Our Vision
the problem; indeed it seems they can only react defensively with stronger assertions of dogma, nostalgia, or extreme fundamentalism. What can we turn to as we wrestle with the real challenges facing mankind now?
Zen is not grounded in dogma or doctrine, but in direct experience through practice. This practice helps us to regain our mind-body balance - our basic human sanity - here and now, and to gain insights which strike at the root causes of individual suffering. A person who practices Zen can come to see the common threads underlying the diverse expressions of human experience, religions, philosophies, and beliefs...and mankind itself. WIth this perspective, new possibilities unfold. Its expression is compassion and tolerance for others.
We believe this is the proper starting point for facing humanity’s challenges, and it is a great contribution Buddhism can make to today’s world.
Living Zen
Zen calls us to question, with both strength and compassion, our personal directions - and thus collectively the direction of society. Zen shows us that the starting point of authentic spiritual practice is not the quest for some imaginary, ideal place beyond human life, but squarely here - in the dust, dirt, suffering and wonder of living. Zen spirituality is a spirituality of the everyday, and of every moment.
Living Zen has a vast, open and engaged spirit, grounded here and now. Living Zen spirit refuses to give up on people or situations, trusting in wisdom of our deepest being and in the potential of mankind to actualize that. When such a spirit arises, within individuals or even entire cultures, there is no limit to what can be accomplished. In this way, Korinji hopes to benefit others.
This is our vision, and we commit to it as an expression of the Four Vows, which are the very heart of Zen itself:
Sentient beings are boundless: I vow to liberate them.
Defilements are endless: I vow to cut them off.
Dharma gates are immeasurable: I vow to master them.
The Buddha way is unsurpassed: I vow to attain it.
The three characters Korinji (光 林 寺) translate as "Shining/Radiant - Forest - Temple". The early Zen communities, though often centered in rural, mountainous areas rather than cities, deeply influenced and enriched the societies of their day. The Zen movement 's network of monasteries came to be called the "Forest of Zen". This "forest" over centuries produced some of the most spiritually and artistically gifted individuals in history.
Like those early training centers, the vision of Korinji is one of a vibrant, intimate community of mutually supportive practitioners. Korinji monastery will serve as this community's heart. It will be a residential training center, rurally based yet connected to the world, firmly grounded in the spirit of the early Buddhist and Zen communities: an association of kalyanamitra, or spiritual friends.
Currently there are Rinzai Zen monastic centers on the east and west coasts of the United States...but few such resources in the midwest. This is the "Shining Forest" we are planting here in the heartland of North America.
Zen and the Modern World
Today, though our technological and cultural achievements have reached new heights, many people are more unhappy than ever, feeling disconnected from one another and from the earth. Inflexible, dogmatic religions seem unable to remedy
K O R I N J I
