Chuo expressway I walked tothe station below Along the way birds of prey were circling above the mountain tops There were very few people about Ipassed a young girl walking her dog and a father pushing his child in a stroller The ramps that connect the city to the JRstation below provide wonderful vantage points to take in the surrounding scenery and beauty of the mountains I stoppednow and then to take in the greenery The leaves were a deep green and some were turning colour

Hatsukari is about 30 minutes away on the Chuo line from Uenohara Im visiting Zuigakuin a Zen temple and retreat house Ihavent called ahead to announce my arrival nor do I have a map as to how to get there from Hatsukari JR station All I knowis that the temple is about a hour and a half walk on foot from the station I soon discovered that Zuikaguin is perched ontop of Mt Takigo 700 meters above the JR station

The JR attendant gave me my starting point and told me to ask someone when I got to that point for directions Then aJapanese couple approached asking if they could be of some assistance They were very kind and drove me to this pointThey asked if I was planning to stay there No Im just visiting I said From there I inquired at a garage and was told tofollow the road beside it So I did and walked on It was so quiet and the air was crisp and fresh I could hear the gushing ofwater from the river running beside the road I was sweating profusely Sweat was dripping my forehead and flies hoveredaround my head I could distinguish different birds sounds coming from the neighbouring woods I was feeling a little nervousPerhaps I thought I should have called ahead I continued on with my doubts When the road forked up ahead I was luckyto come upon an elderly Japanese woman who gently pointed the road to follow

When I came to a marker which read Zuigakuin 2 kilometers ahead I thought great Then I came upon another marker whichread Zuigakuin 1 kilometer ahead I thought Im nearly there Along the way I passed a small Shinto Shrine Its Torii wasfashioned out of logs of wood

When I reached the two tall marble gate posts one on either side of the road to the entrance of the temple I was excitedWhen I neared the temple which I could see through the woods I heard the sound of a car approaching and pulled over tothe side to let the car past The driver stopped and rolled down the passenger window It was Moriyama Roshi the Zenmaster By this time I was sweating profusely and out of breath I said Hello Im visiting the Zen temple but dont have anappointment I hope its okay He got out of the car and introduced himself He got back in and then asked if I wanted aride up My aching feet told me to say yes so I did

He escorted me inside and told me to take a rest inside a lovely tatami room which overlooked the surrounding nature Onthe walls of the tatami room hung photographs of Moriyama Roshi his disciples and students There was a shelf withliterature some of his books and Zen material He asked me how much time I had and I said a little since I didnt want tointrude on his daily routine

We spoke in English which was a relief since my Japanese is very poor

He gave me a tour of the center We first visited the Zendo the meditation hall which was very spacious and airy The highceilings gave it a majestic feel Blue cushions were laid out on elevated wooden benches running along the walls It wasdivided into two sections one for lay practitioners and one for monks and nuns to sit zasen A beautiful carved clapper inthe shape of a fish hung from the ceiling At the entrance to the Zendo was a drum and a very small kane hanging from theceiling A statue of Manjushri the Buddha of Wisdom was centered in the section reserved for monks and nuns Then wevisited the Hondo where Buddhist chanting takes places Its a spacious room with tatami flooring Theres an altar with a

statue of Buddha flanked on both sides with statues of Bodhisattvas The chants are taken from the Zoto Zen Sutras by

Kokuzozan Daimanji The three jewels Buddha Darma and Sangha are chanted three times Heres an excerpt from one ofthe chants

Makahannya Haramitta Shingyo Avalokitsvara Bodhisattva doing deep prajna paramita clearly saw the emptiness of all the five 0 conditions Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain O Shariputtra form is no other than emptiness emptiness no other than form

After that we visited the living quarters and the kitchen The Hondo living quarters and kitchen are fashioned out of a 200-year-old farmhouse that he has lovingly restored The house is without electricity Water is drawn from a neighbouringstream and filtered Water for bathing is heated in a steel drum Gas burners are used to cook simple vegetarian fare Heserved me green tea

The center welcomes novices lay practitioners and guests who want to get away from it all and experience communal livingin a Zen environment

Moriyama-sans lineage goes back to Dogen the founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan Moriyama-san spent 6 years in BrazilDogen found enlightenment in China and brought back his knowledge the transmission of light to Japan over 700 years agoduring the Kamakura period

Before leaving I paid another visit to the Hondo to leave a donation to show my appreciation and for being graciouslywelcomed without an appointment I left with the knowledge that I had come across an enlighted being an arhat whosepresence I wont forget

The descent to the station was invigorating and the quiet filled me with a sense of peace As I was getting closer to the JRstation I encountered two groups of hikers whose loud animated conversations jolted me back to reality

The JR attendant asked me if I made it okay I replied Daijobu des which means okay He smiled While I waited for thetrain to arrive I contemplated the beauty of Zen

Zen Buddhism in Brazil Japanese or Brazilian

ByCristina Moreira da RochaPhD candidate Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Săo Paulo Brazilcmrocha2hotmailcomhttpjgblaspuedu1derocha001html

The Arrival of Buddhism in Brazil

Buddhism was introduced into Brazil by the Japanese immigrants who first arrived in 1908 at the port of Santos in Săo PauloState Emigrating to work at the coffee cotton and banana plantations they intended to return to Japan as soon as theyhad amassed the necessary means At the end of the nineteenth century Japan was leaving the feudal system behind andgoing through a period of economic difficulties the rural population was especially hard hit Consequently the MeijiGovernment (1868-1912) wanted to relieve pressure on the land while creating colonies that would grow food for exportback to Japan(1) The Brazilian Government on the other hand needed laborers for the plantations since slavery had beenabolished Brazil had become independent in 1822 but by the end of the century the ideas of abolitionism and republicanismwere everywhere Both movements were successful the abolition of slavery was ratified in 1888 and Brazil became afederative republic in 1889

The Japanese male immigrants who migrated to Brazil were not firstborn sons Due to the rule of primogeniture in Japan theeldest son inherited all family property as well as the responsibility for taking care of the ie (household) and worshippingancestors Having so many duties they could not emigrate Consequently the younger children were the ones who left thecountry to seek a better life elsewhere As a result because they were not in charge of promoting religious rituals for theancestors religion was not central to their lives(2) They only went back to religion at the time of family members deaths inBrazil(3)

In addition the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs prohibited Japanese monks from accompanying the immigrants to thenew country because their presence could prove to be evidence of Japanese non-assimilation into the mainly Roman CatholicBrazilian culture(4) In fact at that time there was an ongoing debate in the Brazilian Congress about the ability of theJapanese to assimilate into Brazilian culture Many senators wanted to stop Japanese immigration altogether The discussionwas public and many newspapers carried articles picturing the Japanese immigrants as inassimilable(5)

Nevertheless the relationship between the Japanese immigrants and religion changed completely when Japan was defeatedin World War II The immigrants had to give up their dream of returning to their homeland because Japan was destroyed botheconomically and morally However after years of laboring in rural areas in Brazil Japanese immigrants began to ascendsocially and become more urbanized Due to the terrible work conditions at the plantations faced by Japanese immigrantsupon arrival most of them tried to save enough money to leave the farms and purchase their own land In additionJapanese privately-owned businesses and the Japanese government (under the Kaigai Kogyo Kabuhiki Kaisha) invested inBrazil buying land for the immigrants to form Japanese-run colonies After successfully working on their own land for a time

the Japanese immigrants then began moving to urban environments and establishing small businesses The ones whoremained in the rural areas became producers landowners and distributors of farm and other products(6) Migration to SăoPaulo City became intense after the 1950s In 1939 only 3467 Japanese immigrants and their descendants resided in SăoPaulo About 20 years later they totaled 62327 In the 1970s around one third of the Japanese population and theirdescendants were concentrated in the Greater Săo Paulo area(7) Today there are 128 million Japanese and descendants inBrazil(8)

The migration to the metropolis was also part of Brazils economic project The so-called national agrarian vocation made nosense anymore The country was facing the upheaval of post-war industrialization and urbanization and political power wasdrifting from the rural aristocracy to the industrial magnates Săo Paulo with a population of 2817600 in 1954 emerged asthe biggest Brazilian metropolis surpassing the capital Rio de Janeiro(9)

Due to the decision by most Japanese immigrants to remain in Brazil (because of Japans defeat in World War II as well as itssocioeconomic ascension urbanization and the approaching old age of many of the immigrants) several Japanese religionsmdashamong them Buddhism Shintoism and the new religions of Shintoist and shamanistic inspirationmdashbegan preaching moreintensely in Brazil(10)

The Japanese defeat in World War II made the immigrants realize that they would have to assimilate culturally into their newhomeland In order to help their descendants to acculturate more easily a pattern was established the younger childrenwent to college and the oldest child stayed home and followed the fathers profession thereby maintaining the familybusiness Two kinds of nisei (second generation) were created the eldest brother who spoke Japanese was closely tied toJapanese values and the Japanese way of life In addition the eldest brother followed a Japanese religion On the otherhand the younger children who undertook the mission of socioeconomic ascension went to university were not fluent inJapanese and converted to Roman Catholicism(11) Cases were commonly found of parents baptizing their children as RomanCatholics so that they would not face discrimination In many cases conversion was not the result of religious convictionAccording to research undertaken in 1987-1988 60 percent of the Japanese immigrants in Brazil and their descendants wereRoman Catholic while only 25 percent followed Japanese religions(12)

Zen Buddhism in Brazil

From the mid-1920s onwards there was religious activity in larger Japanese colonies (in western Săo Paulo State and inParanaacute State) Although there were butsudan (Buddhist altars) inside Japanese homes the religion that proliferated wasState Shintoism (the cult of the emperor) At the center stage of such a cult was the nihon gakko (Japanese school) whichwas not only a place designed for teaching the Japanese language and culture with material sent from Japan but also ameeting place for the colony the headquarters of the agriculture cooperative organization a ballroom for weddings and amakeshift shrine for the recitation of the Imperial Rescript on Education of 1890(13) In 1992 a book commissioned tocommemorate the eightieth anniversary of the immigration to Brazil described the relationship between the Japanese schoolthe cult of the emperor and religion in the following terms

The emperors portrait was the divine body the Imperial Rescript on Education the holy word the Japanesenational hymn the sacred chant the school director the priest and the Japanese school the deity [sic] of thevillage Thus was created the religious structure of the Japanese immigrants(14)

The lack of Buddhist rituals is possibly due to the Meiji period (1868-1912) ideology and its radical nationalism This ideologyshunned foreign religions and philosophy such as Buddhism and Confucianism while it deified the emperor In 1868 a decreeinstituted a distinction between the Shintoo deities and the Buddhist pantheon which previously had been syncretizedBuddhist monks who dwelled in Shintoo shrines were expelled and Buddhist altars in the compound were destroyed Anti-Buddhist movements (Haibutsu Kishaku) escalated(15) This is the milieu in which the Japanese immigrants lived beforedeparting for Brazil

When Japanese religions arrived in Brazilmdashand hence infringed upon the Japanese Governments edict that no preacher shouldemigratemdashhowever they suffered restrictions and threats This was the case of new religions such as Tenrikyoo whicharrived in 1929 Oomotokyo and Seicho-no-iee(16) ) During World War II Japanese schools were closed Japanese languagenewspapers were prohibited (there were four Japanese daily newspapers published in Săo Paulo with a total circulation ofaround fifty thousand[17]) and speaking Japanese in public and private (including houses of worship) was banned But whenthe fear of the yellow peril weakened because Japan lost the war Japanese Buddhist schools began sending missionaries toBrazil to proselytize

Nevertheless although the idea that Buddhism was not disseminated in Brazil prior the World War II is supported by manyauthors (Lesser 1999 Clarke 1999 Nakamaki 1994 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil1992 Saito 1973 1980 Saito amp Maeyama 1973) one author contradicts this idea The historian Ricardo Gonccedilalves affirmsthat the first ship Kasato Maru which docked in Brazil in 1908 carried a priest from the Honmom Butsuryo (a branch of theNichiren school) on board This monk later established a temple in Bauru in Săo Paulo State Subsequently a priest from theShingon school arrived and in 1925 the first priest from the Joodo Shinshuu school arrived In 1932 Joodo Shinshuuestablished the first Brazilian Buddhist temple in Cafelacircndia in Săo Paulo State(18) Although it is perfectly acceptable thatthere were Buddhist congregations in Brazil prior to World War II the idea that immigrants lives were centered around thecult of the Emperor is also an acceptable supposition Both theories can be seen to complement one another if scholarsaccept the fact that although there was Buddhist activity before World War II it actually only became institutionalized afterthe 1950s All of these authors agree that after World War II the religious institutions in Japan sent official missionaries toestablish temples and proselytize Even so this contention needs to be further studied

Zengenji was the first Sootoo Zenshuu Zen Buddhist temple in Brazil Built in the early 1950s in Mogi das Cruzes a town onthe outskirts of Săo Paulo City Zengenji was constructed with Japanese Sootoo Zenshuu funds and the help of the Japanesecommunity who lived in its vicinity The Busshinji temple was built in 1955 in Săo Paulo City to be the headquarters of theSootoo Zenshuu school in Brazil It was also built with Japanese community funds and Sootoo Zenshuu funds These twotemples together with the temple in Rolacircndia in the state of Paranaacute catered to the Brazilian Japanese community for threedecades During this time their missionary work gained 3000 families as followers

In 1955 the Sootoo Zenshuu Buddhist Community of South America (Comunidade Budista Sootoo Zenshuu da Ameacuterica doSul) was established and officially recognized by the Brazilian Government In the same year the Buddhist Society of Brazil(Sociedade Budista do Brasil) was founded by a Brazilian of non-Japanese origin (Murillo Nunes de Azevedo) in Rio de JaneiroAzevedo was the first Brazilian interested in studying Buddhism as a philosophical and artistic system He was a professor ofphilosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro where he taught philosophy of the Far East The BuddhistSociety of Brazil organized lectures and exhibited films on Buddhism supplied by the Indian and Sri Lankan embassies(19) In1961 Azevedo translated the Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D T Suzuki into Portuguese However mass interest inBuddhism and Zen by non-Japanese Brazilians did not occur until the 1990s

The schools of Nishi Hongwanji Higashi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) Joodo Shu Nichiren and Sootoo Zenshuu sentmissionaries to Brazil in the early 1950s The missionaries sought Japanese families who were associated with such Buddhistschools in Japan prior to their migration to Brazil In 1958 all of these Buddhist schools were united in the Federation of theBuddhist Sects of Brazil (Federaccedilăo das Seitas Budistas do Brasil)

