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---Calligraphy by Ruben Habito
About the Maria Kannon Zen Center
The Maria Kannon Zen Center was formed in 1991 as a place for people of various backgrounds and faiths to practice Zen. The members are bound together by a common commitment to cultivate wisdom and compassion. The center's primary task is to offer people an opportunity to practice Zen.
Members practice Zen in the lay Zen tradition of the Sanbo Kyodan Religious Foundation based in Kamakura, Japan.
The Sanbo Kyodan lineage was founded by Yasutani Hakuun Roshi in 1954, and it was based on the Zen teaching and practice of Harada Sogaku Roshi. The lineage brings together elements of the Soto and Rinzai Zen traditions.
Yamada Koun Roshi, the direct dharma heir of Yasutani Roshi, gave Ruben Habito authorization to teach Zen in 1988.
Ruben Habito, a native of the Philippines, studied in Japan as a young Jesuit, and was ordained priest in 1976. He completed doctoral studies in Buddhism at Tokyo University, and taught at Sophia University from 1978 to 1989. He went on indefinite leave from the Roman Catholic ministry in 1989, came to Dallas, and married Maria Dorothea Reis, with whom he now has two sons. He teaches at the Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
From the Teacher . . .“Zen can offer something very simple, very direct and readily accessible to anyone seriously in pursuit of a deeper understanding. From the character of our present society there are so many ailments on the individual, social and the psychological level. The healing of our Earth begins with the healing of the individual but does not stop there. Some people may already be engaged in some social tasks or ecological action, yet realize that there is another significant dimension that also needs to be addressed: One’s own peace with oneself, and one’s inner realization of why one is engaging in such action. So Zen has a very concrete way of guiding a person towards that deepening that would ground not only their own self-understanding, but also the realization of their connectedness with everything that is, with mountains and rivers and every sentient being.” – Ruben Habito |
Mission Statement
The Maria Kannon Zen Center is a non-profit corporation which offers a setting for people of various backgrounds and faith traditions to practice Zen. The members are bound together by a common commitment to cultivate wisdom and compassion. The center's primary commitment is to offer people an opportunity to practice Zen meditation as well as promote an ecumenical haven of diverse meditation forms for practitioners. For members who wish to practice beyond meditation, the Center offers an opportunity to offer their services to the larger community and provide activites with groups of common interests.
