"Integral Zen"

[DGA]

There was some discussion when Dennis Merzel ("Genpo Roshi") disrobed over what the future held for his "Big Mind" work. It appears the show goes on, but with another "sage on the stage." Let me introduce you to the "iZen 21 Day Practice Retreat."

Three Faces of Spirit is a 21 day Integral Zen meditation retreat set in Torrey, in the midst of the red rock canyons and alpine forests of Southern Utah. This retreat will provide a strong sitting and walking meditation schedule. There will be Dharma talks, including use of the Big Mind process, Integral 2nd Person Practices and opportunities for individual interviews with the teacher.

from this:
http://integrallife.com/node/104943" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The teacher? One of Merzel's students.

http://bouldermountainzendo.org/node/11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Astus]

Merzel has been involved with the Integral thingy for a while now, no surprise they create a One Big Integral Enlightenment Week.

OTOH, Zen has always been an open "school" ready to integrate different Buddhist and not so Buddhist teachings and practices in China, Korea and Vietnam, as it served as the organising system for the whole sangha.

[DGA]

Merzel has been involved with the Integral thingy for a while now, no surprise they create a One Big Integral Enlightenment Week.

OTOH, Zen has always been an open "school" ready to integrate different Buddhist and not so Buddhist teachings and practices in China, Korea and Vietnam, as it served as the organising system for the whole sangha.

Yes. I think it's interesting that the Integral people made two moves with this 21 day thing. First, they moved Merzel out and brought someone else in to do basically the same work. Second, they made it less "Big Mind" and more Zenny in presentation, if that makes sense: this is offered more directly an "Integral" version of Zen than an adaptation of Merzel's Big Mind to the Ken Wilber scene.

It seems to me here, at least doctrinally, Buddhism may be subordinated to Integralism rather than the other way around. It's one thing for a Zen teacher to teach Dharma through flower arranging or in Taoist-sounding discourse; it's something else to teach Wilber-ism as though it were Buddhism. I'm not going to attend this retreat, so I don't know which way it's going to go.