Robert Baker Aitken | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Roshi |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1917-06-19)June 19, 1917 |
| Died | August 5, 2010(2010-08-05) (aged 93) |
| Spouse | Anne Hopkins Aitken |
| Children | Tom Aitken |
| Education | University of Hawaii University of California |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | Zen Buddhism |
| Lineage | Harada-Yasutani |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Soen Nakagawa Nyogen Senzaki |
| Predecessor | Yamada Koun |
| Website | www.robertaitken.net |
Robert Baker Dairyu Chotan AitkenRōshi (June 19, 1917 – August 5, 2010) was aZen teacher in theHarada-Yasutani lineage. He co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha in 1959 with his wife,Anne Hopkins Aitken. Aitken receivedDharma transmission fromKoun Yamada in 1985 but decided to live as alayperson. He was a socialist and anarchist who advocated forsocial justice forhomosexuals,women andNative Hawaiians throughout his life, and was one of the original founders of theBuddhist Peace Fellowship.[1][2]
Robert Aitken or Bob, as he liked to be called, was born toRobert Thomas Aitken and Gladys Page Baker inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1917. He was raised inHawaii from the age of five.[3] He was the son of a war enthusiast and was a rebel and loner in the 1930s and 40s before the war.[4]
Living inGuam as a civilian working in construction—at the onset ofWorld War II—he was detained by the Japanese and held ininternment camps for the duration of the war. A guard at one of the internment camps let him borrow a copy ofR.H. Blyth's bookZen in English Literature and the Oriental Classics. In one of his books later on in his life, he described being so invested in the book that he managed to be joyful even in the terrible conditions.[5] In another internment camp inKobe, Japan, in 1944 he met its author,Reginald Horace Blyth, with whom he had frequent discussions onZen Buddhism andanarchism. At the conclusion of the war he returned to Hawaii and obtained aB.A. in English literature and anMA in Japanese from theUniversity of Hawaii. He would write for two hours each morning and even read aloud his work to make sure it was his distinctive style.[6]
In the late 1940s, while briefly attending classes at theUniversity of California inBerkeley, California, he metNyogen Senzaki.[7] Originally in California hoping for an encounter withKrishnamurti, he began to study with Senzaki in Los Angeles. During this period he became more vocal about his commitment to leftist social issues such aspacifism andlabor rights. He was investigated by theFBI as a result of his advocacy work. Aitken decided to not pay the portion of his taxes that went to the Defense Department of the U.S because he opposed the war in Vietnam and arming the military.[3]
In 1950, Aitken returned to Japan, under a grant to studyhaiku and followed Senzaki's recommendation that he study Zen.[8] There he took part in his firstsesshin atEngaku-ji, a temple inKamakura, Japan.[8] Soon after, he metNakagawa Soen, who persuaded him to come for a stay atRyutakuji for the next seven months. During this period Soen took over for the ailing abbot of the temple,Yamamoto Gempo.[8] Aitken then developed dysentery, and returned home to Hawaii. He married his second wife Anne Hopkins in 1957 and made occasional trips back to Japan. In 1957 Aitken metHakuun Yasutani and sat with him for the first time.[7][9][10][11][12]
In 1959 he and Anne began a meditation group in Honolulu at their residence, which became known as the Koko-anzendo. The community that gathered at this zendo were then named the Diamond Sangha by the two. The Diamond Sangha has affiliate zen centers in South America, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe and is known for making the rigors of traditional Zen accessible to lay practitioners.[13][14]
In 1960 Soen Nakagawa Roshi asked young monkEido Tai Shimano to travel to Honolulu to assist at the Diamond Sangha center.[15]
In 1961, Aitken made an extended stay in Japan to study underHaku'un Yasutani, eventually ending his studies with Soen. He then worked in various capacities at theEast-West Center and theUniversity of Hawaii until 1969, when he and Anne moved toMaui, Hawaii, to found the Maui Zendo inHaiku-Pauwela. Koun Yamada Rōshi was invited to lead the Diamond Sangha and he moved to Hawaii in 1971. In 1974 Aitken was given permission to teach byKoun Yamada, receiving fullDharma transmission from him in 1985.[7][16]
He also was a major inspiration for the ‘System Stinks’ movement, where they drew inspiration from his famous photograph protesting with a sign. In the picture the sign said 'The System Stinks' and was in protest of theIraq War, while in his wheelchair. The photo was taken in Hawaii.[17]
Robert Aitken was a social activist through much of his adult life, beginning with protesting againstnuclear testing during the 1940s. He was an outspoken critic of theVietnam War, and became a strong opponent of thenuclear arms race between theUnited States and theSoviet Union. He was among the earlier proponents ofdeep ecology in religiousAmerica, and was outspoken in his beliefs on the equality of men and women. In 1978 Aitken helped found theBuddhist Peace Fellowship, an organization that advocatesconflict resolution globally. In the discussion that led to the founding of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, most of the other people had less experience than him when it came to political activism. This gave him the most influence on what the organization should be about. Many of the first 100 people who were sent invitations to join were recommendations from Robert Aitken.[4] He was also the guest speaker at the first two institutes that the Buddhist Peace Fellowship held. He did have anarchist beliefs, which is why even when he helped found the organization, he didn't take any control due to distrusting all authority or control even when it was his own.[4]
Aitken Roshi retired in 1996 and spent some of his final years inPalolo, Hawaii, where he could be looked after and interact with some of his students.[18] He died after a brief bout with pneumonia on August 5, 2010, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was working on his fourteenth book before his passing.[19]
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