Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (Jiyu-Kennett, Shasta Abbey)
Western Soto Zen lineage founded by Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey, 1970). Distinctive monastic-style residential training. Some ex-monastic accounts of moderate-control patterns.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — Western Soto Zen lineage; some moderate-control documented around founder Jiyu-Kennett.
Profile facts
In context
Jiyu-Kennett brought a distinctive British style of Soto Zen to California, establishing Shasta Abbey in 1970. The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives operates monastic and lay programmes. Some ex-monastic accounts describe moderate-control patterns; the Order continues with reformed governance.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Sarlo's Guru Rating Service — Long-standing publicly-maintained guru-assessment site including critical material.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1970Shasta Abbey founded
- 1996Jiyu-Kennett dies
Sources
- Jiyu-Kennett, 'Selling Water by the River: A Manual of Zen Training' (Random House, 1972) search ↗
- Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, 'The Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives' (Shasta Abbey Press, 1990) search ↗
- Stuart Lachs, 'Lineage in Modern Soto Zen Buddhism' essays — independent critique of OBC governance search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J corrective: Moderate-band (CLCI 15) entry upgraded from Mainstream-comparator lighter palette to Eastern guru-led palette — Batch J's clci<21 fallthrough was too lean for the documented control vector of this category.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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