On Mixing Up Religions

Some Catholics are quite worried about the popularity of Zen, yoga and other Eastern spiritual disciplines in their retreat centers, or so reports an article in the National Catholic Register. Notably, shortly before he became pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger officially silenced the Benedictine Zen master Willigis Jager. I gather Father Jager has continued to dance between the ways. Closer to home a Massachusetts Trappist, Kevin Hunt, has been named in a public ceremony a Dharma successor to Roshi Robert Kennedy (more about anon). Over in Arizona Pat Hawk, a Redemptorist priest, is a full Dharma successor to Roshi Robert Aitken. It would be amiss to not mention the former Jesuit priest, but continuing active Catholic Zen master Ruben Habito, Dharma Successor to the Japanese teacher Roshi Koun Yamada.

Perhaps the senior of these many Christian Zen teachers is the Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy. Father Kennedy is of particular importance because he has Dharma successors who themselves have Dharma successors. These include a number of Roman Catholic religious including Janet Richardson, a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace. Sister Richardson has named among her successors two nuns, Barbara Craig, a Religious Sister of Mercy, and Rosalie McQuaide, also a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace. What Father Kennedy and Sister Richardson have done is create a defacto Christian Zen lineage.

I guess truth in advertising should lead me to acknowledge all these teachers are Dharma relatives, uncles or cousins, or some such in lineage terms. And I count several in varying degree, but particularly Dr Habito among my own teachers.

So messy.

So wonderful.