On November 15, for the final lecture this semester in the Building Bridges Lecture Series, Zen Master Koho Vince Cousino Anila offered insight into the theory and practice of Zen Buddhism.
The Guiding Teacher of the Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple in Detroit, Koho came from a Catholic upbringing. He and his family had spent many years searching for a church that fit them, and it was during his time in college that Master Koho was first drawn to Buddhism. What started as the simple practice of sitting meditation eventually grew to a full immersion in the Buddhist philosophy, and in 2003 he was ordained a monk.
Having traveled extensively throughout the world, Master Koho has since made three pilgrimages to South Korea, the traditional home of his Zen lineage, where he is able to visit the temples and monasteries. Koho was enrolled in the HFCC Honor’s Program in the early 90’s and subsequently received his BA in English from Wayne State University. He is married and has a daughter and is an avid racing cyclist and writer.
Master Koho’s presentation was held in the Liberal Arts Building, and offered a small insight into Zen Buddhism and how it has affected his life.
“I read a couple of books I found in a used bookstore in Ann Arbor, highlighted the hell out of them, and it just made sense to me,” said Koho. “But the books I was reading were basically saying you have to practice this stuff, otherwise it’s just someone else’s ideas; it’s second-hand.”
Koho explained that practice and enlightenment in Buddhism are not separate things, but are two halves of the same coin.
“Zen really means just meditation; it could be anything. It could be bike riding, it could be washing dishes, it could be talking. It’s the practice of keen attention to one’s moment to moment living,” he said.
When asked about Buddhism and deities Koho said, “People asked [Buddha] his whole life about God, and he refused to answer. The reason he refused to answer questions about God is because his position is that God is never our ideas about God. God is not limited to what we say about God.”
With the end of the semester, the Building Bridges of Understanding Lecture Series has come to a temporary end. The series will resume in the Winter 2013 semester and will include lectures on Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism. A fourth mystery lecture will be held in April following the Building Bridges of Understanding Conference April 4 through 6. Until then, the organizing committee of the Building Bridges Project will continue to encourage and cajole the campus community to join in these efforts to foster peace, understanding and compassion within our midst.