The Shimano Archive
嶋野 栄道 老師 アーカイブ

09/22/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Elsie and John Mitchell.

“[Redacted’s] address is [redacted], Honolulu, Hawaii 96817.  She used to do the teisho part of the Diamond Sangha, and one day she remarked that she had been typing Yasutani Roshi’s (安谷 白雲) lectures for more than a year, and she still couldn’t understand a single word of them.  She wasn't being zennish.  I agree she is better off with Amida’s infinite love, but even that isn't enough.  She is an extremely unsettled person, as you know.  We don’t begrudge our ex-members, and they are scattered all over the place, from Christian existentialism to Maharishi.”

“Bernard wrote recently after I had written him about Margaret Conway's return, and said that Tai San (嶋野 栄道) was saying that his departure was the result of conflict with me.  I don’t mind absorbing some of the blame if that will keep the real story dark.  It is true that there was plenty of tension between us; I am an utter anarchist in my social relations; and he finds close relationship impossible on anything but a dominance-submission basis.  But we were working pretty well in spite of this.  I knew this would be his story as he was spreading the same thing here, but I'd rather Roshi (宋淵 老師) does not learn that I have said there was any trouble. I am telling people here simply that he is transferring, and I have said the same to everyone by letter when there was occasion to mention it, except to you and recently (very briefly) to Bernard.  Soen Roshi (宋淵 老師) rather clings to the idea that all the difficulty is due to character differences between Tai San (嶋野 栄道) and myself.”

09/22/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Soen Nakagawa.

"I am very glad to report that [redacted] has been given a leave from the State Hospital. She has moved in with us, and we have paid her tuition at the University of Hawaii for this semester. After one month she will be tested by the hospital authorities, and if she passes she will be released. She is still shaky, but may be okay."

"Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] is telling our Mainland friends that he is leaving Koko An (此処庵) because of conflict with me. I don't mind taking part of the blame if that helps to keep the real story dark, but I wish he would just say that he is transferring and not give any particular reason. Bernard and others have written to me asking for 'my side of the story.' Of course I do not tell them what really happened."

09/28/64

Letter from Haku'un Yasutani to Robert Aitken.

10/00/64

Handwritten Letter from Itsuko Suzuki to Robert Aitken.

“The only discovery was that Roshi [Nakagawa 中川 宋淵] is very concerned with Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] business and that we have to wait for some time till Roshi (中川 宋淵) advise us something.”

“The reason Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] speaks so much could be his insecurity about this matter.”

10/00/64

Handwritten Letter from Itsuko Suzuki to Robert Aitken.

“Please don’t be frustrated with this letter and be patient I hope. I went to see Roshi [Nakagawa 中川 宋淵] and I met the words of greeting, ‘Please wait until Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] comes back’  And so there was no room and no need to ask all the questions you asked me to bring about to Roshi.”

10/01/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Itsuko and Mitsuaki Suzuki.

"Soen Roshi (中川 宋淵) made it pretty clear to me that he wanted the matter kept from Ryutakuji (龍沢寺) monks"

10/00/64

Handwritten Letter from Dokai Fukui to Robert Aitken.

10/01/64

Handwritten Letter from Margaret Conway to Robert Aitken.

10/10/64

Handwritten Letter from Hakuun Yasutani to Robert Aitken.

“On Nov. 9 I met Mr. Eido Shimano (嶋野 栄道) and we had lots of talk. Among our talk the most important matter was the fact that Mr. Shimano (嶋野氏) has made his decision that he is going to leave Honolulu. He did not mention much in details about the reason for his leaving Honolulu and going to move to the mainland. He said that he had told you about his decision. This decision is entirely depending on his free will and I cannot say anything about his decision. I asked him if he was going to quit Univ. of Hawaii and he answered that he was going to give up his scholarship too.”

"In zen it is very important to help ordinary people (Koji) [laymen -(居士)] for their zen. However it is more important to bring up (or make) a successor to be a zen leader.”

10/12/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Soen Nakagawa.

"Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] appeared unexpecdly at our door last night. He is on his way to Japan, and will sail with Kai San [Dokai Fukui] on the Wilson. His principal purpose in calling on us seemed to be to tell us that our plan to have a special meeting of our zazenkai with Kai San would have to be cancelled. He said that our arrangement by letter with Kai San was really a misunderstanding (though when I looked up the corresponence in my files, I found that my invitation and Kai San's acceptance are entirely clear)."

