James Ishmael Ford (Zeno Myoun, Roshi) is an American
Zen Buddhist priest and a retired
Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
on July 17, 1948. He earned a BA in psychology from
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County, California, US. It is one of the smallest members of the California State University (CSU) system. Sonoma State offers 92 Bachelor's d ...
, as well as an M.Div. and an MA in the Philosophy of Religion, both from the
Pacific School of Religion
The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the schoo ...
.
Biography
Ford began his Zen studies in 1968 at the
Berkeley Zen Center under the direction of
Mel Weitsman
Hakuryu Sojun Mel Weitsman (July 20, 1929 – January 7, 2021), born Mel Weitsman, was an American Buddhist who was the founder, abbot and guiding teacher of Berkeley Zen Center located in Berkeley, California. Weitsman was a Soto Zen roshi p ...
, later Weitsman, Roshi. He was ordained
unsui
''Unsui'' ( ja, 雲水), or ''kōun ryūsui'' () in full, is a term specific to Zen Buddhism which denotes a postulant awaiting acceptance into a monastery or a novice monk who has undertaken Zen training. Sometimes they will travel from monaster ...
and received Dharma transmission from the late
Jiyu Kennett Roshi. After leaving Kennett Roshi's
Shasta Abbey
Shasta Abbey, located on sixteen forested acres near Mount Shasta in northern California, United States is a training monastery for Buddhist monks and a place of practice for lay Buddhists and interested visitors. It was established in 1970 by R ...
and for a brief time exploring other religious traditions including the
Episcopal Church, the
western Gnostic tradition
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
and
Inayat Khan
Inayat Khan Rehmat Khan ( ur, ) (5 July 1882 – 5 February 1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. At the urging of his ...
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
, Ford pursued Zen
koan
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...
introspection for nearly twenty years in the
Sanbo Kyodan
is a lay Zen sect derived from both the Soto (Caodong) and the Rinzai ( Linji) traditions. It was renamed Sanbo-Zen International in 2014. The term ''Sanbo Kyodan'' has often been used to refer to the Harada-Yasutani zen lineage. However, a n ...
tradition with
John Tarrant Roshi, with whom he completed formal training and from whom he received
Inka Shomei (formal recognition as an authorized Zen teacher) in 2005.
Ford began to be seriously involved in
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a liberal religion characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth, guided by a ...
at about the same time he began his work with Tarrant Roshi. After completing theological studies he became a Unitarian Universalist minister, serving Unitarian Universalist congregations in Wisconsin and Arizona before becoming senior minister of the
First Unitarian Society in Newton, MA in 2000. In May 2008 First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI called him to its pulpit; he began his ministry there in the summer of that year.
Roshi Ford also maintained his relationships within the Soto community, and in 2004 Ford participated in the first Dharma Heritage ceremony of the forming North American
Soto Zen Buddhist Association
The Soto Zen Buddhist Association was formed in 1996 by American and Japanese Zen teachers in response to a perceived need to draw the various autonomous lineages of the North American Sōtō stream of Zen together for mutual support as well as ...
. This event, designed to be the equivalent of the Japanese Soto Zuisse ceremony, was a public acknowledgment of Ford (among others) as a senior member of the North American Zen community. Ford, a past president of the
Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship
The Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship (UUBF) is a "Related Organization" (formerly an "Independent Affiliate") to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Formed in the early 1990s, the UUBF exists to facilitate dialogue among UU ...
, was the first Unitarian Universalist minister to be named a Zen master.
Roshi Ford is a significant figure in the establishment of Zen in North America. He is the co-founder and first abbot of Boundless Way Zen, a network of meditation groups mostly in eastern Massachusetts. He was also influential in the development of th
Buddhist Temple of Toledoin Ohio.
In 2015, Ford retired from his ministry at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, left Boundless Way, and moved to Long Beach, California. He then established th
Empty Moon Zen Network a network of Zen Centers in California, Washington state, and Pennsylvania.
In 2020 he started serving as consulting minister to the historic First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles.
Ford is co-editor of ''The Transient and Permanent in Liberal Religion'', and is the author of ''This Very Moment: A Brief Introduction to Buddhism and Zen for Unitarian Universalists'', both published by
Skinner House Books. He is also the author of a study of Zen teachers and communities in North America, ''Zen Master Who? A Guide to the People and Stories of Zen'', the co-editor of ''The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan'', and the author of ''If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life''
from
Wisdom Publications
The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) was founded in 1975 by Lamas Thubten Yeshe and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who began teaching Mahayana Buddhism to Western students in Nepal. The FPMT has grown to encompass over ...
. His most recent book is ''Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the Language of Dragons'' also released by Wisdom.
Ford is a member of the
American Zen Teachers Association
The American Zen Teachers Association (AZTA) was founded in the late 1980s as the Second Generation Zen Teachers Group. It is a peer-group organization of ordained and lay Zen Buddhist teachers, all of whom have received either teaching authoriza ...
and served on its membership committee for a decade. he is also a member of the
Soto Zen Buddhist Association
The Soto Zen Buddhist Association was formed in 1996 by American and Japanese Zen teachers in response to a perceived need to draw the various autonomous lineages of the North American Sōtō stream of Zen together for mutual support as well as ...
, in which he served on the board of directors. He maintains connections with the Unitarian Universalist community through his work with their Society for Community Ministries and Spiritual Director’s Network.
Roshi Ford has nine Dharma heirs including Josh Jiun Bartok Roshi;
Melissa Myozen Blacker Roshi of Boundless Way Temple; Dosho Port Roshi of the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training (https://www.vineobstacleszen.com); and Jay Rinsen Weik Roshi of th
Buddhist Temple of Toledo Ohio.
Bibliography
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See also
*
Soto Zen Buddhist Association
The Soto Zen Buddhist Association was formed in 1996 by American and Japanese Zen teachers in response to a perceived need to draw the various autonomous lineages of the North American Sōtō stream of Zen together for mutual support as well as ...
*
Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States
Below is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.
Events
Early history
* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in C ...
References
External links
Monkey Mind Online- James Ishmael Ford's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, James Ishmael
1948 births
Living people
Zen Buddhism writers
American Unitarian Universalists
Zen Buddhist priests
American Zen Buddhists
Unitarian Universalist clergy
Pacific School of Religion alumni