Zen & UU: Nothing is as practical as theory
August 1, 2011 at 12:00 It has caused me to think about an issue that I have found frustrating in Zen in the US: its sometimes close association with Unitarian Universalism (UU). In some ways this issue is academic and pointless. Who cares? Well, I do. Others care and, I think it might matter to Zen. Essentially, I suggest that it is possible to be Buddhist and integrate that into a UU framework, i.e. Zen-->UU. However, I don't think it is possible to go the other way (UU-->Zen) if you don't leave UU behind. If you don't, there are some significant syncretic problems you'll have (not that Buddhism isn't one enormous syncretic problem), and you're going to have to figure out how get beyond ego and self-interest. You may also piss off a lot of communities who are either "Buddhist by birth" or new converts to Zen.