On May 18, 2008, I participated in the Precept-Taking ceremony at Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple in Detroit, Michigan. The ceremony is a confirmation of the participant’s entry onto the Buddhist path. I was given the Buddhist name DoHaeng.
My parents baptized me in the Presbyterian Church. Growing up, we attended almost every Sunday. They also enrolled me in a Lutheran Church’s week-long vacation Bible school where the only difference I noticed was that Presbyterians used “debtors” and Lutherans “trespassers” in the Lord’s Prayer.
As a teenager, it occurred to me that the God story was like the Santa Claus story they sold us as children. An all-seeing benevolent being was taking note of our behavior, which would determine whether we would receive a reward or not at a specific time. Since there was no Santa Claus, where was the proof that God existed?
That’s when I became an atheist.
In my early 20’s, I was studying writing and discovered Natalie Goldberg’s book, Writing Down the Bones. Goldberg does not focus on the categories of grammar, plot, characterization, etc., but on “using writing as your practice, as a way to help you penetrate your life and become sane.” Goldberg practiced Zen and references both practices throughout the book. This intrigued me leading me to Taking the Path of Zen by Robert Aitken. Zen provided something more useful than a mythical being judging us from the beyond as a guide to live one’s life. Zen helps peel away the layers of my mind in order to be more skillful.
In suburban Detroit no Zen temples existed. I relied on books. For about seven years I attended a Unity church. But I drifted away when I felt that the “practical Christianity” it preached wasn’t applicable to living life.
In 2002, I found Still Point on the day they opened their doors after having first held services at a Unitarian church. The guidance of the founding teacher, P’arang, and current teacher, Koho, has enhanced my practice more than the two decades of book-learned Zen.
Many family and friends don’t understand my conversion, and it never becomes a topic of conversation. My wife was the only family member who attended the Precept-Taking ceremony. I accept that. It’s all about what works for you. For me, Zen provides a clearer view towards living a skillful life than anything I’ve been exposed to.
Bow.