"[Redacted] has been released a second time from the hospital, and now seems a little better."

"Kai San wants to know all the details, but I will tell him only what he already knows and nothing more."

"none of our present attenders even knows that there has been any trouble."

"Aparently Tai San (嶋野) is telling people that the trouble in Hawaii is between old members and me, of all things."

"Aparently Tai San (嶋野) told Kai San that the three ladies would not come to any meeting with Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲) if I were here, and Kai San was worried that this would cause trouble."

"I did not realize that Tai San (嶋野) was using such a lame story about a group controversy as a smoke screen for his own activities."

10/13/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Hakuun Yasutani.

10/13/64

ロバート　エイトケンより安谷白雲への手紙

かいさんと共に過ごす予定の事、そのため私達は集会を中止しなければなりませんでした。　貴方に、私達の失望がお分かりになるでしょうか？　　私達は既に、２５人のメンバー宛に招待状を印刷して送っており、この集会は、私達に取って、優れた禅僧との仏縁を築くための非常に大切な機会だったのです。

10/25/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Dokai Fukui.

"Please don't feel sorry about or cancellation of the special zazenkai on the 13th. Although everyone was disappointed, it is forgotten by now, and we are enjoying very good attendance."

During the four years that Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] has been 'resident monk' of Koko An (此処庵), he has been absent on trips over 30% of the time. During these extended absences, our meetings have been conducted as usual, and this time is no different."

"Anne joins me in sending fond Aloha. We are extending your regards to Dick, [redacted] and [redacted], also to Jerry, whom you met briefly on the porch."

10/29/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Soen Nakagawa.

"By now you have had a good chance to talk to Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] and Kai San [Dokai Fukui] in the cool air of autumn at Ryutakuji (龍沢寺). I do not press you for any sort of decision, but simply report on the progress of your intimate friends here in Hawaii."

"The big news is that [redacted] is returning to work, at the same job she had when she became sick last April, a nurse in a convalescent home. She is quite unsure of her ability to make a success of it, and privately Anne and I have some doubts, but it is a big step for her to accept the position, renew her nurse's license, get her chest x-ray, and so on. If she can't hold the job, it will not be long before she finds another and is able to keep it. She is no longer taking medication, and is being transferred from out-patient status at the State Hospital to a similar status at a mental health clinic here in town (which means she is finally discharged from the State Hospital). She continues to live with us, and to be our treasure and joy."

10/29/64

ロバート　エイトケンより中川僧淵への手紙。

11/15/64

Handwritten Letter from Dokai Fukui to Robert Aitken.

“Unfortunately Roshi [Yasutani 安谷 白雲 ] is going to cancel to remove to Hawaii.”

“But the absence of Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] is surely big problem for Roshi because he cannot work effectively any more without Tai San’s (嶋野) assistance. Please understand this point and do not have a bad feeling of Roshi as well as Tai San (嶋野).”

“I feel very sad to you for your tremendous efforts to build Roshi’s house and arrange everything for him.”

“Please forgive me and please understand our condition friendly.”

“Tai San’s (嶋野) departure is surely very ungrateful thing I’m sure he’s regretting about his action.

But after all ‘thing has done.’ We cannot draw back it against the flow of time.

Please forgive and forget everything and help the same friendly atmosphere as before.”

11/15/64

福井どうかいより、ロバート　エイトケン宛の手書きによる手紙。

”しかし、タイさんの不在は老師にとって本当に大きな問題なのです。　なぜなら、老師はタイさん（島野）の援助なしには効果的に仕事が出来ないからです。　どうか、この点を理解して、老師に対し、又、タイさんに対しても悪感情を抱かないでほしいのです。”

”老師を迎える為に、大変な苦労をして家を建てたり、様々な準備を整えた貴方の労を思うと私は悲しくなります。”

”どうか私を許し、どうか私達の事情を友好的に解釈して下さい。”

”タイさんの背反は、絶対に忘恩的で、おそらく彼も、自分の行為を悔いていると思います。”

”しかし、すべての事は　’済んでしまった事’　です。　過ぎた事をやり直す事は出来ません。”

”どうか、すべてを許し、忘れ、これまでのような友好的な雰囲気を保つよう努力して下さい。”

11/21/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Dokai Fukui.

"I have not mentioned your news to our group, and don’t know how to announce it. Somehow I will have to makeup a story that will not reflect bad on him and upon Zen in general.”

"Many people on the Mainland, and a few even in Europe and South America have sent money to help with the retreat project at Pupukea. What can I say?”

