Joshu Sasaki Roshi (1907–2014)

Kyozan Joshu Sasaki (1907–2014) was a Japanese Rinzai Zen teacher who became one of the most influential and later controversial figures in American Buddhism.
Early Life & Training: Born into a farming family near Sendai, Japan, he became a novice at age 14. He trained for decades at Myoshin-ji, the headquarters of the largest branch of Rinzai Zen, and was ordained as a roshi in 1947.
Mission to America: He arrived in Los Angeles in 1962 at age 55, carrying only dictionaries and a vision to show more establish Rinzai practice in the West.
Establishment of Centers: He founded the Mount Baldy Zen Center in California (1971) and the Bodhi Manda Zen Center in New Mexico (1973). His rigorous style—marked by long meditation hours and traditional "koan" study—attracted thousands of students, most famously the poet and singer Leonard Cohen, who served as his personal assistant for years.
Sexual Misconduct Scandal: In 2012, a major scandal emerged when an independent panel and dozens of former students publicly accused him of decades of sexual abuse and coercion. While his organization eventually apologized for failing to intervene, he never publicly responded to the charges before his death. show less