Zen Sunday School?

As the Jewish high holy days approached, I found myself thinking about the future of Zen in America where religion is such a family thing. If Zen is going to engage broadly with American families, we are going to have to have something for the kids. It got me thinking about Sunday school and my experience. When Morri was little, Dee and I wondered how to support her spiritual development. Dee had found her spiritual home in the Hindu Christian world of the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda. I got to Zen practice with Dee’s support. We supported each other and were grateful for our ways. But what do we do about Morri’s spiritual development? I wondered, “Was there a Zen Sunday school?”

I called Roshi Bernie. He recognized the problem. He suggested that I start a Sunday school. I was no way ready for that. What did I know about schools for kids, especially little kids? Fortunately, SRF had a Sunday School, and we went with that option. It’s more than 20 years later, and I’m thinking about Sunday school again, albeit more abstractly. I search online for Zen Sunday schools and don’t find much.

Why is there such a void? I’m puzzled. Then I remember something I heard recently. Is it true that the average age of American Zen teachers is over 70?  Is it true that the average age of sangha members isn’t much younger? What do 70-year-olds need with a Sunday school? For the grandkids?

There may be a bigger problem here. Is Zen just a practice for aging flower children? Is Zen just a passing moment in America? Will it go the way of tie-dye and vinyl? Why aren’t there more young couples in the zendos? Does Zen practice conflict with the needs of a young family? Or is it a chicken and egg thing? Who’s going to start a nursery school if there are no sangha members with young kids? What parent of young kids is drawn to a path which fails to recognize their challenges and to offer support?