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Thread: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

  1. #1

    dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    I recently discovered, that Brad Warner got transmission from Gudo Wafu Nishijima, just like Jundo. Though I googled for it, I seem not be able to find out who else got transmission from him, does anybody know ?

  2. #2

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Yes Peter, quite a few people...
    Jeremy Pearson, Mike Cross, Eric Rommeluere, Nicole de Merkline,Nissim Amon, Gerhard Wolfgram, Michel Proulx Jean Marc Bazy, Michael and Yoko Luetchford, Peter Rocca...Many missing here.
    The Dharma transmission is both a very personnal thing and a complete universal process. It is done through a particular teacher but it also has to do with the simple acknowledgement of what already is.

    gassho


    Taigu

  3. #3

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Lin
    I recently discovered, that Brad Warner got transmission from Gudo Wafu Nishijima, just like Jundo. Though I googled for it, I seem not be able to find out who else got transmission from him, does anybody know ?
    Not a clue!

    Well, I can point you to some folks ... many of whom have very different approaches to teaching and styles, by the way. It is like any family, in which siblings carrying the same blood and parents can come out with very different personalities. However, all are dedicated to Zazen. Sorry to do this by geography ...

    Jean-Marc Bazy, who has visited us here in Tsukuba these past couple of years, is in Lyon, France ...

    http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with ... tenho.html

    Jiun Eric Rommeluere is in Paris ...

    http://zen.viabloga.com/

    Michel Proulx is in the south of France, Nicole de Mercline is in Belgium ...

    http://www.zendogensangha.be/home28.htm
    http://zenmontpellier.blogspot.com/

    Dagmar Doko Waskoenig is in Germany and Austria, and is a very interesting teacher who is very serious about the Vinaya, and became a full Vinaya nun ...

    http://www.buddhistwomen.eu/EN/index.ph ... rWaskoenig

    Yudo Juergen Seggelke is a nice fellow, also in Germany ...

    http://yudoblog-b.blogspot.com/

    Ritsunen Gabriele Linnebach is a very lovely, soft spoken priest who translated Shobogenzo into German, and recently spoke at the Dogen translation conference at San Francisco Zen Center

    http://www.sfzc.org/zc/display.asp?cati ... ageid=2467

    Peter Rocca is in Ireland, and in Japan with Gerhard Wolfram,

    http://thestupidway.blogspot.com/

    Michael Luetchford is in Bristol, England,

    http://www.dogensangha.org.uk/

    and Richard Morrissey is in London, nice fellow ... with 9 kids!

    http://www.richardmorrissey.org/

    Taigu's teacher, Michael Chodo Cross, was the co-translator with Nishijima Roshi of the Shobogenzo into English, and is now translating a text from Sanscrit.

    http://www.amazon.com/Master-Dogens-Sho ... 0952300214
    http://nothingbutthelifeblood.blogspot.com/

    Gustav Ericsson is a very nice chap, and also an ordained Christian priest in the Church of Sweden.

    http://www.gustavericsson.com/

    There are a couple of fellows in Israel who have gone into a New Agey direction.

    http://www.nissimamon.com/english/e-about.html

    http://www.gilalon.webs.com/

    Luis Diaz Broughton is in Chile ...

    http://taichile.blogspot.com/2006/12/el ... chile.html

    And then, of course, Nishijima Roshi has Dharma Heirs in Japan too, not listed here.

    http://www.dogensangha.org/nishijimaroshi.html

    ... and I am probably forgetting a couple of folks. I have often described Roshi's Lineage as "The Island of Misfit Zen Toys" (referring to an old children's program in the US about an island near the North Pole where all the broken and misfit toys went to live from Santa's workshop ... the wooden train with 5 wheels, for example, and the square basketball ... ) ...



    Roshi has given a home to many serious Zen students who could not fit in in other places for various reasons, such as several of the folks in France and Germany who had issues with the internal politics in the Deshimaru Lineage. He only cares about Zazen and Dogen and few other things, and most of his Dharma Heirs are focused on the same.

    Gassho, Jundo

  4. #4

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Hi!
    interesting question! I didn't know they were "so many"...
    I just allow myself to add Nicole de Merkline that Taigu mentioned.
    She live and teaches in Belgium, here is her website http://www.zendogensangha.be
    It isn't very important but if someone pass in Belgium and want to practice zazen here... first call me :lol: and then go sit with her :mrgreen:

    gassho,
    Jinyu

  5. #5

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Quote Originally Posted by Jinyu
    Hi!
    interesting question! I didn't know they were "so many"...
    I just allow myself to add Nicole de Merkline that Taigu mentioned.
    She live and teaches in Belgium, here is her website http://www.zendogensangha.be
    It isn't very important but if someone pass in Belgium and want to practice zazen here... first call me :lol: and then go sit with her :mrgreen:

    gassho,
    Jinyu
    Thank you, Jinyu. I somehow left her off the list by mistake.

  6. #6

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinyu
    Hi!
    interesting question! I didn't know they were "so many"...
    I just allow myself to add Nicole de Merkline that Taigu mentioned.
    She live and teaches in Belgium, here is her website http://www.zendogensangha.be
    It isn't very important but if someone pass in Belgium and want to practice zazen here... first call me :lol: and then go sit with her :mrgreen:

    gassho,
    Jinyu
    Thank you, Jinyu. I somehow left her off the list by mistake.
    No, take that back ... she was there!

