Unlike most books we review and recommend, this one proceeds from a negative. It’s suggested in the title. That is, there’s too much abuse of power in religious institutions today, and any spiritual practice worth undertaking must be free of it.
The author, Julie Nelson, writes from firsthand experience in the Zen community of greater Boston that underwent more than one abuse scandal in the past few years. She also writes as a Sensei, a transmitted teacher in the Maezumi Roshi Zen lineage, who has reflected a great deal on what it means to be a religious leader today.
Nelson writes honestly and frankly about what troubles Zen communities: most notably, too-frequent arrogance among teachers, misapplied reverence and separateness between teachers and students, and occasional outright abuses that are sometimes sexual and always power-related.
She desperately wants to root out these problems because she’s also passionate about what Zen practice can do in someone’s life. She speaks of Zen as a jewel that is sometimes buried and how important it is to dig it out. “No matter how much we humans screw it up, the jewel of the Dharma is still here.”
She writes about what “cultish” teachers have done to turn Zen practice into something it isn’t. This happens too easily in Zen, she explains in Chapter 5, “Teachers Are Powerful,” because “Unlike other spiritual practices that emphasize beliefs, doctrines, or scriptures, a long tradition in Zen emphasizes working individually with a teacher.” She follows this accounting with reminders of “what Zen really teaches.”
We found Chapter 3 most important. It's a powerful and necessary message – relevant for every religious/spiritual tradition and community everywhere – called, “The Poisonous 'I Have Arrived.' “ Nelson analyses the language and behavior of those who claim to have “arrived” and to be now “enlightened” or somehow “beyond” others and beyond practice, deeming this stance dangerous. Her message is, instead, a down-to-earth humility.
If you’re connected to a community of spiritual practice, Zen or not, this book is necessary reading.
