![\"\"](\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_niPwTW3rBbU\/RoqRan6s-PI\/AAAAAAAAAOw\/z6-zbekKxCc\/s1600-h\/thomas+merton.jpg\")
<\/a>I\u2019ve touched upon this before, but it just is so interesting\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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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<\/a><\/em>. Notably, shortly before he became pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger officially silenced the Benedictine Zen master Willigis Jager<\/a>. I gather Father Jager has continued to dance between the ways. Closer to home a Massachusetts Trappist, Kevin Hunt<\/a>, has been named in a public ceremony<\/a> a Dharma<\/a> successor to Roshi Robert Kennedy (more about anon). Over in Arizona Pat Hawk<\/a>, 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<\/a>, Dharma Successor to the Japanese teacher Roshi Koun Yamada. <\/div>\n
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Perhaps the senior of these many Christian Zen teachers is the Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy<\/a>. 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>, 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. <\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
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So messy.<\/div>\n
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So wonderful.<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/33904114-1038791480892314734?l=monkeymindonline.blogspot.com\")
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