"As time goes on, it becomes quite clear that Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] cannot return to Koko An (此処庵). If we had any doubts about this, they were dispelled during his recent stop-over in Honolulu.”

12/11/64

Handwritten Letter from Dokai Fukui to Robert Aitken.

12/19/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Dokai Fukui.

“We were very interested to hear of Soen Roshi’s (中川 宋淵) plan for Sekida San [Katsuki Sekida] to come to Hawaii.

I have written to Roshi about this. I am feeling uncertain about our Zazenkai that the thought of introducing someone new makes me quite uneasy. I hope that Soen Roshi (中川 宋淵) himself may come at the end of January for sesshin here.”

“We have translated Yasutani Roshi's (安谷 白雲 ) letter at last. He says nothing about his translation work with Tai San, [Shimano 嶋野 ] but rather says that Tai San (嶋野) is his only chance for a good successor, so he must follow Tai San (嶋野) and not come to Hawaii. He says that of course it is his responsibility to teach ordinary laymen, but his first job is to train a good teacher. You may imagine our reaction to this.”

I still don't know how to announce the change to our Zazenkai and how to write it in the Diamond Sangha. I have written to Tai San (嶋野) seeking his advice. I need all the help I can get in this matter. The wrong presentation could harm the Dharma, and could give both Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) and Tai San (嶋野 栄道) a bad reputation.”

12/19/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Soen Nakagawa.

“Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) has written to us of his decision not to come to Hawaii.”

“We have answered him and have also written to Tai San [Shimano 嶋野 ] requesting their help with the story about his decision to be printed in the next issue of Diamond Sangha. As you may imagine, we half-expected the Roshi to change his mind in this way. His reasons for his decision were, however, a great surprise and a great disappointment.”

“How can I trust things not to change again suddenly, and leave me exposed once more?

I feel very uneasy about our Zazenkai. I keep a cheerful face and try to encourage the members, but I am filled with doubts. As Yasutani Roshi says, we are only laymen. Just ippan no koji. Our teachers are concerned primarily with developing one or two successors. What chance do the rest of us have?”

“We are all of us well, and Anne and I pretend not to think of the calamity which has struck us. [Redacted] was not able to hold her job, but she is still with us and has not had to return to the hospital. She is taking a few art and music classes.”

12/19/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Shimano.

“Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) wrote us last month that he would not be coming to Hawaii”

“He says he will not come because his first loyalty is to you as his disciple, and that you have decided not to return to Hawaii.”

12/19/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Haku'un Yasutani.

“We half-expected your decision to change your mind. We knew it would be unsafe for me to go to Japan last August, but I went anyway.”

“To us ordinary laymen, right behavior seemed, and still does seem, more important than Zen. It seems to us that if the means is wrong, then the end cannot be right. If we have sacrificed your good will and the good will of people all over the United States who contributed to the Pupukea project, at least we did it on a sound moral basis, and we have no regrets.”

12/24/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Iver Fischman.

“I have learned from Bernard Phillips that you will be sponsoring Tai San, [Shimano 嶋野 ] now that he has resigned his position as resident monk of Koko An (此処庵).”

“We would like to be able to show that Tai San (嶋野) has transferred to another group, and that our new monk will take his place.”

12/24/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Mr. Sekida.

“Soen Roshi (中川 宋淵) has written to us about your plan to come to Koko An (此処庵) to work with us. We are very much interested in this idea, and wish to explore it with you.

If we reach an agreement on plans, then we will be glad to make visa arrangements for you, to buy your ticket, and to set you up here with room and meals, either in Koko An (此処庵) or separately, whichever seems best.”

12/24/64

Handwritten Letter from Bernard Phillips to Robert Aitken.

"What (the hell) is going on? I haven’t heard from the N.Y. group all fall, but this week got a note from Mary Bernhart which said; 'Iver and I rented an apartment for Tai [Shimano 嶋野 ] for 6 months until Roshi (中川 宋淵) arrives; before June we will have to locate something larger.' ”

12/27/64

Letter from Robert Aitken to Bernard Phillips.

“We appreciated the news about Tai San [Shimano 嶋野 ]. We had not known who his new suc – excuse me – supporters would be, and we wanted to reach them in order to request a letter acknowledging transfer of sponsorship, so that matters can be tidied up with the immigration people.”

(See entry of 08/28/60)

00/00/65

Drawing Made by One of the Two Women Hospitalized in Hawai'i Who Reported Shimano Sexual Misconduct.

