Description
The Ruth Strout McCandless collection on Nyogen Senzaki contains materials related to Ruth McCandless' collaboration and association
with Nyogen Senzaki and the American Zen Buddhist movement. Senzaki (1876-1958) was a Japanese Zen monk who left Japan for
the United States in 1905. Senzaki lived in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s, and played an important
role in the formative years of the American Zen Buddhist movement. Ruth Strout McCandless was a South Pasadena resident who
in 1941 became a disciple of Senzaki and later became a major scholar of Japanese Buddhism studies in the United States. The
collection consists of correspondence, photographs, ephemera, books, business records, artwork, and textiles. Also included
are original manuscripts by Senzaki with transcriptions and edits by Ruth McCandless, correspondence from Senzaki to McCandless
during his incarceration in the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, a traditional Zen Buddhist Kesa robe, and a decorative
scroll used in Senzaki's ministry.
Background
Nyogen Senzaki (1876–1958), born Aizo Senzaki, was a Zen Buddhist monk and one of the first Zen masters to come to the United
States from Japan. He developed a following with his "floating zendo" model. Through his own writings, translations, and the
work of his students including Samuel L. Lewis and Robert Aitken, he has been regarded as one of the 20th century's leading
proponents of Zen Buddhism. His texts and translations, which aimed to make Zen Buddhist principles understandable and accessible,
were a large influence in their popularity and adaption in Western culture.
Extent
11.2 linear feet
(12 boxes, 3 cartons, 1 flat box, 1 oversize flat box, 1 roll storage box)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary 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.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.