Rinzai-ji board of directors meets to discuss allegations of misconduct

The board of directors of Rinzai-ji Zen Center has convened to discuss allegations of sexual abuse by their teacher, Joshu Sasaki Roshi.

Lion’ s Roar24 November 2012

As per a new report from SweepingZen.com, the board of directors of Rinzai-ji Zen Center in Los Angeles has “convened for a meeting this weekend to discuss allegations of sexual abuse by their teacher, Joshu Sasaki Roshi.”

In a statement that appeared today at the Rinzai-ji website, the organization writes:

‘Recently the Board of Directors of Rinzai-ji has become aware of allegations posted on websites of sexual misconduct by Joshu Sasaki Roshi, the Abbott of Rinzai-ji. The Board takes allegations of inappropriateness regarding any Rinzai-ji teacher’s behavior very seriously.
‘The Board is therefore conferring this weekend to create a plan to address this issue. We will move as quickly as possible and request your patience over the next few days as we develop a process to address these concerns.’”

Read SweepingZen’s full article here. The SweepingZen site has been central in the online (and offline) discussion of Sasaki Roshi’s alleged misconduct, posting an initial commentary about the matter by Zen teacher Eshu Martin on November 16, as well as follow-up posts by Grace Schireson and the site’s publisher, Adam Tebbe.

Lion s Roar Staff

Lion’ s Roar

Lion’s Roar is the website of Lion’s Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, with exclusive Buddhist news, teachings, art, and commentary. Sign up for the Lion’s Roar weekly newsletter and follow Lion’s Roar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.