The drawing has been described as "disturbing."

00/00/65

Schedule ZSS.

01/01/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Haku'un Yasutani.

“it is quite clear to me from Tai San’s [Shimano's 嶋野 ] remarks to me that he intends to arrange the June 1965 sesshin in Honolulu with Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) somewhere other than at Koko An (此処庵). He said, ‘of course, you and Anne would be welcome to attend.’ And of course we would attend, wherever it was held.”

“We learn from Seika San that she is moving to Thailand, following the difficulties of her stay at Kokuseiji (こくせいじ), and her falling out with Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ). She wrote us that she lost faith in Yasutani Roshi after the things he said about us in Hawaii. I don’t know what she meant by this. I really don’t care what anybody says about Anne or me, but for the sake of American Dharma, I hope he is using a little discretion.”

01/01/65

Handwritten Letter from Kinichi Fukimodo to Robert Aitken.

“And I much appreciate your kindness, when I stayed at your house. But I was also very sad, the fact that you are getting into a dispute with Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] at that time.”

01/02/65

Handwritten Letter from Shimano to Robert Aitken.

“As I wanted to do everything very legally, I explained to him all the situations of my coming to N.Y. According to the Immigration law, what I have to do is only reporting my address both new and old, to the Dept. of Justice.”

01/04/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Shimano.

“First of all, I have written to Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ), urging him to hold his June, 1965 sesshin in Honolulu at Koko An (此処庵). I pointed out to him that while members come and go here, a number of old-timers are continuing to attend, and that it would be too bad to split the Sangha by holding the sesshin at some new place. I suggested to him that if Sekida San [Katsuki Sekida] were not here by then, that perhaps you or Kubota San or someone else of his choice could serve as translator.”

“The second matter has to do with your visa. As you will recall, when I applied for visas for Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) and Satomi San, the immigration people asked me why Eido Shimano (嶋野 栄道) could not lead our small membership alone, and I had difficulty in explaining the distinction of responsibilities. Now, if I begin visa proceedings for Sekida San [Katsuki Sekida], I will want to be sure that it is understood that you have transferred to another group. Unless I can prove that transfer, I am sure that I will get nowhere, and there will be problems arising from the fact that five months have passed since your resignation and no notification has been made.”

01/07/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Dennis Burden.

“The Diamond Sangha wishes to offer to refund the $500.00 which you contributed toward the payment for the Pupukea property. Now that it is definite that the Roshi will not retire here, it is possible that you may regret the donation, and would like to have it returned to you.”

01/07/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Shimano.

“The immigration authorities you consulted in New York were quite correct in stating that, for your purposes, it would only be necessary for you to supply a change of address to your nearest immigration office. From the point of view of the immigration authorities, it is quite all right for the Diamond Sangha to be your sponsor wherever you go within the United States.

From the point of view of the Diamond Sangha, also, there might be no objection to a continuation of your sponsorship, if we were not planning to sponsor someone else. However, I am quite confident that if I initiated sponsorship proceedings for someone else to take your place, the authorities would want to see evidence that you have transferred to another group.”

01/08/65

Letter from Haku'un Yasutani to Robert Aitken.

“I am, as you requested, enclosing my story explaining the reason for changing my plan to settle down in Hawaii so that you could have it appear in the next Diamond Sangha.”

01/08/65

Handwritten Letter from Shimano to Robert Aitken.

“I of course, explained to a immigration officer about your (Kokoan [此処庵]) situation and told him your new plan too. He simply said that it isn't necessary to write an official letter to you in order to show to the immigration office in Honolulu. My transfer will be noticed from Washington to Honolulu so that they will know that I am no longer at Kokoan (此処庵).”

“I’ll ask Zen Study [sic] Society as that will be our organization”

“If you have any trouble when you apply Sekida san’s visa because of my transfer, please write me. By the way, I don’t think Sekida san does not like to have difficult visa.”

01/12/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Shimano.

"It is quite possible that I might get a visa for Sekida San [Katsuki Sekida] (he wants a professional visa, not a visitor’s visa) if I simply report that you have transferred to New York to such and such address. But there are no rules at all about such matters, and I learned last spring that I should have everything carefully documented if I am to negotiate successfully. If I happen to draw a disagreeable officer, as I did last spring, I will have to produce papers to prove everything I say, and the opinion of the officer in New York will have nothing to do with it.”

