Zen Roots in American Soil: Robert Aitken as Authentic Buddhist Thinker

Abstract

Robert Baker Aitken (1917-2010) was an American Zen Buddhist master who stood at the forefront of the American Zen tradition and pioneered many of its novel adaptations. Authoring 13 books on Zen Buddhism, studying under three noteworthy teachers, and having knowledge of the source languages of Zen Buddhist texts and deep knowledge of the tradition as a whole, Aitken was a uniquely experienced master compared to the whole of American Zen. While having to teach in a culture vastly different than anything Buddhism had to experience before and witnessing the abuses which commonly occurred in American Buddhism, Aitken began to lecture on a variety of topics, such as the possibility of an entirely lay Zen Buddhist community in America, how to prevent abuse in American Zen, and the role of sexual activity in one's practice. The purpose of this research is not just to document Aitken's novel adaptations, but to connect them back to the Buddhist tradition throughout history, showing that much of Aitken's reasoning and conclusions have deep roots in various Buddhist traditions, such as Indian Buddhism through its Vinayas, Mahayana Buddhist philosophy through its antinomian stance on sexual activity, Chinese Buddhism through its Bodhisattva Precepts, Japanese Buddhism through its post-Meiji era stance on marriage, and Zen Buddhism throughout time.