A great patriarch of western Zen, Robert Aitken, died this past Thursday of pneumonia. He was 93 years old.
Aitken Roshi established the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu, Hawaii, which grew into a network of Zen centers around the world. He was the author of many books widely read by Zen students everywhere, including Taking the Path of Zen, The Mind of Clover, The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-menkuan (Mumonkan), The Dragon Who Never Sleeps, and Zen Master Raven.
The story of how Robert Aitken came to Zen is remarkable in itself. Aitken was an undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii when he decided he needed a break from studies, and he took a construction job in Guam. So it was that he was an American civilian in Japanese-occupied Guam when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. He was taken into custody the day after the bombing and spent the entire war in civilian prisons in Japan.
One of the guards loaned Aitken a copy of R. H. Blyth's book Zen in English Literature and the Oriental Classics. Aitken read the book several times until the guard took it back. But then Aitken was moved to a new prison, and his cell mate was -- R. H. Blyth. Blyth was a student of Zen who had been teaching English in Japan when the war began, and so he also spent the war in Japanese prisons. So it was that Aitken's misfortune became an opportunity, and he and Blyth had long discussions about Zen.
After the war, Aitken's journey eventually brought him to koan study under the Rinzai teacher Yasutani Hakuun Roshi and then Yasutani's successor, Ko'un Yamada Roshi. Yamada Roshi conferred dharma transmission to Aitken in 1974. Aitken and his wife Anne Hopkins Aitken established the Kokoan Zendo in Manoa in 1959, which was the birth of the Diamond Sangha.
Aitken's principal heir is Nelson Foster Roshi, who heads the Palao Zen Center in Hawai'i, which is the main training center of the Diamond Sangha network; and Ring of Bone in North San Juan, California.
The mere facts of Aitken Roshi's life do not convey the profound impact his life had on western Zen. Aitken was one of the first westerners to receive dharma transmission, thereby lighting the way for many who came after. His books are remarkable for their clarity and remain recommended reading for Zen students. Even those of us who never met him were touched by him, both by his writing and through the work of his many students.
After I learned of Aitken Roshi's death today, I picked up my dog-eared copy of The Gateless Barrier, opened it randomly, and found this --
When people write to me from a place where there are no Zen centers and where it is impossible to find even a single Zen friend, I advise them, "Just sit with the awareness that you are sitting with us in the Diamond Sangha. Just sit with the awareness that you are sitting with everyone and every being in the whole universe, past, present, and future."
And so, may we continue to sit with Robert Aitken Roshi, and with all beings, throughout space and time.
Thank you, Barbara. As I’ve said elsewhere, Roshi’s death is not a surprise but that makes it no less of a shock somehow. Thank you for attending to his memory as you’ve done so nicely here.
Thank you for the beautiful tribute, Barbara. That is an amazing story of him meeting R.H. Blythe in a Japanese prison. Gave me goose-bumps.
Just this past week I was watching the DVD Compassion and Wisdom: A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (which by the way is excellent) — and feeling quite inspired by the interview segments with Aitkin Roshi, among the other wonderful teachers featured in the film.
May we continue to sit with Robert Aitken Roshi, and with all beings, throughout space and time …
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts about Robert Aiken Roshi. I just learned this morning, 8 August, of his passing. Although his physical body has left this Earth, his words and presence will always be here.
It was with a sad heart/mind that I read of the passing of this wonderful and learned man. I am one of those in a place with no zendo…no fellow practitioners to talk with….but Aitken Roshi was like having a teacher right here…and i will send prayers of gratitude to him for, through his writings, teaching me how to be a better me.
FYI: Actually, the Palolo Zen Center is headed by Michael Kieran Roshi.
Thanks Barbara,
My years spent with Aitken Roshi were memorable. I remember travelling with him to a nuclear protest in Washington state. He was deeply committed to conservation and peace. Moments of intimacy in the dokusan room were priceless.
He helped lead my initial inner journey and eventually turned me towards India, the master and the ashram.
I am eternally grateful.
Now, this morning, in 1/2 hour his send off will begin on Oahu. Let us sit in his memory and breath a long “Mu” intercepted by a resounding “Katz”!
Aloha
Gassho, Robert Aiken Roshi was my first Zen teacher at the Diamond Sangha on Maui where he and Ann lived for many years. The Maui Zendo was right next door to Akahi Farm where I lived and worked so it was wonderful to walk up the trail in the early morning to sit with “Bob”. We had a flourishing sangha on Maui and often flew to Honolulu for sesshin. Roshi wore plaid shirts and jeans and was such a friend and so available to us. When he came into the zendo for formal sitting, he was so elegant in his black robes, so eloquent in his teisho, and so profound in our private interviews. His teachings resonate within me every day. Honoring our time together on Maui. Christine Shaw