Brazilians of non-Japanese descent began seeking Zen Buddhism starting in the late 1970s In 1968 Sootoo Zenshuuheadquarters sent the Japanese monk Ryotan Tokuda to the Busshinji temple in Săo Paulo as a missionary Upon arrival heopened the temple to non-Japanese Brazilians Working together with these new practitioners Tokuda founded the first Zenmonastery of Latin America Mosteiro Morro da Vargem in the state of Espiacuterito Santo in 1976 In 1984 Tokuda established asecond monastery Mosteiro Pico dos Raios in the state of Minas Gerais Today their abbots are Brazilians of non-Japaneseorigin who were disciples of Tokuda and studied in monasteries in Japan Daiju (Christiano Bitti) became the abbot of Morroda Vargem monastery in 1983 after spending five years in Japan This Zen monastery is visited by four thousand peopleannually and receives seven thousand children of the state each year who go there to learn environmental education(20)Besides having maintained an ecological reserve and the Center of Environmental Education since 1985(21) the monasteryestablished a House of Culture to patronize fine artists who subsequently can devote themselves to creating their worksaway from the city In addition Morro da Vargem monastery holds eight five-day retreats each year with forty-fiveattendants at each session The people who attend these retreats are not necessarily Buddhist as Daiju suggested Ingeneral the people who seek the monastery do not profess any religion They are in search of spiritual peace(22) Pico dosRaios monastery is also linked with the external community Tokuda teaches acupuncture to the monasterys practitionerswho offer this service to the local population In 1984 Ryotan Tokuda established the Sootoo Zen Society of Brazil(Sociedade Sootoo Zen do Brasil) whose headquarters are at the Pico dos Raios monastery

In 1985 the Center of Buddhist Studies (CEB) was created in Porto Alegre which is the state capital of Rio Grande do SulCEB comprised practitioners of several schools of Buddhism including Zen In 1989 Tokuda and CEBs Zen practitionersinaugurated the temple Sootoo Zen Sanguen Dojocirc Currently the temple follows the orientation of Daigyo Moriyama Rooshiand his French disciple Zuymyo Joshin Sensei Moriyama is a Japanese rooshi who has disciples in Brazil Argentina UruguayUSA France Germany Sweden Austria Canada Korea and Sri Lanka(23) Continuing his missionary work among non-Japanese Brazilians in 1993 Tokuda founded the Zen Center of Planalto in Brasiacutelia the federal capital In the future thecenter plans to establish a Brazilian Buddhist library and a Brazilian Buddhist university In the following year Tokuda andBrazilian practitioners founded the Zen Center of Rio de Janeiro In 1998 Tokuda established the Serra do Trovăo monasteryin the state of Minas Gerais This monastery was founded exclusively for the training of new monks and holds two seven-dayretreats monthly It is important here to note that Ryotan Tokuda has a connection with European Zen He has Zen groupsin Italy France and Germany In 1995 Tokuda founded the Eacutecole Nonindo de Medicine Traditionelle Chinoise and theAssociation Mahamuni both in Paris

Currently there are twenty-three Zen Buddhist centers and temples three Zen Buddhist monasteries thirty-four Tibetancenters seven Theravaada centers thirty-seven Nishi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) temples and twenty-two associations(where there is no resident monk) twenty-six Higashi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) temples and associations two Joodoshutemples four Nichireshuu temples (with 5000 families of adherents) twelve Honmon Butsuryu Shu (a branch of Nichiren)temples and four Shingon temples (with 850 families of adherents) in Brazil(24) Tibetan Buddhism which was the latest toarrive (1988) is undergoing a boom similar to that which is taking place in the West In fact Buddhism in general is becomingbetter known and is attracting media attention in Brazil In June of 1998 important Brazilian magazines published threearticles on the expansion of Buddhism and meditation in Brazil and its famous adherents (television stars politicians etc)(25) Elle magazine featured the American Lama Tsering Everest as well as the Tibetan Chagdud Rimpoche who moved fromthe US to Brazil in the mid-1990s Lama Tsering noted that [i]t is the right moment for Buddhism in Brazil theinvolvement of Brazilians with Buddhism is karmic The Tibetan Lama Chagdud Tulku Rimpoche is building two monasteriesone in Tręs Coroas in the state of Rio Grande do Sul that is intended to house 400 people during retreats and another one inBrumadinho in the state of Minas Gerais The Elle magazine article estimated the number of Buddhist practitioners at around500000 distributed among the Tibetan Nichiren Sooka Gakkai (150000 adherents) Joodo Shinshuu Joodo Shu ShingonTheravaada and Zen schools(26)

The only reliable statistics available on religion in Brazil are from the 1991 census According to this census the Brazilianpopulation (170 million people) comprises citizens of the following religious affiliations 83 percent Roman Catholic (1411million) 6 percent pentecostal (102 million) 3 percent traditional evangelical (51 million) 5 percent with no religiousaffiliation (85 million) 1 percent Spiritists (17 million) 05 percent with miscellaneous African religions (850000) 02percent Buddhist (340000) and 008 percent Jewish (136000)(27) As the statistics show the great majority of Brazilianscome from Roman Catholic families What these figures do not show is the symbolic migration from one religion to anotherwhich frequently happens in Brazil Many Brazilians either practice more than one religion at the same time or migrate fromreligion to religion(28)

Furthermore although the number of Buddhists is only 02 percent one has to be aware that for most Brazilians Buddhism ismore a philosophy a way of life than a religion Zen Buddhism is often viewed as a meditation technique that helps torelieve stress Busshinji abbess Koen supports this view on Zen Buddhism in an interview for the O Estado de Săo Paulonewspaper Its not necessary to be a Buddhist to practice this kind of meditation The temple offers several lectures forthose who wish to learn this activity even if they have no intention of becoming Buddhist(29) In the same report onepractitioner notes that Zen Buddhism was a way to awaken my sensibility without denying my Catholic religion As a resultbeing Buddhist does not exclude professing other religions Many Brazilians continue being Roman Catholic while adoptingBuddhism If asked which religion they profess it is most likely that they will state that they are Catholic (because they

were baptized) or have no religious ties (if they do not profess any religion) even though they might have adopted Buddhismas a way of life(30) The abbot of Morro da Vargem monastery Daiju (Christiano Bitti) reinforces this point in an interviewfor Isto Eacute magazine If a Roman Catholic considers hisher religion as a study of himselfherself so heshe is also a BuddhistRoman Catholic priests who were initiated in Buddhism told me that afterwards they understood the Bible better Buddhismhas neither the intention to dispute adherents nor to convert them People loosen up because we are not disputing anythingWe just want to strengthen the faith of the Brazilian people(31)

Conflicts

Because the monasteries temples and Zen centersmdashall of which were established after 1976mdashcater mainly for non-Japanese Brazilians there are no conflicts over which practices of Zen Buddhism are performed Yet when Japaneseimmigrants and non-Japanese Brazilians share the same place dissension arises This is the case for the temple Busshinji inSăo Paulo

Inaugurated in 1955 and catering for the needs of the Japanese community for more than three decades(32) Busshinjisuffered considerably when a new abbot was appointed by the Sootoo Zen school in Japan In 1993 Japanese monk DaigyoMoriyama Rooshi arrived in Săo Paulo with new ideas about how Zen practice should be

The Japanese rooshi came from a context where Zen Buddhism was highly institutionalized and structured due to ninecenturies of history in Japan Moreover due to the patrilineality and primogeniture that are part of the rule of succession ofthe Japanese society boys who enter the monasteries to become monks are those first-born sons of families that possessmonasteries As a result to be a monk becomes a profession as any other a way of making a living inside a rigid structure(33)

Facing this situation the rooshi decided to leave Japan in search of a more active Zen Buddhism Having worked withShunryu Suzuki Rooshi in San Francisco in the 1960s Moriyama Rooshi shared Suzukis ideas that foreigners have abeginners mind (shoshin) one which is empty and ready for new things(34) When interviewed in 1997 he said that inJapan monks were more interested in social practices and money to be received by services rendered to the community(funerals and worship of ancestors) than in spiritual work Meditation (zazen) debates with the abbot (dokusan) studies ofthe Dharma retreats (sesshin) and manual work (samu)mdashall meant to aid in the way to enlightenmentmdashwere not properlypracticed As Moriyama Rooshi declared

That is why I put my energy in a foreign country here Zen Buddhism can be created again in a purer wayJapanese Buddhism is changing Buddhas and Doogens teachings (Personal interview 1997)

However upon his arrival in Brazil the rooshi encountered a Japanese community that demanded him to perform the samethings that he was not willing to do in Japan that is masses (as the members of the sect denominate the rituals in Brazil)weddings funerals and worship of ancestors instead of a practice based on meditation

The conflict became even more serious when the Japanese rooshi met a group of Brazilians of non-Japanese origin who werequite interested in meditation and in Buddha and Dogens teachings From the moment that these Brazilians entered thetemple and began to interact with the Japanese-Brazilian community conflicts arose As a result in 1995 the headquartersof the Sootoo Zenshuu school in Japan released Moriyama Rooshi from his services due to the Japanese communitys strongpressure In Japan the abbot as a first-born son inherits his temple from his father In Brazil the Japanese communityowns the temples As a result Japanese missionaries (who are appointed by the Japanese headquarters) have to prove thatthey are good proselytizers Because the Japanese community was dissatisfied with Moriyamas work he was called back toJapan by the Sootoo Zenshuu school A number of his Brazilian followers also left the temple and founded a new Zen center(Cezen) in Săo Paulo where the rooshi is a spiritual mentor Moriyama continues to travel to Brazil independently twice a yearto visit his disciples promote retreats and give Dharma talks at his two Zen centers located in Săo Paulo and Porto Alegre

Ironically the successor of Moriyama Rooshimdashand newly appointed abbessmdashwas a Brazilian nun of non-Japanese originClaudia Dias de Souza Batista was ordained in Los Angeles under Maezumi Rooshi in 1980 (when she received the Buddhistname of Koen) and lived in a monastery in Nagoya for six years thereafter Koen took the abbess position at Busshinji andsoon started enforcing all of the activities more strictly than they had been before One Brazilian of non-Japanese originpractitioner observed

When Moriyama was in charge of the temple he tried to adapt Japanese Zen to Brazilian culture It was moreflexible With Koen as she recently arrived from Japan she tries to maintain the patterns and rules by which shelived in Japan She tries to impose everything the rhythm behavior and discipline of the Japanese practice Sheis very inflexible (Cida 40 years old astrologer)

What makes this case more interesting is that traditionally the Japanese-Brazilian community maintained some diacriticalcultural traits preserved and away from Brazilian society (among them were the language and the religion) for themaintenance of its ethnic identity(35) Although second and third generations have started assimilating into Brazilian culture(36) and are quite integrated into the country today the abbess position in the only Zen Buddhist temple in Săo Paulo is notone that the community can leave in the hands of a foreigner How then did a Brazilian nun get the highest position in aBuddhist sect and furthermore how could she have been accepted by the Japanese-Brazilian community

Although Koen is a Brazilian nun she slowly gained acceptance because she worked hard at preserving the rituals that theJapanese community expected to be performed At the same time by speaking Japanese and Portuguese fluently she servedas a successful intermediary between the Japanese and Brazilian communities This conflict of motivations practice andaspirations is one that has occurred in similar Western contexts be it in Buddhist centers in the United States or Europe

In spite of the fact that the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have separate practices inBusshinji one must take care not to think of cultures as organically binding and sharply bounded(37) Between theJapanese community and Brazilian society at large there are Japanese descendants who were educated according to bothJapanese and Brazilian custom and as a result display mixed cultural patterns They dwell in the interstices of society and

comprise a small group of practitioners who began going to the temple because of family pressure and have ended upattending the activities offered for Brazilians of non-Japanese origin Many Japanese descendants told me in interviews thatone of the deciding factors for choosing to be affiliated with Brazilian Zen (or convert-Zen) over the Japanese communityZen was the language spoken because most Japanese descendants do not understand the Japanese language which isspoken at the rituals for the Japanese community

In fact Portuguese is beginning to be recognized as the official language of Busshinji Temple In 1998 for the first timethere were two parties vying to run Busshinjis administration one composed of the old traditional Japanese board and a newparty comprising Brazilians of Japanese ancestry The latter won and began enforcing an adaptation of Zen Buddhism toBrazilian culture for example they required that suutras be translated into Portuguese sponsored lectures on Zen Buddhismgiven in Portuguese and started study groups of suutras In addition they set up retreats for children and began givingassistance and computer courses to prisoners as well as providing help to AIDS patients Traditional activities like ritualsfunerals and ancestor worship that cater for the Japanese community are still performed but they are separate from theactivities of the Brazilians of non-Japanese origin

Transplanting Zen Buddhism to Brazil

So far we have seen how Zen Buddhism evolved in Brazil its practitioners their motivations and the conflicts that haveoccurred However it is important to place the study of Zen Buddhism in Brazil within an analysis of the transplantation ofBuddhism to the West Although Zen in Brazil has its own history and developments it is deeply related to the history anddevelopments of Western Buddhism In order to establish this relationship and further analyze Zen in Brazil I shall use theanalytical categories coined by Martin Baumann a German scholar who works with the transplantation of Buddhism toEurope Baumann identifies five processive modes for transplanting a religion to a new sociocultural context They includecontact confrontation and conflict ambiguity and alignment recoupment (re-orientation) and innovative self-developmentBaumann explains that the process of transplanting a particular religion does not need to cover all these modes and must notnecessarily occur in this sequence(38)

The first processive mode that of contact comprises strategies of adaptation such as the translation of scripturesTranslation is one of the main concerns of monks nuns and practitioners in all Zen centers temples and monasteries whereBrazilians of non-Japanese descent are involved Not only are suutras translated but also recitations that are used inretreats before meals and manual labor (samu) Though translated these recitations are chanted using a Japanese rhythmthat is stressing each syllable as those speaking the Japanese language do In addition Brazilian Zen centers producewritten materials in Portuguese that discuss the meaning of ordination provide explanations and drawings on how to sitzazen and do kinhin (walking meditation) and transcribe lectures by the rooshi or monk in charge of the group Furthermorenew means of communication such as websites are used to spread the word(39) Produced by most Zen temples centersand monasteries these websites include schedules of activities articles about the history of affiliated temples monasteriesand Zen Centers translated suutras and pictures of temples and monasteries

