23/07/2014 01:28 Dangerous Harvests: Why the Genpo Roshi Controversy Just Won't Go Away

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Why the Genpo Roshi Controversy Just Won't Go Away
I was going to write about something else today, but when I opened the blog today, I had a comment
waiting on a postfrom over two years ago. The infamous Genpo Roshi article during the height of his
implosion back in 2011. This post is, by far, the most read piece ever published on DH. Almost 10,000
views and 67 comments to date, a crazily high amount given that most of my posts get a few hundred
views and a handful of comments, and then essentially stay quiet in the archives.
Something about Genpo's story keeps people hooked. There have been plenty of other Zen teacher
scandals in recent years. Several have broke open since Genpo. I've written about more than one of
them here, and while those posts gained a lot of attention as well, none have had the lasting power of
the Genpo post.
Sure, there's kind of a flies attracted to garbage thing around these scandals in general. Gawking at the
downfall of folks with some elevated level of wisdom is a popular pastime these days. Maybe it always
has been. And certainly these stories always give the opportunity for dissecting delusion, and offering
warnings and insights into how to practice - especially with teacher figures.
But for some reason, the Genpo post in particular lingers on. If you type in "Genpo Roshi controversy"
into Google, the post comes up #6 on the list, so that's probably part of it. I tend to think that the big
money making of "Big Mind" also plays a role in continued interest. Power scandals that involve lots of
money are always major attention grabbers. Along those lines, the most recent commenter said this:
It interesting to me that as soon as someone, particularly someone who is teaching something
23/07/2014 01:28 Dangerous Harvests: Why the Genpo Roshi Controversy Just Won't Go Away
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in the spiritual sphere, makes money from what they do then it's a scam.
Good on Dennis Merzel for having the courage to share his work and charge what it's worth,
the world is a better place because of it.
This linkage between making money and what's being offered being considered a scam is worth
investigating. Living in a capitalist society creates a lot of challenge for spiritual lay teachers, writers,
and others on similar paths. The safety net of support from a community, or even societal norms that
monastics traditionally have experienced, just isn't really there for most lay folks. Even monastic
sanghas in countries like the U.S. are finding it difficult at times to support the needs of its individual
members, and also offer teachings and/or practice opportunities to the broader community without
cost (or at low cost.)
In capitalist societies, those teachers, spiritual writers, and similar others who are able to give freely
most of time are often in economically privileged places. They aren't dependent upon students or
interested folks giving them money for the time and energy they give teaching. And the expectation
that this be the case - that they not be dependent for material needs on their students and interested
others - is a really curious warping if you think about it. Instead of figuring out ways to develop
communities of giving and receiving that encourage a general flow of material support to those
teaching, writing about the dharma, etc., we've mostly imposed a capitalist framework that turns
offerings of the dharma into products for purchase. So, either teacher X accepts the commodified
exchange, or they have to get their material needs met elsewhere. Usually in the form of a job or career
of some sort.
So, in one way, what someone like Genpo does is really just an exaggerated form of compliance to the
capitalist framework imposed upon the dharma. Charging piles of money for the teachings he is
"giving" ensures that he'll be able to keep functioning for a long, long time as a teacher within the
framework. Most others charge much less and either barely get by, work somewhere else for pay, or are
privileged. But in all cases, what's reinforced is the notion that an individual "I" is fully responsible for
covering his/hers material needs at all times. A notion that really runs counter both to the teachings of
interdependence, as well as the ways in which sangha and "enlightened" societies are supposed to run.
The greed that I see in folks like Genpo streams forth from this collective place. When you are
indoctrinated from a very young age to believe that "a good citizen" is someone who always produces,
always has enough money, always takes care of their needs on their own or within their own immediate
family, it's terribly likely that you'll feel compelled to take more than you need when you can. That
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you'll horde and justify hording. That you'll exploit others in small ways or great ways. Because in the
back of your mind, you don't want to be viewed as "a failure." You don't want to be at the mercy of
something like a faceless government bureaucracy, unforgiving family members, or random strangers
on the street. It doesn't matter how much you pile up, there's that nagging feeling of lack hanging
around which never seems to let up. Not only fears about lack of material goods and/or money, but a
lack of self worth as well.
None of this justifies charging $50,000 for a Zen retreat, for example. Nor any of Genpo's power abuse,
sexual greed and exploitation of his students either. However, I think that one of the reasons why
stories like Genpo's remain "hot" long after they have cooled in a certain sense is that they provoke all
the unexamined and unsettled narratives each of us have around need and lack, especially those of us
born and raised in capitalist dominant economies like the United States. Where self worth and value is
intimately tied up in money making, continuous production and consumption, and "personal"
responsibility. And where power is mostly linked with control over the general consensus means of
gaining that self-worth (i.e. the jobs, money, and material goods.
Greed is certainly a universal, human predicament. But it's that much harder to face and overcome
when you live in a society that essentially is built upon rewarding and upholding acts of greed. And has
as a central narrative the rejection of all those "in need," whether temporary or ongoing. We won't get
anywhere with issues like power hungry, greed ridden spiritual teachers as long as the communities we
built around them fail to address the broader issues of need and lack head on. As a regular, ongoing
focus of practice.