Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘In 1958 Hojo was invited to go to San Francisco for three years as abbot of Soko-ji, a Zen temple for Japanese Americans. It was difficult for him to leave Rinso-in, which had a membership of 400 families. But he accepted the offer and applied for a visa to the United States. Hojo and I were married at Rinso-in the autumn of that year. In early 1959 he went to San Francisco. I stayed in Yaizu to take care of the family, temple, and two kindergartens. 

At Soko-ji some non-Japanese Americans, many of whom were sort of beatniks, started doing zazen with him. He realized that three years would be too short a time to guide those people and that he would need to stay longer. So he asked me to come over. I joined him after two years’ separation. Soon after my arrival the treasurer of the temple said to me, “We don’t know what has happened to the paychecks we gave Hojo-san. They haven’t been cashed. He must have put them somewhere and forgotten.” So I searched among his books and found a few. The treasurer said, “Good, we will give you the checks from now on.” 

Next to the temple was a grocery store run by an old woman. Hojo used to buy old radishes there. The woman finally said, “Here are some fresh ones. Why don’t you take them?” Hojo said, “Fresh radishes will be bought anyway.”‘ (from Wind Bell)