  7. #7

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    By the way, we recently discovered a film with my Dharma Grandfather (Nishijima Roshi's Teacher), Rempo Niwa Zenji, who was the Abbot of Eiheiji (Dogen's ol' temple) and the Chief Priest of the Soto Sect in Japan.

    That's him in this film, about 1 minute 15 seconds in from the start (until the 4:30 mark), in Dokusan with a young priest and wielding (gently) the Kyosaku stick ...

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5uvap ... ant-2_news

    The film was made by the Deshimaru Lineage, with whom he was also close. Here is a little more about his life ...

    http://www.treeleaf.org/niwa.html



    Gassho, J

  8. #8

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Thank you Jundo and Taigu,
    _()_
    Peter

  9. #9

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    My fault!
    Sorry I haven't seen her on your list! :lol:

    gassho,
    Jinyu
    ps: I love desjardins's film! It looks a bit like what it is sometimes (I mean an old documentary) but is still precious! And Niwa zenji is very calm and impressive in this film. It such a chance to have him in our lineage, and to share "this patriarch" with so many followers of the "Sawaki school of Soto Zen".

  10. #10

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Yes Jinyu, Niwa is very very special to me. I always felt a very strong connection to him. When he became abbot of Eiheiji, he sat with the monks every morning ( which is very unsual, generally the abbots sits in his room). When he came to La Gendronniere to give his transmission to three of Deshimaru disciples, one of them saw him bowing secretly to every person passing by until a dog did show up, and guess what? Niwa bowed too.

    gassho

    Taigu

  11. #11

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    My view is that variety of personalities in the collection of "misfits" as Jundo called them is actually one of the most encouraging aspects of Nishijima's legacy. I am deeply suspicious of students who are clones of their teachers, so I find it refreshing and honest that they are all so different from one another . . . one doesn't have to wear a powdered wig to play Mozart well, one just needs to practice a great deal and work with a good teacher.

    Gassho,
    Eika

  12. #12

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Quote Originally Posted by Eika
    My view is that variety of personalities in the collection of "misfits" as Jundo called them is actually one of the most encouraging aspects of Nishijima's legacy. I am deeply suspicious of students who are clones of their teachers, so I find it refreshing and honest that they are all so different from one another . . . one doesn't have to wear a powdered wig to play Mozart well, one just needs to practice a great deal and work with a good teacher.

    Gassho,
    Eika
    Very well said Eika. Gassho zak

  13. #13

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    here is a picture of Niwa and a poem written a few years ago:


    Like a laughing and beaming cat
    Eternal rambling of the brook
    the cow enters the stream
    your eyebrows like brushes
    and teeth and tongue
    gulping deep blue sky
    dolls you playing with
    at five or six years of age
    dressing them endlessly
    your shaved head under the sharp blade
    the incense cloud and fragrant pine
    the loud voice of the valley
    shaking the rocks
    rocking the silent moon
    not making sense of anything
    loosing track, wiping footprints
    how can one walk the rain
    what is the faith of trees, bees, birds?
    Not answering
    bleeding laughters
    merely gazing
    with gentleness
    you ascend the Eiheiji seat
    and bow at dogs in secret
    Niwa
    my blood in yours
    and yours in mine
    soiled
    as this all world
    seal in space
    not even a ripple
    or stir
    or chatter
    or whisper
    the seal where two moons
    collide
    and turn into
    each other
    Niwa
    like a rambling and beaming cat
    eternal laughing of the brook

    Attached files

  14. #14

    Re: dharma transmission from Nishijima roshi

    Nishijima's heirs sound a lot like the people that make up this sangha, very diverse and from all over the place. Jundo is just a chip off the old black, eh.

  15. #15
    Interesting to re-find this thread during our 15th anniversary celebration and a lovely reminder of what a big and, as AlanLa said, diverse family we are.

    I looked this up after a discussion with another of Nishijima's heirs on Facebook, and not mentioned here thus far, Rachelle Allen-Sherwood, who is an artist in the UK: https://www.rachelleallen-sherwood.com/ My ex-wife met her at a Theravada talk in Canterbury and she said she studied with Roshi as a contemporary of Brad and Peter Rocca.

    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday/lah-
    Last edited by Kokuu; 04-17-2021 at 04:36 PM.

  16. #16
    Interesting that the thread and most of the posts all happened on the anniversary of his birth.

    Gassho, Shinshi

    SaT-LaH
    空道 心志 Kudo Shinshi
    I am just a priest-in-training, any resemblance between what I post and actual teachings is purely coincidental.
    E84I - JAJ

  17. #17
    And of course I start reading from the top of the thread and start thinking "wow, I haven't seen some of them in a while!". hahahah

    Thank you for raizing this one Kokuu; it's neat seeing older threads pop back up.

    Gassho

    Risho
    -stlah

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Risho View Post
    And of course I start reading from the top of the thread and start thinking "wow, I haven't seen some of them in a while!". hahahah

    Thank you for raizing this one Kokuu; it's neat seeing older threads pop back up.

    Gassho

    Risho
    -stlah
    Myoku is still around, although quiet. (Hi Myoku ) Jinyu is now Ordained in a Chinese lineage.

    One fellow, dear heart, has left this visible world: Let's take a moment to recall our good friend Alan, who was an important part of this place for years. I miss his gruff voice around here.

    Thank you for introducing Rachelle. Wonderful.

    Gasho, Jundo

    STLah
    Last edited by Jundo; 04-17-2021 at 08:27 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

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