The contact mode can lead to the second processive mode of transplantation confrontation and conflict Confrontationhappens when protagonists of the imported religious tradition are concerned with presenting the peculiarities which contrastwith existing traditions(40) The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoided this when it prohibited Japanese monks fromgoing to Brazil to proselytize before World War II As shown earlier in this paper there were already enough cultural conflictsbetween Brazilians and Japanese the Japanese Government could not afford a religious one Conflict actually arose when theJapanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent started sharing the same religious space in Busshinji As wementioned above the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent do not accept the other groupspractices as true Buddhism

Ambiguity and adaptation is the third processive mode of transplantation Baumann explains that there are unavoidablemisunderstandings and misinterpretations that happen when transplanting a religion into a new sociocultural context Formembers of the host culture it is only possible to interpret and understand symbols rituals or ideas of the imported religioustradition on the basis of their own conceptions The bearers of the foreign religion share similar problems of understandingwith regard to the new culture and society As a consequence of contact unavoidable ambiguities arise(41) Because of theprevailing Roman Catholic environment much of the terminology used in speaking of Buddhism in Brazil is Roman Catholic inorigin For instance rituals such as funerals are called missas (masses) the abbot is called bispo (bishop) and there arementions of paraiacuteso (heaven) inferno (hell) and rezar (to pray)

Furthermore there are also intentional ambiguities that are part of a strategy to make the foreign religion less exotic to thehost culture and by doing so reduce conflicts This involves emphasizing similarities and links with concepts of the hostculture Such ambiguous delineation can be observed at Busshinji where Brazilian holidays are commemorated with theJapanese counterpart For instance Childrens Day (October 12) in Brazil is commemorated on this date but with a festivalfor Jizo the bodhisattva who looks after children in Japan In addition the Brazilian Day of the Dead (November 2) iscommemorated on this date but with references to Obon the Japanese festival for the deceased ancestors

In the same context Sootoo Zen in Japan began to emphasize the ecological connotation of Buddhism as a strategy fordisplaying a modern Buddhism that is in tune with current world issues This is done through Caminho Zen (Zen Way) aJapanese magazine written in Portuguese especially for Brazilian followers Indeed one of the reasons given by manyBrazilians of non-Japanese origin practitioners to justify their migration to Buddhism is the religions connection with ecology(42)

In a lecture given in a sesshin (retreat) in Porto Alegre Moriyama Rooshi connected Buddhism with Greek philosophyThrough this approach the rooshi compared the term Apathia (lack of feeling) created by the Greek philosopher Zenon tothe idea of Atarakushi (to quiet the kokorospirit) By doing this Moriyama brought Zen meditation closer to theBrazilianWestern context He finished his lecture by saying that he is studying other Buddhisms because in a globalizedworld people have access to an increasing number of religions and the true religion is the one it is closer to the follower(February 14 1998) Tokuda also makes use of intentional ambiguities in his frequent quotations from the Bible andcomparisons of Jesus to Buddha(43) Similarly he compares the ecstatic state mentioned by the Christian mystics SaintJohn of the Cross and Meister Eckhart to the experience of enlightenment in Zen Tokuda says there is no difference

between West and East concerning this state of ecstasy He even refers to the image of God affirming the Christianexperience of union with God as similar to satori

As Saint John of the Cross said the night of senses the night of spirit the night of soul Through this internalvoyage we start to leave the exterior world and begin to work with our inner world diving into oursubconscious into our unconscious When we get to the bottom of this darkness there is a union with God withLove To this experience Zen gives the name enlightenment satori(44)

Baumann adds that a foreign religion may borrow features of the host culture for example organizational structures All ofthe temples and monasteries in Brazil comply with Brazilian law and are registered legally as non-profit organizations Inaddition they are managed as a Brazilian organization would be the temple in Săo Paulo and the Zen centers all over Brazilhave a democratically elected president and a board of directors

The fourth mode recoupment or re-orientation is a critique of the ambiguities that have arisen The foreign religion tries toreduce the ambiguities in order to regain the identity of the religious tradition One of the examples that Baumann uses is theordination of Tibetan lay people When Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Germany the Buddhist refuge ceremony was givenimmediately to people attending ceremonies However a decade later initiations are only offered after a thoroughpreparation Such is the case of Brazilian Zen Buddhism Until the 1980s traditional Japanese monks gave ordination toJapanese descendants without any process or preparation Likewise in the 1990s Moriyama Rooshi gave lay ordination toBrazilians of non-Japanese origin when requested However after arriving from Japan abbess Koen started to carry outrituals more formally and strictly establishing a two-year preparation course prior to lay ordination

The last of the strategies of transplantation innovative self-development deals with the creation of new forms andinnovative interpretations of the religion in the host culture This generates a tension with the tradition from which thereligion developed Many innovations took place in the United States and Germany Feminism determined a new status forwomen in Buddhism Another example is the democratic organization of Zen centers instead of strict hierarchy In Brazil thetension between Japanese Buddhism and Brazilian Buddhism marks the innovations that are occurring Such innovations aremainly being imported from the Western discourse on Zen

The appropriation and construction of Zen that took place in many Western countries had a similar departing point D TSuzukimdashone of the first Japanese scholars to write on Zen in Englishmdashand the Kyoto school scholars were fundamental to thecreation of a discourse on Zen in the West As Robert Sharf observed for Suzuki Zen was pure experiencemdashahistoricaltranscultural experience of pure subjectivity which utterly transcends discursive thought(45) Sharf argued that Suzuki waswriting during the period of Nationalistic Buddhism (Meiji New BuddhismmdashShin Bukkyoo) as a response to the Westernuniversalizing discourse Under this pressure Suzuki and many other writers such as Okakura Kakuzoo Watsuji TetsurooTanabe Hajime and Nishida Kitaroomdashinfluenced by the ideas of nihonjinron (the discourse on and of Japanese uniqueness)mdashstruggled to recreate Japanese national identity as something special that was identified with the Way of the Samurai andZen Buddhism For these authors Zen as the very essence of the Japanese Spirit would denote the cultural superiority ofJapan Moreover because it is experiential and not a religion Zen was able to survive the enlightenment trends of the Westand was viewed as rational and empirical(46) The global expansion of Zen Buddhism carried Shin Bukkyoo ideas with itHowever they were appropriated indigenized and hybridized locally Similarly Brazilian Zen took part of this process of ZenBuddhism glocalization (a process that Roland Robertson terminologically specified as the blending of the local and theglobal)(47) The interviews that I conducted with Brazilian practitioners of non-Japanese origin showed that their interest inZen Buddhism is a result of the United States influence through the media (48) books on Zen(49) movies(50) and travelsIn fact all of the people interviewed noted that their first contact with Zen was through books(51) The United States is astrong source of ideas and material on Zen for various reasons For example English is more accessible to Brazilians thanJapanese In fact most of the books on Zen now available in Portuguese were originally written in English Moreover due tothe fact that these practitioners come from the intellectual upper-middle class and the vast majority are degreed liberalprofessionals many of them can read the books in English before they are translated Some buy books about Zen via theInternet from Amazon (wwwamazoncom) andor subscribe to American Buddhist magazines such as Tricycle Somepractitioners even choose to travel to Zen centers abroad

The urban Brazilian upper-middle class seeks Zen Buddhism because it appeals intellectually to them as a philosophy of lifeTheir main concerns are among others relieving stress and acquiring inner peace turning this symbolic field into a miscellanyof religion and leisure In order to have inner peace practitioners feel that they have to search for their inner self Veryfrequently the people that I interviewed said that they sought Zen meditation as a way to learn about themselves Zenmeditation worked either in place of psychotherapy or in conjunction with it(52)

The French anthropologist Louis Dumont argues that in the contemporary world religious practice is a private choice(53)In a process of bricolage the practitioner chooses characteristics from different practices to condense them into a spiritualquest Thus each practitioner constructs his or her religion as a unique praxis that is different from all the others mixingvarious traditions in order to build a new contemporary spirituality There are several groups of practices associated with ZenBuddhism in Brazil that are recurrent in the interviews practices of healing (yoga Shiatsu Do In Tai Chi Chuanacupuncture) practices of self-understanding (many kinds of psychotherapy astrology) martial arts (Ai Ki Do karate)eating habits (vegetarianism macrobiotics) and other religions (Spiritism[54] African religions Mahikari [55]RajneeshOsho[56])

The Western construct of Zen which was appropriated hybridized and indigenized in Brazil is still a new phenomenon thatneeds to be further studied This article is intended to be a first outline of the main trends of this phenomenon

Conclusion

Though the Japanese community in Brazil has been leaving Buddhism behind and adopting Roman Catholicism as a means tobe accepted in the new country many Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have recently been adhering to Buddhism as wesaw in this paper For these Brazilians of non-Japanese origin the main practice of Zen Buddhism involves meditation (zazen)and retreats (sesshin) Zen Buddhism is seen more as a philosophy than a religion As such Zen as practiced in Brazil isdirectly related to the Western construct of Zen

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

In 1955 the Sootoo Zenshuu Buddhist Community of South America (Comunidade Budista Sootoo Zenshuu da Ameacuterica doSul) was established and officially recognized by the Brazilian Government In the same year the Buddhist Society of Brazil(Sociedade Budista do Brasil) was founded by a Brazilian of non-Japanese origin (Murillo Nunes de Azevedo) in Rio de JaneiroAzevedo was the first Brazilian interested in studying Buddhism as a philosophical and artistic system He was a professor ofphilosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro where he taught philosophy of the Far East The BuddhistSociety of Brazil organized lectures and exhibited films on Buddhism supplied by the Indian and Sri Lankan embassies(19) In1961 Azevedo translated the Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D T Suzuki into Portuguese However mass interest inBuddhism and Zen by non-Japanese Brazilians did not occur until the 1990s

The schools of Nishi Hongwanji Higashi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) Joodo Shu Nichiren and Sootoo Zenshuu sentmissionaries to Brazil in the early 1950s The missionaries sought Japanese families who were associated with such Buddhistschools in Japan prior to their migration to Brazil In 1958 all of these Buddhist schools were united in the Federation of theBuddhist Sects of Brazil (Federaccedilăo das Seitas Budistas do Brasil)

Brazilians of non-Japanese descent began seeking Zen Buddhism starting in the late 1970s In 1968 Sootoo Zenshuuheadquarters sent the Japanese monk Ryotan Tokuda to the Busshinji temple in Săo Paulo as a missionary Upon arrival heopened the temple to non-Japanese Brazilians Working together with these new practitioners Tokuda founded the first Zenmonastery of Latin America Mosteiro Morro da Vargem in the state of Espiacuterito Santo in 1976 In 1984 Tokuda established asecond monastery Mosteiro Pico dos Raios in the state of Minas Gerais Today their abbots are Brazilians of non-Japaneseorigin who were disciples of Tokuda and studied in monasteries in Japan Daiju (Christiano Bitti) became the abbot of Morroda Vargem monastery in 1983 after spending five years in Japan This Zen monastery is visited by four thousand peopleannually and receives seven thousand children of the state each year who go there to learn environmental education(20)Besides having maintained an ecological reserve and the Center of Environmental Education since 1985(21) the monasteryestablished a House of Culture to patronize fine artists who subsequently can devote themselves to creating their worksaway from the city In addition Morro da Vargem monastery holds eight five-day retreats each year with forty-fiveattendants at each session The people who attend these retreats are not necessarily Buddhist as Daiju suggested Ingeneral the people who seek the monastery do not profess any religion They are in search of spiritual peace(22) Pico dosRaios monastery is also linked with the external community Tokuda teaches acupuncture to the monasterys practitionerswho offer this service to the local population In 1984 Ryotan Tokuda established the Sootoo Zen Society of Brazil(Sociedade Sootoo Zen do Brasil) whose headquarters are at the Pico dos Raios monastery

In 1985 the Center of Buddhist Studies (CEB) was created in Porto Alegre which is the state capital of Rio Grande do SulCEB comprised practitioners of several schools of Buddhism including Zen In 1989 Tokuda and CEBs Zen practitionersinaugurated the temple Sootoo Zen Sanguen Dojocirc Currently the temple follows the orientation of Daigyo Moriyama Rooshiand his French disciple Zuymyo Joshin Sensei Moriyama is a Japanese rooshi who has disciples in Brazil Argentina UruguayUSA France Germany Sweden Austria Canada Korea and Sri Lanka(23) Continuing his missionary work among non-Japanese Brazilians in 1993 Tokuda founded the Zen Center of Planalto in Brasiacutelia the federal capital In the future thecenter plans to establish a Brazilian Buddhist library and a Brazilian Buddhist university In the following year Tokuda andBrazilian practitioners founded the Zen Center of Rio de Janeiro In 1998 Tokuda established the Serra do Trovăo monasteryin the state of Minas Gerais This monastery was founded exclusively for the training of new monks and holds two seven-dayretreats monthly It is important here to note that Ryotan Tokuda has a connection with European Zen He has Zen groupsin Italy France and Germany In 1995 Tokuda founded the Eacutecole Nonindo de Medicine Traditionelle Chinoise and theAssociation Mahamuni both in Paris

Currently there are twenty-three Zen Buddhist centers and temples three Zen Buddhist monasteries thirty-four Tibetancenters seven Theravaada centers thirty-seven Nishi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) temples and twenty-two associations(where there is no resident monk) twenty-six Higashi Hongwanji (Joodo Shinshuu) temples and associations two Joodoshutemples four Nichireshuu temples (with 5000 families of adherents) twelve Honmon Butsuryu Shu (a branch of Nichiren)temples and four Shingon temples (with 850 families of adherents) in Brazil(24) Tibetan Buddhism which was the latest toarrive (1988) is undergoing a boom similar to that which is taking place in the West In fact Buddhism in general is becomingbetter known and is attracting media attention in Brazil In June of 1998 important Brazilian magazines published threearticles on the expansion of Buddhism and meditation in Brazil and its famous adherents (television stars politicians etc)(25) Elle magazine featured the American Lama Tsering Everest as well as the Tibetan Chagdud Rimpoche who moved fromthe US to Brazil in the mid-1990s Lama Tsering noted that [i]t is the right moment for Buddhism in Brazil theinvolvement of Brazilians with Buddhism is karmic The Tibetan Lama Chagdud Tulku Rimpoche is building two monasteriesone in Tręs Coroas in the state of Rio Grande do Sul that is intended to house 400 people during retreats and another one inBrumadinho in the state of Minas Gerais The Elle magazine article estimated the number of Buddhist practitioners at around500000 distributed among the Tibetan Nichiren Sooka Gakkai (150000 adherents) Joodo Shinshuu Joodo Shu ShingonTheravaada and Zen schools(26)

The only reliable statistics available on religion in Brazil are from the 1991 census According to this census the Brazilianpopulation (170 million people) comprises citizens of the following religious affiliations 83 percent Roman Catholic (1411million) 6 percent pentecostal (102 million) 3 percent traditional evangelical (51 million) 5 percent with no religiousaffiliation (85 million) 1 percent Spiritists (17 million) 05 percent with miscellaneous African religions (850000) 02percent Buddhist (340000) and 008 percent Jewish (136000)(27) As the statistics show the great majority of Brazilianscome from Roman Catholic families What these figures do not show is the symbolic migration from one religion to anotherwhich frequently happens in Brazil Many Brazilians either practice more than one religion at the same time or migrate fromreligion to religion(28)

Furthermore although the number of Buddhists is only 02 percent one has to be aware that for most Brazilians Buddhism ismore a philosophy a way of life than a religion Zen Buddhism is often viewed as a meditation technique that helps torelieve stress Busshinji abbess Koen supports this view on Zen Buddhism in an interview for the O Estado de Săo Paulonewspaper Its not necessary to be a Buddhist to practice this kind of meditation The temple offers several lectures forthose who wish to learn this activity even if they have no intention of becoming Buddhist(29) In the same report onepractitioner notes that Zen Buddhism was a way to awaken my sensibility without denying my Catholic religion As a resultbeing Buddhist does not exclude professing other religions Many Brazilians continue being Roman Catholic while adoptingBuddhism If asked which religion they profess it is most likely that they will state that they are Catholic (because they

were baptized) or have no religious ties (if they do not profess any religion) even though they might have adopted Buddhismas a way of life(30) The abbot of Morro da Vargem monastery Daiju (Christiano Bitti) reinforces this point in an interviewfor Isto Eacute magazine If a Roman Catholic considers hisher religion as a study of himselfherself so heshe is also a BuddhistRoman Catholic priests who were initiated in Buddhism told me that afterwards they understood the Bible better Buddhismhas neither the intention to dispute adherents nor to convert them People loosen up because we are not disputing anythingWe just want to strengthen the faith of the Brazilian people(31)

Conflicts

Because the monasteries temples and Zen centersmdashall of which were established after 1976mdashcater mainly for non-Japanese Brazilians there are no conflicts over which practices of Zen Buddhism are performed Yet when Japaneseimmigrants and non-Japanese Brazilians share the same place dissension arises This is the case for the temple Busshinji inSăo Paulo

Inaugurated in 1955 and catering for the needs of the Japanese community for more than three decades(32) Busshinjisuffered considerably when a new abbot was appointed by the Sootoo Zen school in Japan In 1993 Japanese monk DaigyoMoriyama Rooshi arrived in Săo Paulo with new ideas about how Zen practice should be

The Japanese rooshi came from a context where Zen Buddhism was highly institutionalized and structured due to ninecenturies of history in Japan Moreover due to the patrilineality and primogeniture that are part of the rule of succession ofthe Japanese society boys who enter the monasteries to become monks are those first-born sons of families that possessmonasteries As a result to be a monk becomes a profession as any other a way of making a living inside a rigid structure(33)

Facing this situation the rooshi decided to leave Japan in search of a more active Zen Buddhism Having worked withShunryu Suzuki Rooshi in San Francisco in the 1960s Moriyama Rooshi shared Suzukis ideas that foreigners have abeginners mind (shoshin) one which is empty and ready for new things(34) When interviewed in 1997 he said that inJapan monks were more interested in social practices and money to be received by services rendered to the community(funerals and worship of ancestors) than in spiritual work Meditation (zazen) debates with the abbot (dokusan) studies ofthe Dharma retreats (sesshin) and manual work (samu)mdashall meant to aid in the way to enlightenmentmdashwere not properlypracticed As Moriyama Rooshi declared

That is why I put my energy in a foreign country here Zen Buddhism can be created again in a purer wayJapanese Buddhism is changing Buddhas and Doogens teachings (Personal interview 1997)

However upon his arrival in Brazil the rooshi encountered a Japanese community that demanded him to perform the samethings that he was not willing to do in Japan that is masses (as the members of the sect denominate the rituals in Brazil)weddings funerals and worship of ancestors instead of a practice based on meditation

The conflict became even more serious when the Japanese rooshi met a group of Brazilians of non-Japanese origin who werequite interested in meditation and in Buddha and Dogens teachings From the moment that these Brazilians entered thetemple and began to interact with the Japanese-Brazilian community conflicts arose As a result in 1995 the headquartersof the Sootoo Zenshuu school in Japan released Moriyama Rooshi from his services due to the Japanese communitys strongpressure In Japan the abbot as a first-born son inherits his temple from his father In Brazil the Japanese communityowns the temples As a result Japanese missionaries (who are appointed by the Japanese headquarters) have to prove thatthey are good proselytizers Because the Japanese community was dissatisfied with Moriyamas work he was called back toJapan by the Sootoo Zenshuu school A number of his Brazilian followers also left the temple and founded a new Zen center(Cezen) in Săo Paulo where the rooshi is a spiritual mentor Moriyama continues to travel to Brazil independently twice a yearto visit his disciples promote retreats and give Dharma talks at his two Zen centers located in Săo Paulo and Porto Alegre

Ironically the successor of Moriyama Rooshimdashand newly appointed abbessmdashwas a Brazilian nun of non-Japanese originClaudia Dias de Souza Batista was ordained in Los Angeles under Maezumi Rooshi in 1980 (when she received the Buddhistname of Koen) and lived in a monastery in Nagoya for six years thereafter Koen took the abbess position at Busshinji andsoon started enforcing all of the activities more strictly than they had been before One Brazilian of non-Japanese originpractitioner observed

When Moriyama was in charge of the temple he tried to adapt Japanese Zen to Brazilian culture It was moreflexible With Koen as she recently arrived from Japan she tries to maintain the patterns and rules by which shelived in Japan She tries to impose everything the rhythm behavior and discipline of the Japanese practice Sheis very inflexible (Cida 40 years old astrologer)

What makes this case more interesting is that traditionally the Japanese-Brazilian community maintained some diacriticalcultural traits preserved and away from Brazilian society (among them were the language and the religion) for themaintenance of its ethnic identity(35) Although second and third generations have started assimilating into Brazilian culture(36) and are quite integrated into the country today the abbess position in the only Zen Buddhist temple in Săo Paulo is notone that the community can leave in the hands of a foreigner How then did a Brazilian nun get the highest position in aBuddhist sect and furthermore how could she have been accepted by the Japanese-Brazilian community

Although Koen is a Brazilian nun she slowly gained acceptance because she worked hard at preserving the rituals that theJapanese community expected to be performed At the same time by speaking Japanese and Portuguese fluently she servedas a successful intermediary between the Japanese and Brazilian communities This conflict of motivations practice andaspirations is one that has occurred in similar Western contexts be it in Buddhist centers in the United States or Europe

In spite of the fact that the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have separate practices inBusshinji one must take care not to think of cultures as organically binding and sharply bounded(37) Between theJapanese community and Brazilian society at large there are Japanese descendants who were educated according to bothJapanese and Brazilian custom and as a result display mixed cultural patterns They dwell in the interstices of society and

comprise a small group of practitioners who began going to the temple because of family pressure and have ended upattending the activities offered for Brazilians of non-Japanese origin Many Japanese descendants told me in interviews thatone of the deciding factors for choosing to be affiliated with Brazilian Zen (or convert-Zen) over the Japanese communityZen was the language spoken because most Japanese descendants do not understand the Japanese language which isspoken at the rituals for the Japanese community

In fact Portuguese is beginning to be recognized as the official language of Busshinji Temple In 1998 for the first timethere were two parties vying to run Busshinjis administration one composed of the old traditional Japanese board and a newparty comprising Brazilians of Japanese ancestry The latter won and began enforcing an adaptation of Zen Buddhism toBrazilian culture for example they required that suutras be translated into Portuguese sponsored lectures on Zen Buddhismgiven in Portuguese and started study groups of suutras In addition they set up retreats for children and began givingassistance and computer courses to prisoners as well as providing help to AIDS patients Traditional activities like ritualsfunerals and ancestor worship that cater for the Japanese community are still performed but they are separate from theactivities of the Brazilians of non-Japanese origin

Transplanting Zen Buddhism to Brazil

So far we have seen how Zen Buddhism evolved in Brazil its practitioners their motivations and the conflicts that haveoccurred However it is important to place the study of Zen Buddhism in Brazil within an analysis of the transplantation ofBuddhism to the West Although Zen in Brazil has its own history and developments it is deeply related to the history anddevelopments of Western Buddhism In order to establish this relationship and further analyze Zen in Brazil I shall use theanalytical categories coined by Martin Baumann a German scholar who works with the transplantation of Buddhism toEurope Baumann identifies five processive modes for transplanting a religion to a new sociocultural context They includecontact confrontation and conflict ambiguity and alignment recoupment (re-orientation) and innovative self-developmentBaumann explains that the process of transplanting a particular religion does not need to cover all these modes and must notnecessarily occur in this sequence(38)

The first processive mode that of contact comprises strategies of adaptation such as the translation of scripturesTranslation is one of the main concerns of monks nuns and practitioners in all Zen centers temples and monasteries whereBrazilians of non-Japanese descent are involved Not only are suutras translated but also recitations that are used inretreats before meals and manual labor (samu) Though translated these recitations are chanted using a Japanese rhythmthat is stressing each syllable as those speaking the Japanese language do In addition Brazilian Zen centers producewritten materials in Portuguese that discuss the meaning of ordination provide explanations and drawings on how to sitzazen and do kinhin (walking meditation) and transcribe lectures by the rooshi or monk in charge of the group Furthermorenew means of communication such as websites are used to spread the word(39) Produced by most Zen temples centersand monasteries these websites include schedules of activities articles about the history of affiliated temples monasteriesand Zen Centers translated suutras and pictures of temples and monasteries

The contact mode can lead to the second processive mode of transplantation confrontation and conflict Confrontationhappens when protagonists of the imported religious tradition are concerned with presenting the peculiarities which contrastwith existing traditions(40) The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoided this when it prohibited Japanese monks fromgoing to Brazil to proselytize before World War II As shown earlier in this paper there were already enough cultural conflictsbetween Brazilians and Japanese the Japanese Government could not afford a religious one Conflict actually arose when theJapanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent started sharing the same religious space in Busshinji As wementioned above the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent do not accept the other groupspractices as true Buddhism

Ambiguity and adaptation is the third processive mode of transplantation Baumann explains that there are unavoidablemisunderstandings and misinterpretations that happen when transplanting a religion into a new sociocultural context Formembers of the host culture it is only possible to interpret and understand symbols rituals or ideas of the imported religioustradition on the basis of their own conceptions The bearers of the foreign religion share similar problems of understandingwith regard to the new culture and society As a consequence of contact unavoidable ambiguities arise(41) Because of theprevailing Roman Catholic environment much of the terminology used in speaking of Buddhism in Brazil is Roman Catholic inorigin For instance rituals such as funerals are called missas (masses) the abbot is called bispo (bishop) and there arementions of paraiacuteso (heaven) inferno (hell) and rezar (to pray)

Furthermore there are also intentional ambiguities that are part of a strategy to make the foreign religion less exotic to thehost culture and by doing so reduce conflicts This involves emphasizing similarities and links with concepts of the hostculture Such ambiguous delineation can be observed at Busshinji where Brazilian holidays are commemorated with theJapanese counterpart For instance Childrens Day (October 12) in Brazil is commemorated on this date but with a festivalfor Jizo the bodhisattva who looks after children in Japan In addition the Brazilian Day of the Dead (November 2) iscommemorated on this date but with references to Obon the Japanese festival for the deceased ancestors

In the same context Sootoo Zen in Japan began to emphasize the ecological connotation of Buddhism as a strategy fordisplaying a modern Buddhism that is in tune with current world issues This is done through Caminho Zen (Zen Way) aJapanese magazine written in Portuguese especially for Brazilian followers Indeed one of the reasons given by manyBrazilians of non-Japanese origin practitioners to justify their migration to Buddhism is the religions connection with ecology(42)

In a lecture given in a sesshin (retreat) in Porto Alegre Moriyama Rooshi connected Buddhism with Greek philosophyThrough this approach the rooshi compared the term Apathia (lack of feeling) created by the Greek philosopher Zenon tothe idea of Atarakushi (to quiet the kokorospirit) By doing this Moriyama brought Zen meditation closer to theBrazilianWestern context He finished his lecture by saying that he is studying other Buddhisms because in a globalizedworld people have access to an increasing number of religions and the true religion is the one it is closer to the follower(February 14 1998) Tokuda also makes use of intentional ambiguities in his frequent quotations from the Bible andcomparisons of Jesus to Buddha(43) Similarly he compares the ecstatic state mentioned by the Christian mystics SaintJohn of the Cross and Meister Eckhart to the experience of enlightenment in Zen Tokuda says there is no difference

between West and East concerning this state of ecstasy He even refers to the image of God affirming the Christianexperience of union with God as similar to satori

As Saint John of the Cross said the night of senses the night of spirit the night of soul Through this internalvoyage we start to leave the exterior world and begin to work with our inner world diving into oursubconscious into our unconscious When we get to the bottom of this darkness there is a union with God withLove To this experience Zen gives the name enlightenment satori(44)

Baumann adds that a foreign religion may borrow features of the host culture for example organizational structures All ofthe temples and monasteries in Brazil comply with Brazilian law and are registered legally as non-profit organizations Inaddition they are managed as a Brazilian organization would be the temple in Săo Paulo and the Zen centers all over Brazilhave a democratically elected president and a board of directors

The fourth mode recoupment or re-orientation is a critique of the ambiguities that have arisen The foreign religion tries toreduce the ambiguities in order to regain the identity of the religious tradition One of the examples that Baumann uses is theordination of Tibetan lay people When Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Germany the Buddhist refuge ceremony was givenimmediately to people attending ceremonies However a decade later initiations are only offered after a thoroughpreparation Such is the case of Brazilian Zen Buddhism Until the 1980s traditional Japanese monks gave ordination toJapanese descendants without any process or preparation Likewise in the 1990s Moriyama Rooshi gave lay ordination toBrazilians of non-Japanese origin when requested However after arriving from Japan abbess Koen started to carry outrituals more formally and strictly establishing a two-year preparation course prior to lay ordination

