Real Life with Ryuei

...the entrails of the last priest.

"Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."
- Denis Diderot

That has long been one of my favorite quotes, but I always thought that it was Voltaire or Rousseau who had said it. I just did a quick search and discovered that it was the 18th century writer Denis Diderot who said it. Interesting person, and he has a lot of other quotes that I really like that I may share later. I am going to have to read more about him. He seems to have really disliked monarchies and Catholicism if not Christianity in general. Very much a product of the European Enlightenment.

It might seem strange that I like this quote since some people would consider me a "priest" and also I have a great deal of respect for many so-called "priests." I certainly would not want anyone to think ill of my sensei, or my other Nichiren Shu ministerial collegues, or the priests and Christian brothers who taught and inspired me and to whom I am still profoundly grateful. At the same time, these people earned my respect through their actions and not because they wore a collar or a kesa.

If anything I am almost automatically suspicious of someone who wears some kind of clerical garb. It is as though they are putting on airs, esp. if they walk around that way when they are not doing ceremonies. I should note that most Nichiren Shu ministers I know only wear robes when they are doing services and otherwise wear civilian clothes. There are some who do not, and I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, I am just pointing out that in Nichiren Shu most ministers prefer to appear incognito in public and that is my personal choice as well.

Anyway, my usual approach to "clergy" is to be suspicious. My thoughts kind of run like this: "Why couldn't these people get a real job?" "Are they going to presume to have some kind of authority over me?" "Do they think they are holier or somehow better than the rest of us." If it is a presumably celibate clergy person my thought is, "Are they really celibate or is it a lie, or are they hiding something they are not willing to make public or deal with? What kind of dysfunction or deviance is at work here?" In other words, "Why aren't they capable of raising a family or having a relationship (hetero or otherwise) like the rest of us? What is wrong with them?" I am especially suspicious if such people presume to be able to dictate morality or judge the worthiness of others.

I guess the problem isn't really with clergy as such, but with those who are designated as authorities. I have no problem with people being in charge or being conferred some status or title to recognize a certain level of expertise or leadership ability. People who paid their dues and who know what they are about and who are willing to emobody a certain standard of knowledge, conduct, practice, or even faithfulness and sincerity do deserve our respect. Such people can be a great inspiration. They can be the most helpful mentors you could ever hope to find. I have been blessed to have met several such people including: Fr. Schepers (a Catholic priest), Rev. Bokin Kim (a Won Buddhist nun), Taigen Dan Leighton (a Soto Zen priest), Starhawk (a Wiccan priestess), and last but not least my own sensei the Ven. Ryusho Matsuda.

But I never approached any of those people with a simple minded trust that they were virtuous or wise just because they were ordained and wore special clothes and had been conferred certain titles. Again, if anything, I approached them with a level of skepticism and challenge. I certainly treated them respectfully as I would anyone else, especially teachers. But I did not grant them an uncritical acceptance nor did I take up a posture of unquestioning servility as some people do, but neither did I approach them with disrespect of flippancy either. Rather, I approached with a civil respect and a willingness to listen and watch and weigh the merits of what I saw and heard. This is actually the approach Shakyamuni Buddha recommends to King Bimbisara in the sutras when he is asked how one can tell if certain monks were arhats or not (the king actually knew the monks in question were actually his own spies disguised as monks). The Buddha said that one can only know from living with those monks long enough to tell what they are like. Or as Jesus said, "by their fruits you shall know them."

Why is this so hard for people? To be more up front, I am writing this because I have been hearing about a situation in Europe where a certain Buddhist "Master" is demanding that people prostrate to her and give her money to attend retreats at a distance (a virtual retreat?!), and whose son is apparently taking his pick of the female followers, and whose monks are likewise lascivious and/or appropriating money from the donors. I am not going to say who this is as I don't have documented proof and am getting this all on hearsay from the husband of a member of this sham Sangha. But what irritates me is that if this is true, or even partially true, why do people put up with such nonsense? I think they put up with it because they are so overawed by a fancy robe and title and a glib tongue.

I am glad to be a follower of Nichiren when I hear of such things. Nichiren was not someone to say, "Well respect them anyway because they are fellow Buddhists." He came right out and called those who abused their clerical authority in his day slanderers of the Dharma. Nichiren was right - the people who do the most harm to religion - whether it is Buddhism or Catholicism or whatever - are the clergy who abuse their authority, presume to be what they are not, and attempt to manipulate and exploit the laity. They are the worms in the lion's belly who of all creatures are able to consume the lion by doing so from the inside out. But it is not just clergy who do this - it is any religious authority figures who claim to be above accountability.

Well, this puts me in the hot seat of course. I too am perceived as an authority or as a claimant to authority by some people. I don't really see myself that way. I see myself as someone who has done some extra-training, done my homework, and as someone who knows what he is talking about when I bother to talk about something and will readily concede on subjects where someone else knows more. I do not pose as a mystic or an advanced practitioner or as a person of great morality or integrity, but I willingly humble myself to those who I perceive are those things so that I can learn and advance in my own practice and cultivation. But I do wear a robe from time to time. My hope is to be someone who doesn't fit the portrait Diderot had of a "priest."

Sorry if this essay rambles a bit. But I am dismayed at how Buddhism's reputation is being destroyed (for at least one husband) by the presumption, hypocracy, and slanderous behavior of a so-called Budhist "Zen Master" and other Buddhist teachers who seem to give ammunition to those who see Budhism as morally bankrupt or the purview of superstitious and gullible people who gives themselves over to gurus by whatever title. I am also saddened that my Catholic heritage is being squandered by both right-wing reactionaries and by left-wing looney tunes both of whom happen to have collars. I am saddened that many use their positions of authority to exploit others or to get an uncritical soapbox for their fears, bigotry, and paranoia. It is all the sadder because I have and do know many clergy people (Christian, Buddhist, and other) who are among some of the most gentle, compassionate, and sincere people I have had the privilege to know.

So I read Diderot's quote and I laugh because I see it as pertaining to dictators and fearful clerical hypocrites who abuse their authority to rule over others while hiding their faults behind robes and collars. But I also cry a little inside because collars and robes should be a sign of someone who is safer, gentler, kinder, more inspiring and upright. But then, as the (at least occasional) wearer of a robe myself, I do know how difficult it is to live up to such a standard. But the least we who are clergy and/or senior leaders of some sort can do is not presume auhtority over others, to be accountable to those we serve, and to retain the humility and compassion that will earn genuine respect.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Posted by Ryuei at May 5, 2005 03:55 PM