Kanzeon Zen Center was a

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

center located in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. It was an affiliate of the

White Plum Asanga White Plum Asanga, sometimes termed White Plum Sangha, is a Zen school in the Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi lineage, created by Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi. It consists of Maezumi's Dharma heirs and subsequent successors and students. A diverse organization ...

, an association of Zen centers stemming from the tradition of

Taizan Maezumi Hakuyū Taizan Maezumi ( Maezumi Hakuyū, February 24, 1931 – May 15, 1995) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and rōshi, and lineage holder in the Sōtō, Rinzai, and Sanbo Kyodan traditions of Zen. He combined the Rinzai use of '' kōan ...

. The founder and Abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center was

Dennis Genpo Merzel Dennis Merzel (born June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American Zen and spirituality teacher, also known as Genpo Merzel. Biography Early life Dennis Paul Merzel was born on June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York and was raised and schoo ...

Roshi, who resigned in 2011 amidst controversy. Kanzeon Zen Center was the home temple and the hub of Kanzeon Sangha International, founded by Genpo Roshi in 1984, with affiliate teachers, centers and groups in the US and seven European countries. The center was housed at 1274 E. South Temple, a historic building listed as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the

South Temple Historic District The South Temple Historic District is a historic district that was the first to be listed in the Salt Lake City Register in 1976, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It includes 106 contributing buildings, inclu ...

. It closed in the wake of the sex scandals involving Merzel. News reports stated that the center was deeply financially in debt to Merzel.

Gallery

Image:Dennis Genpo Merzel 5.jpg Image:Dokusan room (Kanzeon Zen center).jpg Image:Kanzeon Zen Center Zendo (Genpo Merzel).jpg Image:Kanzeon teachers.jpg Image:Kanzeon Zen Center zendo.jpg Image:Kanzeon Zen Center teachers.jpg Image:Zafus (Kanzeon Zen center).jpg Image:Kanzeon Zen center exterior.jpg Image:Kinhin.jpg, Kanzeon members during

kinhin Walking meditation, sometimes known as kinhin ( Chinese: 經行; Pinyin: ''jīngxíng''; Romaji: ''kinhin'' or ''kyōgyō''; Korean: ''gyeonghyaeng''; Vietnamese: ''kinh hành''), is a practice within several forms of Buddhism that involve moveme ...

Image:Kanzeon Zen Center Group Photo.jpg, Group photo of some Kanzeon Zen Center members.

References

External links

Kanzeon Zen Center
Buddhist temples in the United States Religious buildings and structures in Salt Lake City White Plum Asanga Buddhism in Utah Zen centers in the United States Temples in Utah Religious organizations established in 1984 1984 establishments in Utah Asian-American culture in Utah {{Utah-struct-stub

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See also

References

External links