The last of the strategies of transplantation innovative self-development deals with the creation of new forms andinnovative interpretations of the religion in the host culture This generates a tension with the tradition from which thereligion developed Many innovations took place in the United States and Germany Feminism determined a new status forwomen in Buddhism Another example is the democratic organization of Zen centers instead of strict hierarchy In Brazil thetension between Japanese Buddhism and Brazilian Buddhism marks the innovations that are occurring Such innovations aremainly being imported from the Western discourse on Zen

The appropriation and construction of Zen that took place in many Western countries had a similar departing point D TSuzukimdashone of the first Japanese scholars to write on Zen in Englishmdashand the Kyoto school scholars were fundamental to thecreation of a discourse on Zen in the West As Robert Sharf observed for Suzuki Zen was pure experiencemdashahistoricaltranscultural experience of pure subjectivity which utterly transcends discursive thought(45) Sharf argued that Suzuki waswriting during the period of Nationalistic Buddhism (Meiji New BuddhismmdashShin Bukkyoo) as a response to the Westernuniversalizing discourse Under this pressure Suzuki and many other writers such as Okakura Kakuzoo Watsuji TetsurooTanabe Hajime and Nishida Kitaroomdashinfluenced by the ideas of nihonjinron (the discourse on and of Japanese uniqueness)mdashstruggled to recreate Japanese national identity as something special that was identified with the Way of the Samurai andZen Buddhism For these authors Zen as the very essence of the Japanese Spirit would denote the cultural superiority ofJapan Moreover because it is experiential and not a religion Zen was able to survive the enlightenment trends of the Westand was viewed as rational and empirical(46) The global expansion of Zen Buddhism carried Shin Bukkyoo ideas with itHowever they were appropriated indigenized and hybridized locally Similarly Brazilian Zen took part of this process of ZenBuddhism glocalization (a process that Roland Robertson terminologically specified as the blending of the local and theglobal)(47) The interviews that I conducted with Brazilian practitioners of non-Japanese origin showed that their interest inZen Buddhism is a result of the United States influence through the media (48) books on Zen(49) movies(50) and travelsIn fact all of the people interviewed noted that their first contact with Zen was through books(51) The United States is astrong source of ideas and material on Zen for various reasons For example English is more accessible to Brazilians thanJapanese In fact most of the books on Zen now available in Portuguese were originally written in English Moreover due tothe fact that these practitioners come from the intellectual upper-middle class and the vast majority are degreed liberalprofessionals many of them can read the books in English before they are translated Some buy books about Zen via theInternet from Amazon (wwwamazoncom) andor subscribe to American Buddhist magazines such as Tricycle Somepractitioners even choose to travel to Zen centers abroad

The urban Brazilian upper-middle class seeks Zen Buddhism because it appeals intellectually to them as a philosophy of lifeTheir main concerns are among others relieving stress and acquiring inner peace turning this symbolic field into a miscellanyof religion and leisure In order to have inner peace practitioners feel that they have to search for their inner self Veryfrequently the people that I interviewed said that they sought Zen meditation as a way to learn about themselves Zenmeditation worked either in place of psychotherapy or in conjunction with it(52)

The French anthropologist Louis Dumont argues that in the contemporary world religious practice is a private choice(53)In a process of bricolage the practitioner chooses characteristics from different practices to condense them into a spiritualquest Thus each practitioner constructs his or her religion as a unique praxis that is different from all the others mixingvarious traditions in order to build a new contemporary spirituality There are several groups of practices associated with ZenBuddhism in Brazil that are recurrent in the interviews practices of healing (yoga Shiatsu Do In Tai Chi Chuanacupuncture) practices of self-understanding (many kinds of psychotherapy astrology) martial arts (Ai Ki Do karate)eating habits (vegetarianism macrobiotics) and other religions (Spiritism[54] African religions Mahikari [55]RajneeshOsho[56])

The Western construct of Zen which was appropriated hybridized and indigenized in Brazil is still a new phenomenon thatneeds to be further studied This article is intended to be a first outline of the main trends of this phenomenon

Conclusion

Though the Japanese community in Brazil has been leaving Buddhism behind and adopting Roman Catholicism as a means tobe accepted in the new country many Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have recently been adhering to Buddhism as wesaw in this paper For these Brazilians of non-Japanese origin the main practice of Zen Buddhism involves meditation (zazen)and retreats (sesshin) Zen Buddhism is seen more as a philosophy than a religion As such Zen as practiced in Brazil isdirectly related to the Western construct of Zen

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

were baptized) or have no religious ties (if they do not profess any religion) even though they might have adopted Buddhismas a way of life(30) The abbot of Morro da Vargem monastery Daiju (Christiano Bitti) reinforces this point in an interviewfor Isto Eacute magazine If a Roman Catholic considers hisher religion as a study of himselfherself so heshe is also a BuddhistRoman Catholic priests who were initiated in Buddhism told me that afterwards they understood the Bible better Buddhismhas neither the intention to dispute adherents nor to convert them People loosen up because we are not disputing anythingWe just want to strengthen the faith of the Brazilian people(31)

Conflicts

Because the monasteries temples and Zen centersmdashall of which were established after 1976mdashcater mainly for non-Japanese Brazilians there are no conflicts over which practices of Zen Buddhism are performed Yet when Japaneseimmigrants and non-Japanese Brazilians share the same place dissension arises This is the case for the temple Busshinji inSăo Paulo

Inaugurated in 1955 and catering for the needs of the Japanese community for more than three decades(32) Busshinjisuffered considerably when a new abbot was appointed by the Sootoo Zen school in Japan In 1993 Japanese monk DaigyoMoriyama Rooshi arrived in Săo Paulo with new ideas about how Zen practice should be

The Japanese rooshi came from a context where Zen Buddhism was highly institutionalized and structured due to ninecenturies of history in Japan Moreover due to the patrilineality and primogeniture that are part of the rule of succession ofthe Japanese society boys who enter the monasteries to become monks are those first-born sons of families that possessmonasteries As a result to be a monk becomes a profession as any other a way of making a living inside a rigid structure(33)

Facing this situation the rooshi decided to leave Japan in search of a more active Zen Buddhism Having worked withShunryu Suzuki Rooshi in San Francisco in the 1960s Moriyama Rooshi shared Suzukis ideas that foreigners have abeginners mind (shoshin) one which is empty and ready for new things(34) When interviewed in 1997 he said that inJapan monks were more interested in social practices and money to be received by services rendered to the community(funerals and worship of ancestors) than in spiritual work Meditation (zazen) debates with the abbot (dokusan) studies ofthe Dharma retreats (sesshin) and manual work (samu)mdashall meant to aid in the way to enlightenmentmdashwere not properlypracticed As Moriyama Rooshi declared

That is why I put my energy in a foreign country here Zen Buddhism can be created again in a purer wayJapanese Buddhism is changing Buddhas and Doogens teachings (Personal interview 1997)

However upon his arrival in Brazil the rooshi encountered a Japanese community that demanded him to perform the samethings that he was not willing to do in Japan that is masses (as the members of the sect denominate the rituals in Brazil)weddings funerals and worship of ancestors instead of a practice based on meditation

The conflict became even more serious when the Japanese rooshi met a group of Brazilians of non-Japanese origin who werequite interested in meditation and in Buddha and Dogens teachings From the moment that these Brazilians entered thetemple and began to interact with the Japanese-Brazilian community conflicts arose As a result in 1995 the headquartersof the Sootoo Zenshuu school in Japan released Moriyama Rooshi from his services due to the Japanese communitys strongpressure In Japan the abbot as a first-born son inherits his temple from his father In Brazil the Japanese communityowns the temples As a result Japanese missionaries (who are appointed by the Japanese headquarters) have to prove thatthey are good proselytizers Because the Japanese community was dissatisfied with Moriyamas work he was called back toJapan by the Sootoo Zenshuu school A number of his Brazilian followers also left the temple and founded a new Zen center(Cezen) in Săo Paulo where the rooshi is a spiritual mentor Moriyama continues to travel to Brazil independently twice a yearto visit his disciples promote retreats and give Dharma talks at his two Zen centers located in Săo Paulo and Porto Alegre

Ironically the successor of Moriyama Rooshimdashand newly appointed abbessmdashwas a Brazilian nun of non-Japanese originClaudia Dias de Souza Batista was ordained in Los Angeles under Maezumi Rooshi in 1980 (when she received the Buddhistname of Koen) and lived in a monastery in Nagoya for six years thereafter Koen took the abbess position at Busshinji andsoon started enforcing all of the activities more strictly than they had been before One Brazilian of non-Japanese originpractitioner observed

When Moriyama was in charge of the temple he tried to adapt Japanese Zen to Brazilian culture It was moreflexible With Koen as she recently arrived from Japan she tries to maintain the patterns and rules by which shelived in Japan She tries to impose everything the rhythm behavior and discipline of the Japanese practice Sheis very inflexible (Cida 40 years old astrologer)

What makes this case more interesting is that traditionally the Japanese-Brazilian community maintained some diacriticalcultural traits preserved and away from Brazilian society (among them were the language and the religion) for themaintenance of its ethnic identity(35) Although second and third generations have started assimilating into Brazilian culture(36) and are quite integrated into the country today the abbess position in the only Zen Buddhist temple in Săo Paulo is notone that the community can leave in the hands of a foreigner How then did a Brazilian nun get the highest position in aBuddhist sect and furthermore how could she have been accepted by the Japanese-Brazilian community

Although Koen is a Brazilian nun she slowly gained acceptance because she worked hard at preserving the rituals that theJapanese community expected to be performed At the same time by speaking Japanese and Portuguese fluently she servedas a successful intermediary between the Japanese and Brazilian communities This conflict of motivations practice andaspirations is one that has occurred in similar Western contexts be it in Buddhist centers in the United States or Europe

In spite of the fact that the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have separate practices inBusshinji one must take care not to think of cultures as organically binding and sharply bounded(37) Between theJapanese community and Brazilian society at large there are Japanese descendants who were educated according to bothJapanese and Brazilian custom and as a result display mixed cultural patterns They dwell in the interstices of society and

comprise a small group of practitioners who began going to the temple because of family pressure and have ended upattending the activities offered for Brazilians of non-Japanese origin Many Japanese descendants told me in interviews thatone of the deciding factors for choosing to be affiliated with Brazilian Zen (or convert-Zen) over the Japanese communityZen was the language spoken because most Japanese descendants do not understand the Japanese language which isspoken at the rituals for the Japanese community

In fact Portuguese is beginning to be recognized as the official language of Busshinji Temple In 1998 for the first timethere were two parties vying to run Busshinjis administration one composed of the old traditional Japanese board and a newparty comprising Brazilians of Japanese ancestry The latter won and began enforcing an adaptation of Zen Buddhism toBrazilian culture for example they required that suutras be translated into Portuguese sponsored lectures on Zen Buddhismgiven in Portuguese and started study groups of suutras In addition they set up retreats for children and began givingassistance and computer courses to prisoners as well as providing help to AIDS patients Traditional activities like ritualsfunerals and ancestor worship that cater for the Japanese community are still performed but they are separate from theactivities of the Brazilians of non-Japanese origin

Transplanting Zen Buddhism to Brazil

So far we have seen how Zen Buddhism evolved in Brazil its practitioners their motivations and the conflicts that haveoccurred However it is important to place the study of Zen Buddhism in Brazil within an analysis of the transplantation ofBuddhism to the West Although Zen in Brazil has its own history and developments it is deeply related to the history anddevelopments of Western Buddhism In order to establish this relationship and further analyze Zen in Brazil I shall use theanalytical categories coined by Martin Baumann a German scholar who works with the transplantation of Buddhism toEurope Baumann identifies five processive modes for transplanting a religion to a new sociocultural context They includecontact confrontation and conflict ambiguity and alignment recoupment (re-orientation) and innovative self-developmentBaumann explains that the process of transplanting a particular religion does not need to cover all these modes and must notnecessarily occur in this sequence(38)

The first processive mode that of contact comprises strategies of adaptation such as the translation of scripturesTranslation is one of the main concerns of monks nuns and practitioners in all Zen centers temples and monasteries whereBrazilians of non-Japanese descent are involved Not only are suutras translated but also recitations that are used inretreats before meals and manual labor (samu) Though translated these recitations are chanted using a Japanese rhythmthat is stressing each syllable as those speaking the Japanese language do In addition Brazilian Zen centers producewritten materials in Portuguese that discuss the meaning of ordination provide explanations and drawings on how to sitzazen and do kinhin (walking meditation) and transcribe lectures by the rooshi or monk in charge of the group Furthermorenew means of communication such as websites are used to spread the word(39) Produced by most Zen temples centersand monasteries these websites include schedules of activities articles about the history of affiliated temples monasteriesand Zen Centers translated suutras and pictures of temples and monasteries

The contact mode can lead to the second processive mode of transplantation confrontation and conflict Confrontationhappens when protagonists of the imported religious tradition are concerned with presenting the peculiarities which contrastwith existing traditions(40) The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoided this when it prohibited Japanese monks fromgoing to Brazil to proselytize before World War II As shown earlier in this paper there were already enough cultural conflictsbetween Brazilians and Japanese the Japanese Government could not afford a religious one Conflict actually arose when theJapanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent started sharing the same religious space in Busshinji As wementioned above the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent do not accept the other groupspractices as true Buddhism

Ambiguity and adaptation is the third processive mode of transplantation Baumann explains that there are unavoidablemisunderstandings and misinterpretations that happen when transplanting a religion into a new sociocultural context Formembers of the host culture it is only possible to interpret and understand symbols rituals or ideas of the imported religioustradition on the basis of their own conceptions The bearers of the foreign religion share similar problems of understandingwith regard to the new culture and society As a consequence of contact unavoidable ambiguities arise(41) Because of theprevailing Roman Catholic environment much of the terminology used in speaking of Buddhism in Brazil is Roman Catholic inorigin For instance rituals such as funerals are called missas (masses) the abbot is called bispo (bishop) and there arementions of paraiacuteso (heaven) inferno (hell) and rezar (to pray)

