ABSTRACT
This collection of papers came into being largely as a beginning attempt to engage in a dialogue between a group of Western psychotherapists-mostly psychoanalysts (the majority Jungian)—and teachers and scholars of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The Westerners made the trip to Japan because of their gratitude for, and informed curiosity about, Zen Buddhism. The Japanese participants were interested in hearing from Western psychotherapists about their involvement with Zen because the Japanese were impressed with the fact of such an involvement. The Western participants were largely long-time practitioners of Buddhism (mostly Zen)—familiar with both psychotherapy and meditation-whereas the Japanese participants practiced either Zen or psychotherapy. This hidden and sometimes provocative difference between Western and Japanese participants was unknown until the conference was underway, but it became obvious in many group discussions in which Westerners were eager to ask questions about Zen practice and meaning, but the Japanese respondents could not relate their answers to any aspect of psychotherapy because they were not familiar with it. Nor did they seem curious about it.
