ZenMasonry is not my idea.
Back in the earlier days of the internet, somebody created a web site that hosted a hundred or so classical Zen koans and parables that were reworked with a perspective relevant to Freemasonry. I stumbled across it before I had joined the fraternity in 2001, and made frequent visits to that site, drawing inspiration and enjoying the gentle humor. When I began blogging at The Tao of Masonry, that website was one of my first links.
The original ZenMasonry was hosted on GeoCities, and the free web hosting was taken down in October 2009. I managed to salvage some of the pages from the Internet Archive, and from the text that I had saved on my own PC. The site itself has not been updated since 2005 or so, and many of the links on the Resources page were no longer extant, but I have reproduced the pages and the parables as I found them.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to contact the original site owner; while we had exchanged several emails over the years, every address that I have has bounced back undelivered.
I found ZenMasonry to be a fantastic resource, a fount of inspiration, and a subtle reminder of those Masonic ideals to which we should all aspire. I hope that the original author doesn’t mind my reposting his work, nor to my adding to them in some small way.
I don’t know if the author of this site still gets comments (as the last post was from a few months ago) but I couldn’t help but respond to this site. I also share an interest in both Zen and Masonry and can find many interesting connections and insights between the two. However, at what point does appropriating a koan (or religious symbol, story, allegory, persona, etc.) become dishonest and deceitful? Why not just read the koans in their original form, and use your masonic tools to pry open your mind enough to see them in all of their “oriental” strangeness?
I love masonry, though I am not externally a mason. Masonry makes me think about things deeply, but purely from a social point of view, there still exist the mantles of imperial and spiritual colonization within the so-called enlightened lodges. It is hard to reconcile the fact that some person will likely read or hear these stories and forever tell them as masonic lessons, thereby reducing the need for any further religious tolerance hundreds of years down the road. It may sound silly, but tell that to those who are fighting over the truth of one historical claim over another, say in the middle-east.
Since my experience as a Buddhist far exceeds my knowledge of masonry, I feel a bit over extended in my criticism. However, I often see people quoting Albert Pike, having called the Buddha the first Masonic Legislator. Taken literally, it suggests that Freemasonry has some superior claim to history and to spiritual knowledge, of which Buddhism happens to be a more modern and perhaps incomplete descendant. A bold statement without a single researchable footnote, unless such things are locked away in a Masonic archive somewhere. However, and this is completely my own speculation of the Craft, if you understand that One Lodge where all wisdom-seekers meet whether or not they are or ever were initiated as Brothers “in vivo”, then I agree that it could be said of the Buddhists, Muslims, and of Hindus and Druids and Egyptians and Christians and a host of other Pilgrims of the Way.
All of this is really my own discussion in my head as I stand at the precipice of asking for a petition to join. I believe I understand what masonry is supposed to be even though the outward appearance of its symbols, lodges, members may seem contrary.
Arch, you ask some good questions.
First, let me be clear that this is not the original ZenMasonry site, which was hosted on GeoCities. There aren’t any new posts because new parables and koans just don’t appear daily. I have just copied the existing ones and added a few of my own.
That said, don’t think of the koans as having been appropriated. Rather, consider that in re-framing known parables in a different context, those who might not have thought about them otherwise are presented with a new perspective. Also, Masons are not wholly esoteric; those who are firmly rooted in one faith tradition might never consider reading the original versions, but seeing the stories presented in this context, it could possibly make them appreciate the originals, should they run across them at some point.
That said, what difference does it make in which context they are discovered?
Anyway, Freemasonry in general promotes religious tolerance, the brotherhood of man, and a few other good things. Do not be concerned about those who quote Pike, nor worry that Masons will co-opt any set of teachings in order to claim some kind of moral superiority. What you are seeing is that perversity in human nature in which those in some group claim brotherhood with others that they admire, regardless of distance or culture. It’s a compliment, not a historical revision.
Freemasonry uses symbols, allegories, and metaphors to teach (or more correctly, to help one learn) the principles of morality, virtue, truth, brotherly love, charity, self-sacrifice, and integrity. But be aware that any lodge you join is going to be made of up the people of that community. You may not find anyone particularly interested in your perspectives, or you may find a dozen like-minded. Don’t let that discourage you from petitioning (or from remaining, should you be accepted).
Thank you for your prompt and thoughtful response. Your response met all of my expectations and I am ever grateful for your time.
Arch, if you do decide to petition, please drop me a line and let me know how you’re doing.
And if you’re so inclined, stop by to visit my actual blog, The Tao of Masonry.
Hello Tom,
Thank you for rescuing the site.
The original site prompted me to read a bit about Buddhism, and the journey has been a pleasant one so far. Your name brought back a flood of memories of the heady days at Alt. Freemasonry, when King, Goldman etc al did battle against ignorance . The forum that taught me an enormous amount about the craft, pointed me to the Zen Masonry site ,which in turn lead me to inquire about the Buddha’s Way.
Hi Malcolm!
I sometimes miss those early days at alt.freemasonry and soc.org.freemasonry; I think I learned more about how masonry works from those discussions than anywhere else. More importantly, I learned that it’s not practiced exactly the same all over, so we can’t assume that everyone knows what we’re talking about.
In Taoist terms, the shape of the vessel changes, but the content is still the same.
Hope you’ve been well. Do you hang our anyplace online anymore?