by BISHOP KOSHIN OGUI
Buddhist Churches of America

The zazen meditation session at the Sokoji temple in San Francisco was about to begin. Around 70 people had gathered for the event, so the limited space of the main hall was crowded.

In this crowd, a young white woman was sitting there practically naked. Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen master, handed me a small bath towel and told me to go tell her to cover her front.

So there she was, this young blonde who was without a doubt almost completely naked. As for me, my heart was pounding out of my chest. Nevertheless, I approached her and conveyed what the master had told me to tell her.

She replied stubbornly, “This is my best dress, which I made, and if I cover myself with that it will ruin my look.” I pretended not to look at it, but upon closer observation, it was obvious that her “dress” was made from what looked like the mesh on a tennis court net. Her nude body was totally visible through this net-like material.

I was in a fix, and then suddenly I came up with an idea. I said, “Well, you are enlightened, so that’s fine. But the problem is, the men sitting in the front are not so they might be led astray at the sight of you. So for their sakes, please kindly cover yourself.”

She smiled and then took the towel and covered herself. I was 23 at the time but even now, I think I handled that pretty well and I laugh about it even to this day.

From about 1963 to 1966, it was common for people who were referred to as “hippies” to drift in and out of San Francisco. The young generation was weary during those uneasy times. They were weary from the assassination of President Kennedy and from the escalation of the Vietnam War. The hippies hated what was happening to society and many of them left home to find something better.

In San Francisco, they created communes that centered around Ashby and Haight streets. In these communes, they lived together and practiced a philanthropy that would act as a model to the world. They were people unknown to each other, people of both sexes, who did not discriminate between young and old.

That was over 40 years ago, so people who were in their 20s then are in their 60s now. I have often wondered if those young people went on to become good leaders. Come to think of it, I remember seeing former mayor of Oakland Jerry Brown at a zazen meditation.

Gassho

Translated by Lefteris Kafatos