Collection Guide
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Finding Aid for the Zen Center of Los Angeles records, 1937-2012 LSC.2299
LSC.2299
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Zen Center of Los Angeles records
Creator:
Zen Center of Los Angeles
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2299
Physical Description:
64.2 Linear Feet
(83 boxes, 5 cartons, 3 shoe boxes, 58 flat boxes, 2 oversize flat boxes, 1 phonograph box)
Date (inclusive): 1937-2012
Date (bulk): 1969-2006
Abstract: The Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA) was founded in 1967 by Taizan Maezumi. Associated with the Soto Zen sect, it provides
Buddhist teaching and training to both lay people and monks. This collection spans 1937-2012 and primarily consists of teaching
materials, which are both written materials and audio recordings. The collection also includes book manuscripts, Maezumi Roshi's
notebooks and personal files, and ZCLA administrative records.
Physical Location: Portions of the collection stored off-site. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. All requests to access
special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Language of Material: Material is predominantly in English and Japanese. There are also items in Chinese, Korean, French, German, and Spanish.
Portions of this collection are closed until the November 26, 2034 due to donor-imposed restrictions. Box 151 is unavailable
for access.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIOVISUAL AND DIGITAL MATERIALS: Digital and audiovisual materials are not currently available for
access and will require further processing and assessment. If you have questions about this material please email spec-coll@library.ucla.edu.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Zen Center of Los Angeles records (Collection 2299). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E.
Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Zen Center of Los Angeles, 2012.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9980306063606533
The Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA) was founded in 1967 by Taizan Maezumi Roshi. Associated with the Soto Zen sect, ZCLA
provides teaching and training to both lay people and monks. ZCLA provides classes, intensive meditation, Buddhist services,
workshops, and opportunities for service. Maezumi Roshi was born in Japan on February 24, 191. His father was Soto priest
and he was ordained as a novice monk in the Soto lineage at age eleven. He moved to the United States to serve as a priest
at the Zenshuji in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Maezumi Roshi also founded the White Plum Asanga and the Yokoji Zen Mountain
Center. He died unexpectedly while on a trip to Japan in 1995. As of 2017, the Center is under the direction of Roshi Wendy
Egyoku Nakao.
The collection spans 1937-2012, with the core of the collection consisting of teaching materials, which are in both written
form and audio recordings. There are dozens of manuscripts for these presentations, or
teishos, and approximately 2000 audio cassettes. There are also many book manuscripts in the form of drafts or galley proofs. These
include both original works in English and Japanese and translations from Japanese and Chinese. Some of the translations appear
to be unpublished. The collection also includes the personal notebooks of Maezumi Roshi. Mostly in Japanese, they appear to
contain the notes he kept while preparing his
teishos. There is also more personal material related to Maezumi Roshi, consisting of correspondence and many examples of his calligraphy.
Also present are many of the Center's publications, as well as its administrative and financial records.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
- Series 1. Teaching materials, 1970-2002
- Series 2. Book manuscripts, 1937-1992
- Series 3. Taizan Maezumi Roshi notebooks, 1973-1989
- Series 4. Taizan Maezumi Roshi personal files, 1969-1995
- Series 5. Publications and printed material, 1955-2012
- Series 6. Administrative files, 1969-2011
- Series 7. Financial records, 1974-1994
- Series 8. Audiovisual material, 1972-2006
- Series 9. Books and periodicals, 2005-2006
Ruth Strout McCandless Collection on Nyogen Senzaki (Collection 2296) . Available at Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Zen Buddhism -- United States.
Maezumi, Hakuyu Taizan -- Archives.
Zen Center of Los Angeles -- Archives