Furthermore there are also intentional ambiguities that are part of a strategy to make the foreign religion less exotic to thehost culture and by doing so reduce conflicts This involves emphasizing similarities and links with concepts of the hostculture Such ambiguous delineation can be observed at Busshinji where Brazilian holidays are commemorated with theJapanese counterpart For instance Childrens Day (October 12) in Brazil is commemorated on this date but with a festivalfor Jizo the bodhisattva who looks after children in Japan In addition the Brazilian Day of the Dead (November 2) iscommemorated on this date but with references to Obon the Japanese festival for the deceased ancestors

In the same context Sootoo Zen in Japan began to emphasize the ecological connotation of Buddhism as a strategy fordisplaying a modern Buddhism that is in tune with current world issues This is done through Caminho Zen (Zen Way) aJapanese magazine written in Portuguese especially for Brazilian followers Indeed one of the reasons given by manyBrazilians of non-Japanese origin practitioners to justify their migration to Buddhism is the religions connection with ecology(42)

In a lecture given in a sesshin (retreat) in Porto Alegre Moriyama Rooshi connected Buddhism with Greek philosophyThrough this approach the rooshi compared the term Apathia (lack of feeling) created by the Greek philosopher Zenon tothe idea of Atarakushi (to quiet the kokorospirit) By doing this Moriyama brought Zen meditation closer to theBrazilianWestern context He finished his lecture by saying that he is studying other Buddhisms because in a globalizedworld people have access to an increasing number of religions and the true religion is the one it is closer to the follower(February 14 1998) Tokuda also makes use of intentional ambiguities in his frequent quotations from the Bible andcomparisons of Jesus to Buddha(43) Similarly he compares the ecstatic state mentioned by the Christian mystics SaintJohn of the Cross and Meister Eckhart to the experience of enlightenment in Zen Tokuda says there is no difference

between West and East concerning this state of ecstasy He even refers to the image of God affirming the Christianexperience of union with God as similar to satori

As Saint John of the Cross said the night of senses the night of spirit the night of soul Through this internalvoyage we start to leave the exterior world and begin to work with our inner world diving into oursubconscious into our unconscious When we get to the bottom of this darkness there is a union with God withLove To this experience Zen gives the name enlightenment satori(44)

Baumann adds that a foreign religion may borrow features of the host culture for example organizational structures All ofthe temples and monasteries in Brazil comply with Brazilian law and are registered legally as non-profit organizations Inaddition they are managed as a Brazilian organization would be the temple in Săo Paulo and the Zen centers all over Brazilhave a democratically elected president and a board of directors

The fourth mode recoupment or re-orientation is a critique of the ambiguities that have arisen The foreign religion tries toreduce the ambiguities in order to regain the identity of the religious tradition One of the examples that Baumann uses is theordination of Tibetan lay people When Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Germany the Buddhist refuge ceremony was givenimmediately to people attending ceremonies However a decade later initiations are only offered after a thoroughpreparation Such is the case of Brazilian Zen Buddhism Until the 1980s traditional Japanese monks gave ordination toJapanese descendants without any process or preparation Likewise in the 1990s Moriyama Rooshi gave lay ordination toBrazilians of non-Japanese origin when requested However after arriving from Japan abbess Koen started to carry outrituals more formally and strictly establishing a two-year preparation course prior to lay ordination

The last of the strategies of transplantation innovative self-development deals with the creation of new forms andinnovative interpretations of the religion in the host culture This generates a tension with the tradition from which thereligion developed Many innovations took place in the United States and Germany Feminism determined a new status forwomen in Buddhism Another example is the democratic organization of Zen centers instead of strict hierarchy In Brazil thetension between Japanese Buddhism and Brazilian Buddhism marks the innovations that are occurring Such innovations aremainly being imported from the Western discourse on Zen

The appropriation and construction of Zen that took place in many Western countries had a similar departing point D TSuzukimdashone of the first Japanese scholars to write on Zen in Englishmdashand the Kyoto school scholars were fundamental to thecreation of a discourse on Zen in the West As Robert Sharf observed for Suzuki Zen was pure experiencemdashahistoricaltranscultural experience of pure subjectivity which utterly transcends discursive thought(45) Sharf argued that Suzuki waswriting during the period of Nationalistic Buddhism (Meiji New BuddhismmdashShin Bukkyoo) as a response to the Westernuniversalizing discourse Under this pressure Suzuki and many other writers such as Okakura Kakuzoo Watsuji TetsurooTanabe Hajime and Nishida Kitaroomdashinfluenced by the ideas of nihonjinron (the discourse on and of Japanese uniqueness)mdashstruggled to recreate Japanese national identity as something special that was identified with the Way of the Samurai andZen Buddhism For these authors Zen as the very essence of the Japanese Spirit would denote the cultural superiority ofJapan Moreover because it is experiential and not a religion Zen was able to survive the enlightenment trends of the Westand was viewed as rational and empirical(46) The global expansion of Zen Buddhism carried Shin Bukkyoo ideas with itHowever they were appropriated indigenized and hybridized locally Similarly Brazilian Zen took part of this process of ZenBuddhism glocalization (a process that Roland Robertson terminologically specified as the blending of the local and theglobal)(47) The interviews that I conducted with Brazilian practitioners of non-Japanese origin showed that their interest inZen Buddhism is a result of the United States influence through the media (48) books on Zen(49) movies(50) and travelsIn fact all of the people interviewed noted that their first contact with Zen was through books(51) The United States is astrong source of ideas and material on Zen for various reasons For example English is more accessible to Brazilians thanJapanese In fact most of the books on Zen now available in Portuguese were originally written in English Moreover due tothe fact that these practitioners come from the intellectual upper-middle class and the vast majority are degreed liberalprofessionals many of them can read the books in English before they are translated Some buy books about Zen via theInternet from Amazon (wwwamazoncom) andor subscribe to American Buddhist magazines such as Tricycle Somepractitioners even choose to travel to Zen centers abroad

The urban Brazilian upper-middle class seeks Zen Buddhism because it appeals intellectually to them as a philosophy of lifeTheir main concerns are among others relieving stress and acquiring inner peace turning this symbolic field into a miscellanyof religion and leisure In order to have inner peace practitioners feel that they have to search for their inner self Veryfrequently the people that I interviewed said that they sought Zen meditation as a way to learn about themselves Zenmeditation worked either in place of psychotherapy or in conjunction with it(52)

The French anthropologist Louis Dumont argues that in the contemporary world religious practice is a private choice(53)In a process of bricolage the practitioner chooses characteristics from different practices to condense them into a spiritualquest Thus each practitioner constructs his or her religion as a unique praxis that is different from all the others mixingvarious traditions in order to build a new contemporary spirituality There are several groups of practices associated with ZenBuddhism in Brazil that are recurrent in the interviews practices of healing (yoga Shiatsu Do In Tai Chi Chuanacupuncture) practices of self-understanding (many kinds of psychotherapy astrology) martial arts (Ai Ki Do karate)eating habits (vegetarianism macrobiotics) and other religions (Spiritism[54] African religions Mahikari [55]RajneeshOsho[56])

The Western construct of Zen which was appropriated hybridized and indigenized in Brazil is still a new phenomenon thatneeds to be further studied This article is intended to be a first outline of the main trends of this phenomenon

Conclusion

Though the Japanese community in Brazil has been leaving Buddhism behind and adopting Roman Catholicism as a means tobe accepted in the new country many Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have recently been adhering to Buddhism as wesaw in this paper For these Brazilians of non-Japanese origin the main practice of Zen Buddhism involves meditation (zazen)and retreats (sesshin) Zen Buddhism is seen more as a philosophy than a religion As such Zen as practiced in Brazil isdirectly related to the Western construct of Zen

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

comprise a small group of practitioners who began going to the temple because of family pressure and have ended upattending the activities offered for Brazilians of non-Japanese origin Many Japanese descendants told me in interviews thatone of the deciding factors for choosing to be affiliated with Brazilian Zen (or convert-Zen) over the Japanese communityZen was the language spoken because most Japanese descendants do not understand the Japanese language which isspoken at the rituals for the Japanese community

In fact Portuguese is beginning to be recognized as the official language of Busshinji Temple In 1998 for the first timethere were two parties vying to run Busshinjis administration one composed of the old traditional Japanese board and a newparty comprising Brazilians of Japanese ancestry The latter won and began enforcing an adaptation of Zen Buddhism toBrazilian culture for example they required that suutras be translated into Portuguese sponsored lectures on Zen Buddhismgiven in Portuguese and started study groups of suutras In addition they set up retreats for children and began givingassistance and computer courses to prisoners as well as providing help to AIDS patients Traditional activities like ritualsfunerals and ancestor worship that cater for the Japanese community are still performed but they are separate from theactivities of the Brazilians of non-Japanese origin

Transplanting Zen Buddhism to Brazil

So far we have seen how Zen Buddhism evolved in Brazil its practitioners their motivations and the conflicts that haveoccurred However it is important to place the study of Zen Buddhism in Brazil within an analysis of the transplantation ofBuddhism to the West Although Zen in Brazil has its own history and developments it is deeply related to the history anddevelopments of Western Buddhism In order to establish this relationship and further analyze Zen in Brazil I shall use theanalytical categories coined by Martin Baumann a German scholar who works with the transplantation of Buddhism toEurope Baumann identifies five processive modes for transplanting a religion to a new sociocultural context They includecontact confrontation and conflict ambiguity and alignment recoupment (re-orientation) and innovative self-developmentBaumann explains that the process of transplanting a particular religion does not need to cover all these modes and must notnecessarily occur in this sequence(38)

The first processive mode that of contact comprises strategies of adaptation such as the translation of scripturesTranslation is one of the main concerns of monks nuns and practitioners in all Zen centers temples and monasteries whereBrazilians of non-Japanese descent are involved Not only are suutras translated but also recitations that are used inretreats before meals and manual labor (samu) Though translated these recitations are chanted using a Japanese rhythmthat is stressing each syllable as those speaking the Japanese language do In addition Brazilian Zen centers producewritten materials in Portuguese that discuss the meaning of ordination provide explanations and drawings on how to sitzazen and do kinhin (walking meditation) and transcribe lectures by the rooshi or monk in charge of the group Furthermorenew means of communication such as websites are used to spread the word(39) Produced by most Zen temples centersand monasteries these websites include schedules of activities articles about the history of affiliated temples monasteriesand Zen Centers translated suutras and pictures of temples and monasteries

The contact mode can lead to the second processive mode of transplantation confrontation and conflict Confrontationhappens when protagonists of the imported religious tradition are concerned with presenting the peculiarities which contrastwith existing traditions(40) The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoided this when it prohibited Japanese monks fromgoing to Brazil to proselytize before World War II As shown earlier in this paper there were already enough cultural conflictsbetween Brazilians and Japanese the Japanese Government could not afford a religious one Conflict actually arose when theJapanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent started sharing the same religious space in Busshinji As wementioned above the Japanese community and Brazilians of non-Japanese descent do not accept the other groupspractices as true Buddhism

Ambiguity and adaptation is the third processive mode of transplantation Baumann explains that there are unavoidablemisunderstandings and misinterpretations that happen when transplanting a religion into a new sociocultural context Formembers of the host culture it is only possible to interpret and understand symbols rituals or ideas of the imported religioustradition on the basis of their own conceptions The bearers of the foreign religion share similar problems of understandingwith regard to the new culture and society As a consequence of contact unavoidable ambiguities arise(41) Because of theprevailing Roman Catholic environment much of the terminology used in speaking of Buddhism in Brazil is Roman Catholic inorigin For instance rituals such as funerals are called missas (masses) the abbot is called bispo (bishop) and there arementions of paraiacuteso (heaven) inferno (hell) and rezar (to pray)

Furthermore there are also intentional ambiguities that are part of a strategy to make the foreign religion less exotic to thehost culture and by doing so reduce conflicts This involves emphasizing similarities and links with concepts of the hostculture Such ambiguous delineation can be observed at Busshinji where Brazilian holidays are commemorated with theJapanese counterpart For instance Childrens Day (October 12) in Brazil is commemorated on this date but with a festivalfor Jizo the bodhisattva who looks after children in Japan In addition the Brazilian Day of the Dead (November 2) iscommemorated on this date but with references to Obon the Japanese festival for the deceased ancestors

In the same context Sootoo Zen in Japan began to emphasize the ecological connotation of Buddhism as a strategy fordisplaying a modern Buddhism that is in tune with current world issues This is done through Caminho Zen (Zen Way) aJapanese magazine written in Portuguese especially for Brazilian followers Indeed one of the reasons given by manyBrazilians of non-Japanese origin practitioners to justify their migration to Buddhism is the religions connection with ecology(42)

In a lecture given in a sesshin (retreat) in Porto Alegre Moriyama Rooshi connected Buddhism with Greek philosophyThrough this approach the rooshi compared the term Apathia (lack of feeling) created by the Greek philosopher Zenon tothe idea of Atarakushi (to quiet the kokorospirit) By doing this Moriyama brought Zen meditation closer to theBrazilianWestern context He finished his lecture by saying that he is studying other Buddhisms because in a globalizedworld people have access to an increasing number of religions and the true religion is the one it is closer to the follower(February 14 1998) Tokuda also makes use of intentional ambiguities in his frequent quotations from the Bible andcomparisons of Jesus to Buddha(43) Similarly he compares the ecstatic state mentioned by the Christian mystics SaintJohn of the Cross and Meister Eckhart to the experience of enlightenment in Zen Tokuda says there is no difference

between West and East concerning this state of ecstasy He even refers to the image of God affirming the Christianexperience of union with God as similar to satori

As Saint John of the Cross said the night of senses the night of spirit the night of soul Through this internalvoyage we start to leave the exterior world and begin to work with our inner world diving into oursubconscious into our unconscious When we get to the bottom of this darkness there is a union with God withLove To this experience Zen gives the name enlightenment satori(44)

Baumann adds that a foreign religion may borrow features of the host culture for example organizational structures All ofthe temples and monasteries in Brazil comply with Brazilian law and are registered legally as non-profit organizations Inaddition they are managed as a Brazilian organization would be the temple in Săo Paulo and the Zen centers all over Brazilhave a democratically elected president and a board of directors

