Les Kaye Letter to Kanzeon Board re: Genpo and AZTA History

Dear Chet and Kanzeon Board Members;

Chozen Bays has informed the AZTA membership that Genpo’s Salt Lake City students’ are concerned about AZTA’s  failure to respond to Genpo’s recent admissions.

They asked her: “Why are all the Zen teachers silent about this situation with Genpo? ” ” Is there some kind of conspiracy to protect any Zen teacher, no matter what they do to harm others?” 

I am writing  to let you know that AZTA has not been silent about Genpo’s behavior, and in fact was quite active several years ago in trying to change what we felt was an intolerable situation.  Following is part of that history.

In  August, 1992 , the AZTA teachers at the time  (known in those early days as the Second Generations American Zen Teachers group) wrote a letter to Maezumi-roshi expressing our concern about Genpo’s on-going sexual exploitations and his misappropriation of funds.  We asked that his permission to teach be revoked.  That letter is attached [Dosho note: see the Sweeping Zen site for the letter in pdf].

Those of us who signed the letter to Maezumi received responses from Genpo’s students, criticizing us and denying that he had created harm.

Here is an excerpt from one of those letters to the  Second Generations American Zen Teachers:

Here is a second excerpt:

The following month, Sept. 1992,  a meeting – organized by Chozen Bays and Yvonne Rand of the San Francisco Zen Center, and moderated by a paid, professional facilitator –  was held with Genpo,  Maezumi-roshi, and others,  at Green Gulch Farm, an affiliate of San Francisco Zen Center.  The purpose of the meeting was to help Maezumi-roshi, and everyone else,  understand the situation and to  give Genpo a chance to respond to our concerns.  Many of Genpo’s students from Los Angles attended, as well as his attorney.  Genpo was confronted by four women (actually, three women and the husband of a fourth) who told their stories of being personally abused by Genpo.   The meeting was respectful and courteous, except at  one point when the  husband said to  Genpo:  “If you touch my wife in the dokusan room again I’ll kill you.”

…At the end of the meeting, Maezumi-roshi was asked to comment.  I don’t recall his exact words but they were something like: “Don’t be the first to throw stones.”  He did not accept our request to withdraw Genpo’s sanction to teach the Dharma. 

In sum, AZTA has not been indifferent.  Almost twenty years ago, we tried to curtail Genpo’s behavior and were told that we were in the wrong.   Today we are being told by Genpo’s more recent students that we are in the wrong for NOT doing something.

If others express concern about AZTA’s lack of involvement, please share this message with them.

Respectfully,