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<\/a><\/div>\nTomorrow I drive down to Garrison in upstate New York for a big Buddhist<\/a> teacher confab<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n I suppose it is elite.<\/p>\n I\u2019m less clear why it\u2019s a problem that an \u201celite,\u201d in this case Buddhist teachers and writers gathering can be anything but good. How good depends on many differing factors.<\/p>\n And it is true I don\u2019t see the big deal. The concerns. The fears\u2026 <\/p>\n I say let there be conferences.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> people gather. Let convert Buddhists gather. Let the hate all teachers gather.<\/p>\n And publish opinions and thoughts\u2026<\/p>\n And not expect any one group or gathering or whatever to mean very much by itself.<\/p>\n What I can say with certainty, is nothing is coming out of this conference that will legislate anything. (As if\u2026) It\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Truthfully when invited I hadn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 Looking at the schedule I see I\u2019m going to miss the big picture taking moment, probably the most important thing scheduled. So it goes\u2026<\/p>\n I was invited ages ago. I don\u2019t know for sure, maybe two years, maybe only a year. I\u2019m 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 \u201cyounger\u201d 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\u2026<\/p>\n I don\u2019t 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\u2019t. <\/p>\n Should I have cared enough to pursue it further before accepting. Maybe? But, frankly it didn\u2019t feel that important in the larger scheme of things.<\/p>\n Still doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n No offense to those going. I look forward to seeing you\u2026 <\/p>\n As I\u2019ve been given a list of those who have said at one time or another they\u2019re coming as well as an agenda and no one said it was supposed to be a secret, I copy them both here. I\u2019m certain that not all who said they\u2019re 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\u2019re arguably the largest Zen lineage in the West when our relatively small potatoes sangha<\/a> is fully represented. (Of course, while small, we\u2019re pretty feisty\u2026)<\/p>\n Clearly not the best thought through invite list ever composed.<\/p>\n That said\u2026 <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n
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