On the Big Fat Upcoming Buddhist Conference

Tomorrow I drive down to Garrison in upstate New York for a big Buddhist teacher confab.

This event has recently come to the attention of the Buddhist community writ large, and for some among the Western Buddhist commentariate this event is not particularly welcome. Elitist is a popular term near the top of the list of reasons why it isn’t a good idea. For a larger explication of concerns, including dragging me over the coals a bit for being indifferent to these concerns, go here.

I suppose it is elite.

I’m less clear why it’s a problem that an “elite,” in this case Buddhist teachers and writers gathering can be anything but good. How good depends on many differing factors.

And it is true I don’t see the big deal. The concerns. The fears…

I say let there be conferences.

Tons. Let the Buddhist geeks gather. Let the practitioners gather. Let practitioners of color gather. Let women practitioners gather. Let women teachers gather. Let traditional Dharma people gather. Let convert Buddhists gather. Let the hate all teachers gather.

And publish opinions and thoughts…

And not expect any one group or gathering or whatever to mean very much by itself.

What I can say with certainty, is nothing is coming out of this conference that will legislate anything. (As if…) It’s meet and greet and maybe learning a thing or two about each other, and possibly, just possibly, addressing some of the rising concerns within our convert community.

Truthfully when invited I hadn’t given this event lots of thought other than dropping it into my calendar and then when the time rolled around noticing that it is mildly inconvenient.  Looking at the schedule I see I’m going to miss the big picture taking moment, probably the most important thing scheduled. So it goes…

I was invited ages ago. I don’t know for sure, maybe two years, maybe only a year. I’m not very good with time. The other two Boundless Way transmitted teachers were invited a bit later. Then two of our senior students, including Josh Bartok, who will be beginning formal Dharma transmission next month were invited as “younger” teachers. As it stands one of our teachers will be in Sweden, but the rest including our two senior students will be there. At least for part of the event…

I don’t know who put this thing together. I was sold on the thought of meeting other Dharma folk, particularly people outside the Zen world. Maybe I should have cared more. But I didn’t.

Should I have cared enough to pursue it further before accepting. Maybe? But, frankly it didn’t feel that important in the larger scheme of things.

Still doesn’t.

No offense to those going. I look forward to seeing you…

As I’ve been given a list of those who have said at one time or another they’re coming as well as an agenda and no one said it was supposed to be a secret, I copy them both here. I’m certain that not all who said they’re coming, are not. Also, I was a bit taken aback when a friend pointed out there are no Kwan Um teachers present. (Correction: one Kwan Um teacher just informed me he is attending.) A rather surprising omission considering they’re arguably the largest Zen lineage in the West when our relatively small potatoes sangha is fully represented. (Of course, while small, we’re pretty feisty…)

Clearly not the best thought through invite list ever composed.

That said…