The fourth mode recoupment or re-orientation is a critique of the ambiguities that have arisen The foreign religion tries toreduce the ambiguities in order to regain the identity of the religious tradition One of the examples that Baumann uses is theordination of Tibetan lay people When Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Germany the Buddhist refuge ceremony was givenimmediately to people attending ceremonies However a decade later initiations are only offered after a thoroughpreparation Such is the case of Brazilian Zen Buddhism Until the 1980s traditional Japanese monks gave ordination toJapanese descendants without any process or preparation Likewise in the 1990s Moriyama Rooshi gave lay ordination toBrazilians of non-Japanese origin when requested However after arriving from Japan abbess Koen started to carry outrituals more formally and strictly establishing a two-year preparation course prior to lay ordination

The last of the strategies of transplantation innovative self-development deals with the creation of new forms andinnovative interpretations of the religion in the host culture This generates a tension with the tradition from which thereligion developed Many innovations took place in the United States and Germany Feminism determined a new status forwomen in Buddhism Another example is the democratic organization of Zen centers instead of strict hierarchy In Brazil thetension between Japanese Buddhism and Brazilian Buddhism marks the innovations that are occurring Such innovations aremainly being imported from the Western discourse on Zen

The appropriation and construction of Zen that took place in many Western countries had a similar departing point D TSuzukimdashone of the first Japanese scholars to write on Zen in Englishmdashand the Kyoto school scholars were fundamental to thecreation of a discourse on Zen in the West As Robert Sharf observed for Suzuki Zen was pure experiencemdashahistoricaltranscultural experience of pure subjectivity which utterly transcends discursive thought(45) Sharf argued that Suzuki waswriting during the period of Nationalistic Buddhism (Meiji New BuddhismmdashShin Bukkyoo) as a response to the Westernuniversalizing discourse Under this pressure Suzuki and many other writers such as Okakura Kakuzoo Watsuji TetsurooTanabe Hajime and Nishida Kitaroomdashinfluenced by the ideas of nihonjinron (the discourse on and of Japanese uniqueness)mdashstruggled to recreate Japanese national identity as something special that was identified with the Way of the Samurai andZen Buddhism For these authors Zen as the very essence of the Japanese Spirit would denote the cultural superiority ofJapan Moreover because it is experiential and not a religion Zen was able to survive the enlightenment trends of the Westand was viewed as rational and empirical(46) The global expansion of Zen Buddhism carried Shin Bukkyoo ideas with itHowever they were appropriated indigenized and hybridized locally Similarly Brazilian Zen took part of this process of ZenBuddhism glocalization (a process that Roland Robertson terminologically specified as the blending of the local and theglobal)(47) The interviews that I conducted with Brazilian practitioners of non-Japanese origin showed that their interest inZen Buddhism is a result of the United States influence through the media (48) books on Zen(49) movies(50) and travelsIn fact all of the people interviewed noted that their first contact with Zen was through books(51) The United States is astrong source of ideas and material on Zen for various reasons For example English is more accessible to Brazilians thanJapanese In fact most of the books on Zen now available in Portuguese were originally written in English Moreover due tothe fact that these practitioners come from the intellectual upper-middle class and the vast majority are degreed liberalprofessionals many of them can read the books in English before they are translated Some buy books about Zen via theInternet from Amazon (wwwamazoncom) andor subscribe to American Buddhist magazines such as Tricycle Somepractitioners even choose to travel to Zen centers abroad

The urban Brazilian upper-middle class seeks Zen Buddhism because it appeals intellectually to them as a philosophy of lifeTheir main concerns are among others relieving stress and acquiring inner peace turning this symbolic field into a miscellanyof religion and leisure In order to have inner peace practitioners feel that they have to search for their inner self Veryfrequently the people that I interviewed said that they sought Zen meditation as a way to learn about themselves Zenmeditation worked either in place of psychotherapy or in conjunction with it(52)

The French anthropologist Louis Dumont argues that in the contemporary world religious practice is a private choice(53)In a process of bricolage the practitioner chooses characteristics from different practices to condense them into a spiritualquest Thus each practitioner constructs his or her religion as a unique praxis that is different from all the others mixingvarious traditions in order to build a new contemporary spirituality There are several groups of practices associated with ZenBuddhism in Brazil that are recurrent in the interviews practices of healing (yoga Shiatsu Do In Tai Chi Chuanacupuncture) practices of self-understanding (many kinds of psychotherapy astrology) martial arts (Ai Ki Do karate)eating habits (vegetarianism macrobiotics) and other religions (Spiritism[54] African religions Mahikari [55]RajneeshOsho[56])

The Western construct of Zen which was appropriated hybridized and indigenized in Brazil is still a new phenomenon thatneeds to be further studied This article is intended to be a first outline of the main trends of this phenomenon

Conclusion

Though the Japanese community in Brazil has been leaving Buddhism behind and adopting Roman Catholicism as a means tobe accepted in the new country many Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have recently been adhering to Buddhism as wesaw in this paper For these Brazilians of non-Japanese origin the main practice of Zen Buddhism involves meditation (zazen)and retreats (sesshin) Zen Buddhism is seen more as a philosophy than a religion As such Zen as practiced in Brazil isdirectly related to the Western construct of Zen

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

between West and East concerning this state of ecstasy He even refers to the image of God affirming the Christianexperience of union with God as similar to satori

As Saint John of the Cross said the night of senses the night of spirit the night of soul Through this internalvoyage we start to leave the exterior world and begin to work with our inner world diving into oursubconscious into our unconscious When we get to the bottom of this darkness there is a union with God withLove To this experience Zen gives the name enlightenment satori(44)

Baumann adds that a foreign religion may borrow features of the host culture for example organizational structures All ofthe temples and monasteries in Brazil comply with Brazilian law and are registered legally as non-profit organizations Inaddition they are managed as a Brazilian organization would be the temple in Săo Paulo and the Zen centers all over Brazilhave a democratically elected president and a board of directors

The fourth mode recoupment or re-orientation is a critique of the ambiguities that have arisen The foreign religion tries toreduce the ambiguities in order to regain the identity of the religious tradition One of the examples that Baumann uses is theordination of Tibetan lay people When Tibetan Buddhism arrived in Germany the Buddhist refuge ceremony was givenimmediately to people attending ceremonies However a decade later initiations are only offered after a thoroughpreparation Such is the case of Brazilian Zen Buddhism Until the 1980s traditional Japanese monks gave ordination toJapanese descendants without any process or preparation Likewise in the 1990s Moriyama Rooshi gave lay ordination toBrazilians of non-Japanese origin when requested However after arriving from Japan abbess Koen started to carry outrituals more formally and strictly establishing a two-year preparation course prior to lay ordination

The last of the strategies of transplantation innovative self-development deals with the creation of new forms andinnovative interpretations of the religion in the host culture This generates a tension with the tradition from which thereligion developed Many innovations took place in the United States and Germany Feminism determined a new status forwomen in Buddhism Another example is the democratic organization of Zen centers instead of strict hierarchy In Brazil thetension between Japanese Buddhism and Brazilian Buddhism marks the innovations that are occurring Such innovations aremainly being imported from the Western discourse on Zen

The appropriation and construction of Zen that took place in many Western countries had a similar departing point D TSuzukimdashone of the first Japanese scholars to write on Zen in Englishmdashand the Kyoto school scholars were fundamental to thecreation of a discourse on Zen in the West As Robert Sharf observed for Suzuki Zen was pure experiencemdashahistoricaltranscultural experience of pure subjectivity which utterly transcends discursive thought(45) Sharf argued that Suzuki waswriting during the period of Nationalistic Buddhism (Meiji New BuddhismmdashShin Bukkyoo) as a response to the Westernuniversalizing discourse Under this pressure Suzuki and many other writers such as Okakura Kakuzoo Watsuji TetsurooTanabe Hajime and Nishida Kitaroomdashinfluenced by the ideas of nihonjinron (the discourse on and of Japanese uniqueness)mdashstruggled to recreate Japanese national identity as something special that was identified with the Way of the Samurai andZen Buddhism For these authors Zen as the very essence of the Japanese Spirit would denote the cultural superiority ofJapan Moreover because it is experiential and not a religion Zen was able to survive the enlightenment trends of the Westand was viewed as rational and empirical(46) The global expansion of Zen Buddhism carried Shin Bukkyoo ideas with itHowever they were appropriated indigenized and hybridized locally Similarly Brazilian Zen took part of this process of ZenBuddhism glocalization (a process that Roland Robertson terminologically specified as the blending of the local and theglobal)(47) The interviews that I conducted with Brazilian practitioners of non-Japanese origin showed that their interest inZen Buddhism is a result of the United States influence through the media (48) books on Zen(49) movies(50) and travelsIn fact all of the people interviewed noted that their first contact with Zen was through books(51) The United States is astrong source of ideas and material on Zen for various reasons For example English is more accessible to Brazilians thanJapanese In fact most of the books on Zen now available in Portuguese were originally written in English Moreover due tothe fact that these practitioners come from the intellectual upper-middle class and the vast majority are degreed liberalprofessionals many of them can read the books in English before they are translated Some buy books about Zen via theInternet from Amazon (wwwamazoncom) andor subscribe to American Buddhist magazines such as Tricycle Somepractitioners even choose to travel to Zen centers abroad

The urban Brazilian upper-middle class seeks Zen Buddhism because it appeals intellectually to them as a philosophy of lifeTheir main concerns are among others relieving stress and acquiring inner peace turning this symbolic field into a miscellanyof religion and leisure In order to have inner peace practitioners feel that they have to search for their inner self Veryfrequently the people that I interviewed said that they sought Zen meditation as a way to learn about themselves Zenmeditation worked either in place of psychotherapy or in conjunction with it(52)

The French anthropologist Louis Dumont argues that in the contemporary world religious practice is a private choice(53)In a process of bricolage the practitioner chooses characteristics from different practices to condense them into a spiritualquest Thus each practitioner constructs his or her religion as a unique praxis that is different from all the others mixingvarious traditions in order to build a new contemporary spirituality There are several groups of practices associated with ZenBuddhism in Brazil that are recurrent in the interviews practices of healing (yoga Shiatsu Do In Tai Chi Chuanacupuncture) practices of self-understanding (many kinds of psychotherapy astrology) martial arts (Ai Ki Do karate)eating habits (vegetarianism macrobiotics) and other religions (Spiritism[54] African religions Mahikari [55]RajneeshOsho[56])

The Western construct of Zen which was appropriated hybridized and indigenized in Brazil is still a new phenomenon thatneeds to be further studied This article is intended to be a first outline of the main trends of this phenomenon

Conclusion

Though the Japanese community in Brazil has been leaving Buddhism behind and adopting Roman Catholicism as a means tobe accepted in the new country many Brazilians of non-Japanese descent have recently been adhering to Buddhism as wesaw in this paper For these Brazilians of non-Japanese origin the main practice of Zen Buddhism involves meditation (zazen)and retreats (sesshin) Zen Buddhism is seen more as a philosophy than a religion As such Zen as practiced in Brazil isdirectly related to the Western construct of Zen

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

Among the new features of Brazilian Zen is a retreat for children and teenagers that takes place twice a year (during schoolholidays) in Busshinji the temple in Săo Paulo City In general the childrens parents are adherents of the templeInterestingly in these retreats children of both Japanese origin and of non-Japanese origin learn zazen and Buddhistconcepts through drama sketches drawing and games Although their parents have separate practices the children arealready sharing the same body of ideas about what Zen Buddhism is

Since 1999 Busshinji has also been innovating through its work with prisoners (teaching them zazen and also givingcomputer classes) and AIDS patients This is the first manifestation of so-called engaged Buddhism which is morefrequently seen in the West Furthermore Koen the Busshinji temples abbess is also establishing inter-religious debateswith Roman Catholic orders and is regularly invited to give lectures at universities across Brazil

In addition different Buddhist schools in Brazil are getting together in Cyberspace Many Buddhist centers are linked togetherby means of websites There are three ecumenical discussion forums and two mailing lists on the Internet produced in Brazilfor Brazilian practitioners In the printed medium most of the Buddhist centers have a newsletter in which they communicatetheir schedule of activities publish book reviews and advertise books and products on practice There are also four Buddhistmagazines published quarterly in Brazil Two of them are exclusively Zen Buddhist Flor do Vazio is published in Rio de Janeiroand Caminho Zen is published in Japan by the Sootoo school in the Portuguese language and is intended specifically for theBrazilian market Bodigaya and Bodisatva comprise articles that mostly center on Zen Tibetan and Theravaada Buddhism

The phenomenon of Buddhism is still very recent in Brazil It has evolved much faster in the last decade than in the previousones Although much of what has been done was mirrored in the experiences of Buddhism in the United States and Europesome of its Brazilian characteristics are already clear Although incipient at this stage of formation we are able to observethe merging of Buddhist teachings and rituals with non-Buddhist practices and concepts Many practitioners had and stillhave a Roman Catholic background and migrated to African cults and Spiritism before finding Buddhism A bricolage isevolving that in due course might create a Brazilian Zen and Brazilian Buddhism innovatively combining the local and theglobal in a regionalized form of Buddhism

Notes

1 Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating National Identity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham DukeUniversity Press 1999) p 82 Return to text

2 Peter Clarke Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil in New Religious Movements Challenge and Response editedby Bryan Wilson and Jamie Cresswel (London Routledge 1999) p 205 P Clarke The Cultural Impact of New Religions inLatin and Central America and the Caribbean with special Reference to Japanese New Religions Journal of Latin AmericanCultural Studies 4 1 (1995) pp 117-132 Return to text

3 Takashi Maeyama O Imigrante e a Religiăo Estudo de uma Seita Religiosa Japonesa em Săo Paulo Doctoral dissertationSăo Paulo FFCHLUSP 1967 p 89 Return to text

4 J Lesser 1999 p 109 T Maeyama 1967 p 84 Return to text

5 J Lesser 1999 pp 115-146 Return to text

6 P Clarke 1999 p 205 For more references on Japanese immigration to Brazil see Jeffrey Lesser Negotiating NationalIdentity Immigrants Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil (Durham Duke University Press) 1999 organized byHirooshi Saito and Takashi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) HirooshiSaito org A Presenccedila Japonesa no Brasil (Săo Paulo T A Queiroz and Edusp 1980) Return to text

7 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil Vida Religiosa dos Japoneses e seus DescendentesResidentes no Brasil e Religiőes de Origem Japonesa in Uma Epopeacuteia Moderna 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil(Săo Paulo Hucitec and Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa 1992) p 575 Return to text

8 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 1991 Census Return to text

