Trying to Create a Zen Buddhist Liturgical Calendar for North America

Trying to Create a Zen Buddhist Liturgical Calendar for North America July 27, 2017

buddha-parinirvana-1

I’ve found myself thinking about the emergence of a North American Zen Buddhist liturgical calendar.

Several questions bubble up with this. What ceremonies make sense carrying forward from East Asia? For instance such as the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. Which celebrations might best be folded into pre-existing holidays? Such as Obon and whether it could be folded into Halloween.

And if marking founders of Zen in the West what do we do about problematic figures? Should everyone be noted, or should there be a single date for all of the founding teachers? For instance 1 January, Jiyu Kennett’s birthday could be an obvious candidate as it doubles as a beginning.

What other dates really should be part of an annual cycle of remembrance? What people? What events?

An ongoing project, no doubt. Contributions solicited. Please add to the comments.

 

A Draft for a Zen Buddhist Calendar

 

January

01 January Jiyu Kennett (born 1924, died 1996)

06 January Alan Watts (born 1915, died 1973)

10 January Linji Yixuan (date suggest by MC, died 866)

19 January Dogen Kiegen (born 1200, died 1253)

19 January Ekaku Hakuin (born 1686, died 1769)

 

February

15 February Death of Gautama Siddhartha (Japanese traditional date)

 

March

01 March Dainin Katagiri (born 1928, died 1990)

19 March Soen Nakagawa (born 1907, died 1984)

27 March Charlotte Joko Beck (born 1917, died 2011)

28 March Hakuun Yasutani (born 1885, died 1973)

 

April

08 April Bodhi Day, birth of Gautama Siddhartha (Japanese traditional date)

 

May

07 May Nyogen Senzaki (born 1876, died 1958)

 

June

19 June Robert Aitken (born 1917, died 2010)

22 June Shunryu Suzuki (born 1904, died 1971)

 

July

04 July Founding of Tassajara Zen Monastery, 1967

07 July Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle (born 1898, died 1990)

 

August

15 August Keizan Jokin (born 1268, died 1325)

20 August Philip Kapleau (born 1912, died 2004)

26 August Bodhisattva Jizo Festival (Japanese traditional date)

 

September

06 September Issan Dorsey (born 1933, died 1990)

13 September Koun Yamada (born 1907, died 1989)

 

October

05 October Anniversary of Bodhidharma (Japanese traditional date)

13 October Sogaku Daiun Harada (born 1871, died 1961)

29 October Soen Shaku (born 1859, died 1919)

31 October Ruth Fuller Sasaki (born 1893, died 1967)

 

November

05 November Wumenguan published 1228

21 November Ikkyu Sojun (born 1394, died 1481)

 

December

08 December Gautama Siddhartha’s Great Awakening (Japanese traditional date)

18 December D. T. Suzuki (born 1870, died 1966

 


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