The Order of Clear Mind Zen, established in 2005, is a Zen Buddhist organization of socially engaged priests and practitioners who follow the Third Pure Precept, to "bring about abundant good." We are committed to Zen practice and believe a part of that practice is to support the health and well-being of all sentient beings.
Harvey Daiho Hilbert-roshi is founding abbot of the Order of Clear Mind Zen. Daiho Roshi received Shukke Tokudo in the year 2000. He received Dharma Transmission in 2005. He began studying Zen in 1966 after being shot in the head in combat in Vietnam. Roshi holds a Masters and PhD degree from Case Western Reserve University and is a Mensa member. He resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Roshi is an accomplished painter, teacher, and retired psychotherapist. His art work can be seen at Art by Daiho Roshi.
Hogaku Shozen McGuire-roshi was the founding abbot of Daibutsuji Zen Temple in Las Cruces (1987) and Cloudcroft (1998), New Mexico. Hogaku is Dharma Heir to Rev. Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi, the first Zen Master from Japan to establish a Zen Temple in the United States. Hogaku-roshi studied with Matsuoka-roshi in Long Beach, California from 1977 until he moved to New Mexico in 1983. Hogaku-roshi took Shukke Tokudo in 1984 and received Inka Shomei in 1987 from Matsuoka-roshi. In 1985 and 1986 he traveled to Japan with Matsuoka-roshi and was presented to the abbot of Sojiji. Recently, Rev. McGuire-Roshi was honored with the Transmission of Light Ceremony in the Vietnamese Rinzai Zen tradition by the Most Venerable Thich An Giao. Hogaku-roshi was elevated to the rank of Great Master which is equivalent to Bishop. Hogaku-roshi died June 24, 2012.
Rev. Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi (1912-1997) was a priest in a family of priests going back six centuries. He came to the United States in 1939 as an emissary of Sojiji Training Monastery first to Los Angeles, then to San Francisco. Matsuoka-roshi soon left San Francisco to go to New York where he worked with D T Suzuki at Columbia University. He then went to Chicago and established the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago in 1949.
Matsuoka taught everywhere he could: high schools, karate dojos, living rooms. He was relentless in his effort to bring the living Dharma to the United States. He wrote letters to newspapers, was a strong supporter of non-violence and de-segregation, and wrote letters in support of Rev. Martin Luther King’s civil disobedience
He had three disciples who went on to establish their own lineages: Kongo Langois-roshi in Chicago, Il. Taiun Elliston-roshi in Atlanta, Ga. and Hogaku McGuire-roshi in Long Beach, California. Kongo-roshi is considered the first American to be ordained as a Zen priest in 1967. Sometime after Matsuoka-roshi returned to California to establish his Zen Temple in Long Beach, he broke with Sotu Shu in Japan.
There are many rumors floating around the Internet and, unfortunately in print, regarding Matsuoka-roshi’s later years. After reviewing extant materials and personal interviews of those who actually knew and studied with Matsuoka-roshi, I believe much of the talk surrounding this true pioneer is in an effort to diminish his mission to create a truly American form of Zen in service to supporting the institutionalized version being transmitted from Japan.
Matsuoka-roshi taught Zazen. He taught basic forms. He chanted only the most essential sutras. He streamlined the training and progression of students so that they would have an opportunity to practice in roles and take on responsibilities they would not have been entitled to in an institutionalized context. His was a homegrown Zen, a practical Zen. He used Japanese terms sparingly and tried to make his Zen accessible to Americans.
Those who actually take the time to make a study of Matsuoka-roshi’s written record in two collections of his writings (“The Kyosaku” and “Moku-rai”) will soon discover the truth about this pioneer. He was a genuine Master and a fine teacher who held his students in higher esteem than they, themselves apparently did.