Ep126: Zen Confidential – Jack Haubner
In this interview I am joined by Jack Haubner, prize winning author of the memoirs Zen Confidential: Confessions of a Wayward Monk; and Single White Monk: Tales of Death, Failure, and Bad Sex.
In this interview Jack shares his early spiritual openings, his strict Catholic upbringing, subsequent break from Christianity, and discovery of Buddhism.
Jack reveals his complex relationship with his first Zen mentor, describes the development of his personal meditation practice, and recounts his initial meetings with renowned and latterly infamous spiritual teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi.
Jack went on to become the head monk of Sasaki’s monastery, a role which he occupied during the widely publicised sexual misconduct allegations made against the aged abbot, who was then in his hundreds.
Jack reflects on the decades long open secret of Sasaki’s conduct within the Zen community, and discusses the widespread and complex fallout of a charismatic religious leader’s fall from grace.
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Topics include:
00:00 – Intro
01:03 – Catholic childhood and early spiritual opening
05:03 – Explaining the opening in Zen terms
08:05 – Leaving Catholicism
11:59 – Steve’s Catholicism
14:35 – European vs American Catholicism
18:07 – Encountering Lama Ole Nydahl and Shambala Buddhism
22:59 – Why Zen?
25:56 – Jack’s Zen mentor
28:07 – The evolution of Jack’s meditation practice
31:20 – ‘Finally learning to sit’
35:43 – The Rinzai style of training
37:17 – How to express No-Self in a Los Angeles bar
39:24 – Sexually propositioned by his mentor
45:23 – Meeting Joshu Sasaki Roshi
46:25 – First impressions of Joshu Sasaki
48:28 – Who was Joshu Sasaki?
51:59 – How much persona did JS have?
53:16 – JS’s daily routine
55:36 – Does Jack still orient to JS?
56:53 – JS’s sexual scandal
01:01:54 – The open secret of JS’s sexual misconduct in the Zen community
01:10:50 – Being Head Monk during the scandal
01:17:50 – The legacy of JS’s scandal
01:24:23 – Does Jack teach Zen today?
01:26:15 – Joshu Sasaki’s death
01:32:28 – Where does Zen lead?
To find out more about Jack Haubner, visit:
Books published by Jack Haubner:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James