9 Regina Meyer Metroacutepole e Urbanismo Săo Paulo Anos 50 PhD dissertation Săo Paulo FAUUSP 1991 pp 4-53 Returnto text

10 Clarke 1999 p 205 Maeyama 1967 pp 84-112 Return to text

11 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 577 Return to text

12 Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros Pesquisa da Populaccedilăo de Descendentes de Japoneses Residentes no Brasilmdash1987-1988 Săo Paulo unpublished research 1990 p 97 Return to text

13 Clarke 1999 p 205 Return to text

14 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 p 566 Return to text

15 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves A Religiăo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosso paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil report of the Symposium held in June 1968 for the 60th anniversary of Japaneseimmigration to Brazil (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros 1971) pp 58-73 Return to text

16 Comissăo de Elaboraccedilăo dos 80 anos da Imigraccedilăo Japonesa no Brasil 1992 pp 573-574 Return to text

17 J Lesser 1999 p 133 Return to text

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

18 Ricardo Maacuterio Gonccedilalves O Budismo no Japăo na Eacutepoca da Emigraccedilăo Para o Brasil e Suas Repercussőes em nosse paiacutesin O Japonęs em Săo Paulo e no Brasil organized by Euriacutepedes Simőes de Paula (Săo Paulo Centro de Estudos NipoBrasileiros 1990) pp 58-73 Return to text

19 Regina Yoshie Matsue O Paraiacuteso de Amida Tręs Escolas Budistas em Brasiacutelia Masters thesis Brasiacutelia Universidade deBrasiacutelia unpublished 1998 p 104 Return to text

20 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 p 62 Return to text

21 Wilson Paranhos Nuvens Cristalinas em Luar de Prata (Rio de Janeiro Fundaccedilăo Educacional Editorial Universalista1994) p 151 Return to text

22 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper March 31 1998 Return to text

23 Zen Oferece a Paz in Bodigaya magazine No 5 1998 p 5 Return to text

24 For a complete list of temples monasteries and centers see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

25 Veja magazine Em Busca do Zen June 17 1998 Salvaccedilăo para Tudo June 24 1998 Elle magazine Onda ZenJune 1998 Return to text

26 Onda Zen in Elle magazine June 1998 Return to text

27 IBGE in Revista da Folha April 12 1998 Return to text

28 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationUniversity of Sydney 1999) Return to text

29 O Estado de Săo Paulo newspaper October 27 1998 Return to text

30 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhismmdasha Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

31 Isto Eacute magazine March 12 1997 Return to text

32 Since 1968 Tokuda has opened the temple in Săo Paulo to Brazilians of non-Japanese origin but the number ofparticipants was not significant Return to text

33 During the past century Sootoo Zen like all Buddhist institutions in Japan has witnessed tumultuous changes Itspopulation of clerics has changed from (at least officially) 100 celibate monks to more than 90 married priests whomanage Zen temples as family business [Sootoo Zen] operates only thirty-one monasteries compared to nearly 15000temples the vast majority of which function as the private homes of married priests and their wives and children SeeWilliam Bodiford Zen and the Art of Religious Prejudice efforts to reform a tradition of social discrimination JapaneseJournal of Religious Studies 231-2 (1996) pp 4-5 Return to text

34 Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind (Tokyo Weatherhill 1970) p 21 Return to text

35 Hirooshi Saito and Takeshi Maeyama Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dos Japoneses no Brasil (Săo Paulo EduspVozes 1973)Return to text

36 Ruth Cardoso O Papel das Associaccedilőes Juvenis na Aculturaccedilăo dos Japoneses in Assimilaccedilăo e Integraccedilăo dosJaponeses no Brasil org by H Saito and T Maeyama (Săo Paulo Edusp 1973) Return to text

37 Roland Robertson Glocalization Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by MFeatherstone S Lash and R Robertson (London Sage 1995) p 39 Return to text

38 Martin Baumann The Transplantation of Buddhism to Germany Processive Modes and Strategies of Adaptation Methodamp Theory in the Study of Religion 61 (1994) pp 35-61 p 38 Return to text

39 For a bibliography on Buddhism in Brazil and a Web directory of Brazilian Buddhist temples monasteries and centers andBuddhist texts translated to Portuguese see httpsitesuolcombrcmrocha Return to text

40 Baumann 1994 p 40 Return to text

41 Ibid p 41 Return to text

42 Cristina Rocha Catholicism and Zen Buddhism A Vision of the Religious Field in Brazil (paper presented to the 25thAnnual Conference of the Australian Anthropological Society University of New South Wales Sydney 1999) Return to text

43 Ryotan Tokuda Psicologia Zen Budista Rio de Janeiro Instituto Vitoacuteria Reacutegia 1997 p 55 Return to text

44 Ibid p 60 Return to text

45 Robert Sharf The Zen of Japanese Nationalism History of Religions 33 1 (1993) p 5 Return to text

46 Ibid 1993 Return to text

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

47 Glocalization is a blend of local and global an idea modeled on a Japanese word (dochaku living on ones land) andadopted in Japanese business for global localization a global outlook adapted to local conditions The terms glocal andglocalization became one of the main marketing buzzwords of the beginning of the 1990s Roland Robertson GlocalizationTime-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity in Global Modernities edited by M Fetherstone S Lash and R Robertson(London Sage 1995) pp 27-44 Return to text

48 The word Zen is fashionable in the West one sees Zen perfume shops beauty parlors restaurants magazine articlesand architecture In Brazil it is a common expression to say someone is Zen meaning very peaceful Zen has a positiveimage in Brazil it is associated with refinement minimalism a lack of tension and anxiety exquisite beauty and exoticismOne illustration of this is the fact that the word Zen appears almost daily in the trendy social column of Folha de Săo Pauloone of the leading newspapers in Brazil Return to text

49 Many books have been translated Some of the titles are as follows The Zen Doctrine of No Mind and Introduction toZen Buddhism by D T Suzuki Zen Mind Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip KapleauNothing Special Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck and most of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh When I accessed theInternet site of a Brazilian bookstore in December 1999 the word Zen was used in 39 book titles in Portuguese(httplivrariasaraivacombr) Return to text

50 The recent Hollywood movies The Little BuddhaSeven Years in Tibet and Kundun were very successful in BrazilEven though they dealt with Tibetan Buddhism they are directly associated with Buddhism itself and not specifically TibetAs we will see in this paper practitioners may belong to various sects of Buddhist temples and monasteries at once Returnto text

51 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhist Brazilians Why Catholics are Turning to Buddhism (paper presented to the AASR[Australian Association for the Study of Religion] Conference The End of Religions Religion in an Age of GlobalizationSydney University of Sydney 1999) Return to text

52 Cristina Rocha Zen Buddhism in Brazil (paper presented to the 4th International Conference of AILASA [Association ofIberian and Latin American Studies of Australia] Latin American Spain and PortugalmdashOld and New Visions La TrobeUniversity Melbourne 1999) Return to text

53 Louis Dumont O Individualismo uma perspectiva antropoloacutegica da ideologia moderna (Săo Paulo EdRocco 1985) p240 Return to text

54 Spiritism or Kardecism as it is known in Brazil was founded by Allan Kardec (1804-1869) in France It arrived in Brazil atthe end of the 1800s At the core of its doctrine is the idea of spiritual evolution According to Kardec the spirit created byGod goes through several reincarnations until it achieves perfection In order to evolve the incarnated spirits (humanbeings) should practice charity and proselytize What is more the evolution of the spirit depends on its own effort In Brazilit suffered influences of Catholicism As a result it emphasizes the ideas of healing and miracles (Koichhi Mori Processo deAmarelamento das Tradicionais Religiőes Brasileiras de PossessăomdashMundo Religioso de uma Okinawana Estudos Japoneses18 (1998) pp 55-76 p 59 Return to text

55 The Sekai Mahikari Bummei Kyodan (World Religious Society of CivilizationmdashTrue Light) is a new religious movement thatwas founded in Japan in 1959 It focuses on healing and similar to Spiritism it sees sickness as having its origin inpossessing spirits Return to text

56 Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh also know as Osho is the founder of the Rajneesh movement This new religiousmovement began in India in the early 1970s and drew on both Western and Oriental sources to form a synthesis of New Agespirituality Osho has a series of books in which he analyzes and interprets Zen doctrine Return to text

Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk in July Sesshin What we can learn from practicing Bendo-ho httpshibaurazazenblogspothu

In June 17th to 19th 2010 July Sesshin was held in Zuigakuin In the Sesshin Roshi gave a Dharma talk It is the best tolisten Roshis talk on live However for people who could not attend the talk I (Tessan Abe) will post some of major topicsas much as I could understand Your comments and questions are always welcome

Moriyama Roshi said Zuigakuin is a place to practice Bendo-ho I hope all practitioners can practice together tofamiliarlize yourselves with the ancient traditional practice method Bendo-ho The Bendo-ho was created byZen Master Dogen 800 years ago Practicing such things may be like you are experiencing a totally differentculture even if you are Japanese But I want you to learn something from your experience in Zuigakuin andbring them back to your daily life

Bendo-ho is formed with sets of directions and rules set by Zen Master Dogen with respect to each of activities to beconducted in life of Sodo (Monk hall) or temple Here the activities include not only manners of Zazen (sitting meditation)and chanting sutras but also include manners on how to enter the monk hall how to eat a meal how to wash your facehow to sleep etc The directions and rules were set to concretely illustrate how you should behave or act in each of theactivities in order to practice the Buddha way without any misunderstanding and without any delay

Indeed the practicing in Zuigakuin without electricity and modern convenience is like the experiencing a different culture However at the same time the experience of a different culture also provides a chance to revisit your own daily life Think

about a trip to a foreign country You must surprise to see life style or culture different than yours And at the same timemany of you must aware your own present culture more and more In Zuigakuin the different culture you are experiencing isnothing but the ancient traditional practice of Buddha way It is like you are chanting sutras to familiarize yourself withBuddhas teachings By practicing Bendo-ho or living under it whether you are aware or not you are familiarizing (not justlearning as knowledge) yourself with the teachings of Zen master Dogen through your actions to body and mind

Learn something through the experience of practicing Bedo-ho said Moriyama Roshi Roshi didnt say you should practicethe same Bendo-ho in your home The experience of Bendo-ho provides an opportunity to revisit your own daily life underlight of the ancient traditional practice method of Buddha way The practice of Buddha way is never limited in Zazen orchanting of sutras Every action in your daily life is the practice of Buddha way The important point is to devise a way touse or adopt spirits of Bendo-ho in each ones own daily life beyond difference in a culture or life style

2 Important point of Zazen (meditation) is in part other than Zazen

This is the second part of the article regarding on Moriyama Roshis talk during July Sesshin It has been a long time since thelast time I posted the first part

In Sesshin Moriyama Roshi also said The important point of Zazen (sitting meditation) is in part other than Zazen Of courseit is important to do Zazen when you practice Zazen However it doesnt mean all you have to do is good Zazen In additionto Zazen you also have to do well as a Buddhist in activities other than Zazen such as the manner of eating the manner ofchanting sutras how to walk how to speak every activity in daily life In Bendo-ho rules to be followed in every aspect ofa daily life in Zen Monastery community By learning those rules in Bendo-ho I am hoping that you review your own daily lifein light of Bendo-ho and contemplate how you should live your own every day life

In a society every individual is assigned with multiple roles For example if you a middle aged man you may be a boss and asubordinate in your work a husband and a father in your home And for his own parents he may be a child For hisbrothers you may be a younger or older brother It is the best if your Buddhism practice comes only after you haveperformed all the roles satisfactory Buddhism practice is to deepen part of an individual self which still exists apart from allthose roles Once you are able to deepen such a part (the part independent from all those responsibilities) you will be inturn able to do better in your social and family life

3 Depth of Zazen

This is the third part of Moriyama Roshis Dharma Talk In the talk Moriyama Roshi said

ldquoVarious scales are used to measure the depth of Zazen the sitting meditation There are five levels in thedepth of Zazen in considering a factor of time which I personally experienced during Zazen

Level 1 your thought is filled with delusions

Level 2 you feel the time passes faster than usual

Level 3 you feel the time passes slower than usual

Level 4 you feel no passage of time

Level 5 you can control the passage of time in yourselfrdquo

One practitioner asked Roshi ldquoTo reach the higher level of Zazen what kind of practice I should do and how long I shouldcontinue such practicerdquo Roshi answered as follows

ldquoIt depends on an individual characteristic Some person may quickly reach to the deeper level and some personmay take much longer time than others However you should never worry about such things I was able to reachthe deeper levels through practice and so can yourdquo

As practitioners you really do not need to worry about what level you are at now In Soto Zen lineage the practice ofZazen is more emphasized Naturally practitioners wonder if he or she is doing correct Zazen or how he or she can attainthe enlightenment However the practice of Zazen is NOT a means to reach any of such targets or objectives Zen MasterDogen the founder of Soto lineage said in Fukanzazengi (Universal recommendations for Zazen)

ldquoThe zazen I speak of is not learning meditation It is simply the Dharma-gate of repose and blissrdquo

Zazen which Zen Master Dogen recommended isnt a sitting meditation or seated meditation practiced as part of theBuddhism practices (Noble Eightfold paths) including other practices than Zazen Dogens Zazen includes all of such practicestherein Hashimoto Eko Roshi one of great Soto Zen teachers wrote in his book ldquoLecture on FukanZazengirdquo

ldquoThe not-learning-meditation Zazen is the way that you should do just-sitting wholeheartedly with no-gainingmind from the inception of way-seeking mind and walk on the path of continual practice endlessly even afterbecoming a Buddhardquo

In Zazen there is no ldquostaticrdquo condition to be aimed at as the final goal The important point is ldquodynamicrdquo actions of adjustingyour posture breath and mind in each and every moment General idea and manner of Zazen are described in FukanZazengi(Universal recommendations for Zazen) However you should consult with Moriyama Roshi or your teacher regarding detailsand specific part of Zazen until you are fully convinced There are so many different methods for Zazen and meditation inthis world depending on religion lineage and teacher such as Nen-soku (paying full attention to breath) Su-soku-kan

(counting breath) Nai-kan (internal observation) samatha vipassana mindfulness meditations etc Practitioners aware thatonly the awakened teacher can teach you what kind of Zazen is suitable for you in that time

(counting breath) Nai-kan (internal observation) samatha vipassana mindfulness meditations etc Practitioners aware thatonly the awakened teacher can teach you what kind of Zazen is suitable for you in that time