White Plum Asanga, sometimes termed White Plum Sangha, is a loose (hence asangha) "organization of peers whose members are leaders of Zen Communities in the lineage of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi,"[1] created by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi[2] and Tetsugen Bernard Glassman. It consists of Maezumi's Dharma heirs and subsequent successors.[3]

Many teachers of the White Plum Asanga present at the 40th anniversary of the Zen Center of Los Angeles

Characterization

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A diverse organization spread across the United States and with a small presence in Europe, the White Plum Asanga

[I]ncludes teachers who represent the spectrum of styles to be found to American Zen—socially engaged Buddhism, family practice, Zen and the arts, secularized Zen, and progressive traditionalism."[4]

Conceived of informally in 1979 by Maezumi and Tetsugen Bernard Glassman, the White Plum Asanga was named after Maezumi's father Baian Hakujun Dai-osho and then later incorporated in 1995 following Maezumi's death. Tetsugen Bernard Glassman was the White Plum Asanga's first President and his successor was Dennis Genpo Merzel.[5] Following Merzel's term, in May 2007, Gerry Shishin Wick served as elected President of White Plum, until 2013 when Anne Seisen Saunders became the current president.[6]

Notable members

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Notable centers

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ White Plum Asanga website
  2. ^ Tucker (1997), p. 174.
  3. ^ Maezumi & Glassman (2002), p. 171.
  4. ^ Westward Dharma, 111
  5. ^ Luminous Passage, 282
  6. ^ "Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders voted in as the new President of the White Plum Asanga". Zen Peacemaker Order. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Membership List". The White Plum Asanga. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2024.

Sources

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greatwave.org