Saint Blanche

“Beginner’s mind is Zen practice in action. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgments and prejudices. Beginner’s mind is just present to explore and observe and see “things as they are.” I think of beginner’s mind as the mind that faces life like a small child, full of curiosity and wonder and amazement. “I wonder what this is? I wonder what that is? I wonder what this means?” Without approaching things with a fixed point of view or a prior judgment, just asking “What is it?” ~ Blanche Hartman

“I call Blanche a Buddhist saint. I mean it. Her simplicity, her kindness, her humility, her devotion, her love are, at this point in her life, pure, innocent, and complete. Her faculties are 100 percent sound, but she’s slower now, calmer and sweeter. She appreciates everyone, has something to give to everything. Everyone who meets her can see this right away. Above all, her faith in and love for Zen practice are perhaps deeper than they ever were, deeper than that of anyone else I know.

Blanche and I were coabbots together at the San Francisco Zen Center in the late 1990s. She was the first woman abbot, and I was the first of the younger generation that did not study with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. I do not recall a single disagreement or even an unsteady word between us. All I can remember is Blanche’s constant encouragement and appreciation. Though she began her practice as a capable, strong-willed, opinionated woman, she became a person of immense openness and generosity. I feel fortunate to know her, to have seen her deepen and grow over so many years, and to remain her friend. Each time I see her I am encouraged in my practice. I suspect the same is true of many others. The job of abbot is a saint’s job…” —ZOKETSU NORMAN FISCHER

“Blanche was chosen by the abbot, Zentatsu Richard Baker, to be the sewing teacher for the San Francisco Zen Center and given the time to train thoroughly with Joshin-san, who it was said selected Blanche because she understood “right angles.” Blanche took this new position on with a devotion that perhaps astounded everyone, herself included. Blanche came from a chemistry and engineering back-ground and was an airplane mechanic during World War II, and although the so-called womanly arts, that is, sewing, were never what she identified with, this somehow was not an obstacle to her dedication to this traditional form.

The effect of Blanche’s enthusiastic taking up of the practice of sewing Buddha’s robe, with intelligence and untiring devotion, would reach across a budding Buddhist world in the West. This has led to an invigorated and extensive core of sewing teachers and dedicated sewing students who now flow from her sewing lineage. Blanche not only learned how to protect and pass on Joshin-san’s sewing practice and teaching, she also learned and showed everyone how to take care of a teacher. With respect and commitment to the person herself, Blanche expressed her gratitude and did her best to requite that which can never fully be repaid, except by practicing wholeheartedly.

At a recent meeting of a group of sewing teachers held at Green Gulch Farm, Blanche showed a particular way of doing some aspect of the construction of Buddha’s robe. Everyone gathered around as she carefully, patiently, and lovingly worked with the materials and explained the process. I loved watching her hands slowly smooth the fabric and handle the needle and thread with precision and skill, and hearing her voice, so steeped in zazen sewing practice, passing on not only the steps of the procedure to the group but also the feeling of practice expressed in everyday activity.

Blanche was the first woman to serve as coabbot of the Zen center, starting her term in 1996. In 2000 I joined Blanche and served with her until she stepped down in 2002. How unusual and refreshing it seemed at the time to have two women in the main spiritual leadership positions at the San Francisco Zen Center. When Blanche led practice periods at Tassajara, she was able to be a firm and exacting teacher. Because she was always so warm and accepting of everyone, ready with hugs and smiles, she was able to ask so much of the students, who could not project onto her an image of the “tough Zen master.” She just asked with her “grandmother mind” (she was literally a grandmother) for what she felt was the best for their practice and offered what had been beneficial for her. The dharma gates of sitting all night, carrying the kyosaku stick, and following the schedule completely were her trademarks.

During her Mountain Seat Ceremony, in which she was installed as abbess, her husband, Lou, told a story of their courtship days. He had gotten a new car with a fancy rumble seat and he wanted to take Blanche for a ride—just the two of them, for a date. The only problem was that as they were riding along, every time Blanche saw a friend or someone she knew, she would call out to the person, “Come on! Join us! Come for a ride!” And that is the story of her practice to this day: “Come, you are welcome, join us, you are accepted and valued, I want to practice with you. I love you.”

After all of these years, Blanche continues to live in the City Center building. She always chose to live in community, attending zazen, always at meals, lecture, and service, and present at community meetings. And she has shown us how to age in community—doing the things one can do and letting go of others. For many years Blanche has conducted a well-being ceremony every morning in the Buddha hall, chanting to the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion for the protection of life for many, many people—steadfastly manifesting her practice, keeping her vows to live for the benefit of beings.

It is not possible to completely express in words how Blanche’s life and teachings have touched people. I know that she is loved and trusted and has brought the spirit of Suzuki Roshi’s way into her life and demonstrated it to countless people. Her many students are carrying on the spirit of helping others in their own unique way. I want to thank Blanche for being an example of the Shining Practice Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra, and for showing me the way. —EIJUN LINDA RUTH CUTTS

~ Zenkei Blanche Hartman, Seeds for a Boundless Life: Zen Teachings from the Heart
Zenkei Blanche Hartman (1926-2016) was a Soto Zen teacher practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. From 1996 to 2002, she served two terms as co-abbess of San Francisco Zen Center. A member of the American Zen Teachers Association, Hartman was especially known for her expertise in the ancient ritual of sewing a kesa. Hartman became known for her attention to issues women face, and as of 2011, she and her late husband Lou Hartman had four children, eight grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren.