Sasaki roshi responds to sexual misconduct allegations, acknowledges misconduct

[sonamdhargey]

I found an article with latest update on Sasaki Roshi a monk who committed sexual mis conduct.

In response to allegations of sexual misconduct leveled at Rinzai-ji senior teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi, Rinzai-ji oshos have issued a statement announcing that Sasaki is no longer teaching. The sangha is creating policies to address other complaints of misconduct, and to try to prevent other abuses from happening in the future.

“Sadly, we cannot deny these accusations. This issue has been a sore on the body of our Sangha for decades, and we are eager and relieved to finally open it to the light of day,” the letter reads in part. “The Rinzai-ji community of practitioners has struggled with our teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi’s sexual misconduct for a significant portion of his career in the United States. Senior members of our community have made several earnest and serious attempts over the years to correct this problem. Ultimately, these attempts failed.”

(Update: The Independent Witness Council, which was organized by Rinzai-ji to investigate complaints about Sasaki, also issued reports of its findings on Friday. The reports, drafted by committee members Alan Hozan Senauke, Jan Chozen Bays, and Grace Myoan Schireson, include accounts of Sasaki’s inappropriate behavior collected from 25 people who studied with him from the 1960s through 2012.

It is a serious allegation and the temple has been trying to correct the monk from his sexual misconduct.

What do you think drives the monk to conduct in such a manner?


Read more here:http://shambhalasun.com/news/?p=42248

[DSFriend]

What drives a monk to conduct sexual misconduct? Well, what drives anyone to conduct sexual misconduct? Wouldn't the reasons be pretty much the same?

It is a unfortunate as the conduct of Sasaki Roshi hurt many people. Sasaki Roshi is not the only one and will not be the last one either. Sexual misconduct happens in all religious institution.. and sex and money are two key reasons to bring the news all the way to front page!

People pretty much will tolerate most other misconduct and abuse by it seems sex and money are the defining line. Why?

[dondrup]

Joshu Sasaki Roshi had abused his authority and misused the trust his students have on him.  Due to fear of humiliation and fear of challenging the senior teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi that none of the victims has spoken up about his sexual misconduct.  Who would you believe if a student were to accuse a senior teacher of sexual misconduct?  It is because no one stood up to right the wrong; Joshu Sasaki Roshi had become bolder and continued his misconduct until today.

The irony is why it took Rinzai-ji oshos so long to take disciplinary actions against Joshu Sasaki Roshi?  Had the management been firm in its earlier attempts to correct the senior teacher’s behaviour, the issue would have been resolved much earlier and fewer members become victimised.

[bambi]

Quite sad and disturbing to have such things happening in a Dharma center. What made it hard for me to understand was the fact that it has been going on for quite some time. And the victims have already brought the issue to their attention and they let it go on. Don't those people who brushed it aside accumulate the negative karma from the sexual misconduct as well? I am sorry to say this, they should have have removed their teacher when they got the complaints and not let it drag till now.

[Big Uncle]

Well, if Sasaki Roshi has committed sexual misconduct, he is no longer a monk. He has broken his main Bhikshu vows and that vow cannot be regenerated in this life. Unfortunate for him, he has to disrobe,  apologize and make amends if he really want to teach. I don't think one need to be a monk to teach the Dharma but one must walk the talk or he cannot move people with his discourses.

It is still not too late but he really needs to make amends before he continues to teach. But one thing I know is that he cannot be a monk anymore. There's no purification or regeneration of that vow. Hence, it is very bad for people to just jump and be a monk without study, contemplation and having the true spirit of renunciation. I know many Abbots of great monasteries tell many people to go home and think about it first before becoming ordained. It is a lifelong commitment and not to be trifled with. However, if one had received the vows, one can still return the vows properly. But one can only retake the vows up to a maximum of 7 times only.

In this day of distraction and spiritual degeneration, it is rare for anyone who sincerely wants to be a monk and uphold their vows all the way. This is especially so for countries where the Dharma is very new or has not taken root into society and culture yet. Therefore, it is important to encourage Dharma teachers to teach and persevere to teach so people appreciate and venerate the Sangha. Eventually, as Dharma takes root, more and more people would renounce worldly life in the total pursuit of Dharma.

[Positive Change]

I skimmed through the Sasaki Archives and I seem to wonder if it is merely a case of ‘crazy wisdom’. There are no real substantial accounts of ardent molestations… it seems almost ‘test-like’ according to some firsthand accounts (which are lacking in most cases). Most of the archives are hearsay..

As such I think before one condemns the Sangha, one has to really look into the situation, the times (the supposed accounts were from the 60’s onwards – flower power times?) and the methods used. Sounds rather like the master of crazy wisdom himself, Chogyam Trungpa. (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1709.0)

Am I saying that all sangha can do no wrong and are always pure and saintly? No! I am merely stating that we should check before condemning the sangha as we can collect severe negative karma when putting down the sangha when it is not true.

[sonamdhargey]

More details about the allegations reported by NY Times.