“Please, Tai San [Shimano 嶋野]. This is a very small request. Please have someone responsible for your group write me a letter indicating that you have been transferred to his organization, and give me the name and address of the organization (which can be your address of course), and the title of the person who writes.”

“Speaking of legality, you are entirely within your rights to request payment for the mimeograph machine which Mr. Okamoto gave you for Diamond Sangha use several years ago.  We feel it better for us to buy the machine so Anne and I are depositing enough for it in the Diamond Sangha account, and this should be cleared by the time you get this.  The D.S. check for $170.00, the amount you suggest, is enclosed.  Please let Mr. and Mrs. Okamoto know about the transaction.”

01/30/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Bernard Phillips.

“Soen Roshi ( 中川 宋淵) has recommended the layman Sekida as a replacement for Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] here at Koko An (此処庵).”

“I am in the process of collecting affidavits for this visa"

“It will not be possible for me to begin visa application proceedings until we are officially no longer sponsors of Yasutani (安谷 白雲 ) and Satomi, as we are a small group, and it is difficult to persuade the Immigration officers that we need two people in addition to Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] in the first place.”

“When Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] stopped at Koko An (此処庵) in October, on his way to Japan, I asked him to have his New York sponsors write me indicating their willingness to accept transfer of his sponsorship. He agreed to have this done. However, when he stopped by again on his way back in December, he said that only notification of change of address was necessary.”

“I want to make our attitude completely clear. If we at Koko An (此処庵) had no intention of sponsoring anybody else, we would have no objection to continuing to be Tai San’s [Shimano 嶋野] sponsor. Our anxiety to transfer him officially is simply that our status as a group without a monk may be plain to the immigration authorities, and our chances for success in a new visa application will be stronger.”

“I wrote to Fischman explaining all this in a polite way in mid-December. I enclosed a stamped self-addressed envelope for his convenience in replying. Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] used that envelope to answer me, repeating what he had said during his last visit, that he had gone to the New York Immigration Office, and they had told him that he only needed to change his address. I wrote to Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] twice more trying to explain that his legal status was clear as far as his residence goes, but that I needed to tidy up the sponsorship thing in order to make a new visa application. My last letter was January 12, to which he has not replied.”

"we don’t even have a letter of resignation from Tai San [Shimano 嶋野].”

01/30/65

Handwritten Letter from Mitsuaki Suzuki to Robert Aitken.

02/06/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Ray and Marilyn Jordan.

"After Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] left our morale recovered"

02/06/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Haku'un Yasutani.

Letter concerning visa issues.

“I will not be able to initiate new visa proceedings for Tai San’s [Shimano's 嶋野] successor until these old responsibilities are cleared up.”

02/10/65

Letter from Anne Aitken to Shimano.

02/15/65

Handwritten Letter from Shimano to Robert Aitken.

02/21/65

Letter from Robert Aitken to Mr. Sekida.

“Second, it looks very much as though the New York group which is sponsoring Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] is not going to send me for a while any sort of release or statement of Tai San’s (嶋野) visa sponsorship.”

“I am afraid that if we wait for Tai San’s [Shimano 嶋野] group in New York to get busy, we may wait too long and not be able to get any visa at all for the time you wish to leave.”

02/22/65

Letter from Anne Aitken to Shimano.

"It was helpful for us to understand the reason for the delay in transferring sponsorship."

02/23/65

Handwritten Letter from Shimano to Robert Aitken.

03/01/65

Letter from Bernard Phillips to Robert Aitken.

“First I am bound to clear up one misconception you are under – namely that I had any advance knowledge whatsoever of Tai San’s [Shimano 嶋野] coming to New York or of the Roshi’s change of plans. You say in your letter ‘If I had known that you were active in planning for his coming to the East Coast I would have kept you informed in detail about this…’ I was neither active in planning for his coming nor was I aware of it in advance. The first wind of it I got was just before Christmas when Mary Reinhart mentioned it to me in a note. When I went to visit the Weiss’s on the New Year’s weekend, I found Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] had arrived and was setting up an apartment. It was then that I offered to try to get Yasutani Roshi (安谷 白雲 ) a part-time appointment in my department so he would have some little assured income.”

“We were presented with a fait accompli and now are expected to assume financial and other responsibility. Why didn’t Tai San [Shimano 嶋野] and the Roshi negotiate with responsible people like myself, the Weiss’s or Lenore Straus in the first place. Were they afraid we wouldn’t agree to their coming? They communicated with only a few irresponsibles in New York who kept the whole thing a secret.”