Japanese Zen master Joshu Sasaki, now 105, "groped and sexually harassed female students for decades", after arriving in Los Angeles in 1962 to teach Zen. According to an article in the NY Times, "such charges have become more frequent in Zen Buddhism." The article mentions the scandals surrounding Eido Shimano. "Critics and victims have pointed to a Zen culture of secrecy, patriarchy and sexism, and to the quasi-religious worship of the Zen master, who can easily abuse his status." Female students were told that being groped by the master was part of his teaching to abandon ego.

Read More here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/world/asia/zen-buddhists-roiled-by-accusations-against-teacher.html

[Big Uncle]

I skimmed through the Sasaki Archives and I seem to wonder if it is merely a case of ‘crazy wisdom’. There are no real substantial accounts of ardent molestations… it seems almost ‘test-like’ according to some firsthand accounts (which are lacking in most cases). Most of the archives are hearsay..

As such I think before one condemns the Sangha, one has to really look into the situation, the times (the supposed accounts were from the 60’s onwards – flower power times?) and the methods used. Sounds rather like the master of crazy wisdom himself, Chogyam Trungpa. (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1709.0)

Am I saying that all sangha can do no wrong and are always pure and saintly? No! I am merely stating that we should check before condemning the sangha as we can collect severe negative karma when putting down the sangha when it is not true.

I am not sure about his tradition but isn't he a fully ordained monk and irregardless of attainment, he has to abide by the Vinaya of maintaining chastity. Even with all his crazy wisdom ways, Chogyam Trungpa returned his monastic vows before marrying and engaging with his consorts. There's always a line that a member of the Sangha member cannot trespassed and if Roshi has been disrobed than he should not go around in robes. There's no disrespect in being in lay clothes especially when he has already disrobed. This is not criticism but a fair statement. I really do not know the Zen tradition very well and so, I am assuming it to be like the other Mahayana traditions.

[Midakpa]

When we talk about the lay vows, killing is the first on the list of actions to avoid. Sexual misconduct is the third, after stealing. In the Refuge vows, sexual misconduct is the third non-virtuous action after stealing and killing. But in the Vinaya, the monks' code of ethics, Sexual misconduct is the first on the list of the four Parajika dharma (the defeats). If a monk commits a parajika he is expelled from the order on the first act of offence. Thus this shows that there is a difference between a layman's vows and an ordained person's vows. Sexual misconduct is taken very seriously among the sangha because they must not abuse the trust that lay people have in them. Besides, they have committed themselves to a path that should lead to enlightenment if they practise well. So if they break their vows, it is unlikely they will complete the path unless they repair their vows.

In this case, I think the community to which the roshi belongs has failed him by not taking action earlier and address the problem before it is too late.

[RedLantern]

The truth is always not pleasant.This man has offered many people a path towards peace,but if the allegations are true, and the evidence seems strong,he has serve as an obstacle to peace and spiritual growth for others. He has hurt people.I believe in the truth and healing can't start until the truth is told.I hope that something good grows out of this.
It is sad that Sasaki Roshi was in positionof trust and power and he chose to misuse this posotion.His actions may have cause a lot of harm for the women involved as well as other men and women who seek dharma.He could be both a man who has helped many and hurt many.

[WisdomBeing]

What is appalling is that Sasaki Roshi and all those who have abused the position of being a spiritual leader have actively contributed to the degeneration of Buddhism. I participate in various other forums and i find that many people are very suspicious of spiritual teachers these days, especially if the teacher is commanding and charismatic. In fact, they refer to Tibetan Buddhism as Lamaism in a derogatory way.

I do think crazy wisdom works but not many people will be willing to undergo it unless they have tremendous faith. Sad to say, i am sure that the students of Sasaki Roshi had tremendous faith in their teacher which is why he could get away with it for so many years! From 1960s through to 2012 is ridiculous! If you say how to check a teacher out would be their results and consistency, from my readings, Sasaki Roshi was a good teacher. But he just couldn't keep his whatnot in his pants. So how does one really tell if a teacher is good to rely completely or not? I guess this is one of the reasons why up until now, i have not found a suitable teacher.

Would i be able to do everything a teacher asked? According to guru devotion, i would have to? They say that a teacher would never hurt the student. Some would argue that sexual interaction would not be 'hurting' the student. So again, where does one draw the line with crazy wisdom?

[apprenticehealer]

This is very sad and disturbing that an ordained monk is allowed ' to get away' with is sexual misconduct for over 50 years!!!
As a monk , Joshua Sasaki Roshi had broken his vows , many times over with each act. As a spiritual teacher, he has abused the trust that his students and disciples had for him. Think of all the lives of these poor women that his actions had affected .
What i don't understand is why did it take so long for the Rinzai-ji oshos to take action on him ?
As Buddhist, one of our primary motivation and intention is to relieve sufferings for all sentient beings. In this case, i cannot imagine the amount of suffering Sasaki Roshi has caused.