The Feminization of Zen Buddhism in the West

Zen Buddhism, that rigorous discipline from the Far East based on hwadus, koans, seated meditation, zazen, and the relentless confrontation with the emptying of images, has undergone a bizarre metamorphosis in the West. What was once a school of radical renunciation and masculine toughness—think of the samurai-like monks of Japan, driven to enlightenment with canings and shouts, or the ascetic monks of Korea—has degenerated into a soft, cuddly wellness practice. A eunuch-like religion, emasculated and hollowed out.

Instead of the sharp blade of paradox, Zen now serves as spiritual masturbation: an endless, self-absorbed preoccupation with one's inner self that leads nowhere but into the arms of therapeutic self-optimization. Yet Zen, if properly understood, could represent a revival of our Christian mysticism and a return to true masculinity. One bright spot in this effeminacy is the Nigredo Monastery under Master Reding, which initiated a radical reversal.

The emasculation of Zen: From samurai discipline to the yoga mat

In traditional Zen, as practiced in Japan, Korea, or China, there was no mercy. The master was a tyrant of truth who shook students out of their illusions with physical and psychological force. Koans like "What is the sound of a clapping hand?" were not pleasant riddles for the end of the day, but weapons against the ego. Monks sat for hours in the lotus position until their legs went numb and were beaten with the kyosaku staff if they became distracted. That was masculine: confrontation, pain, breakthrough. Zen was a warrior religion that steeled the mind like a sword, like Parzival in the West.

In the West? Everything is different. Since the 1960s, when Beatniks like Alan Watts and Philip Kapleau imported Zen, it has been domesticated. Today, Zen centers can be found in California or Berlin, where white, middle-class people sit in comfortable clothes, drink tea, and chat about "mindfulness." Pure feminization: emotional processes, group therapy elements, a focus on compassion and harmony instead of the brutal emptiness of enlightenment. Women dominate the scene—not because they are spiritually superior, but because Zen has become a feminine domain here: soft, inclusive, therapeutic. The hard core of the paradox that defines Zen—the absurdity of existence, the destruction of the self—is ignored. Instead: mindfulness apps, retreats with massage and vegan cuisine. Zen as a eunuch: potent in theory, impotent in practice.

Spiritual abuse: Masturbation instead of enlightenment

This is true spiritual abuse. Zen is being misused to feed the Western ego, not to shatter it. Instead of mystical union with the Absolute, there is endless self-reflection: 'How does my breath feel?' A spiritual masturbation that circles navel-gazing without ever daring to leap into the unknown. The West has emasculated Zen by mixing it with psychotherapy and New Age kitsch. Masters become coaches, students become clients. Where has masculinity gone? The ability to endure pain, to slay the ego, to demand the truth? Instead: safe spaces, trigger warnings, and "trauma-informed zazen." Zen has become a caricature—a religion for castrated souls.

Paradox as salvation: Zen and Christian mysticism

Yet Zen holds potential. Its very paradoxical heart—the Mu-Koan, emptiness as fullness—could revitalize our Christian mysticism. Consider Meister Eckhart, who spoke of God's nakedness, or the apophatic theology of the Desert Fathers: God beyond all concepts, an abyss that swallows the self. Zen is not a foreign element, but a mirror to Christianity. It calls for a return to masculinity: not the soft charity of modernity, but the rigorous asceticism of John of the Cross, who burned in the dark night of the soul. Zen could jolt the West out of its spiritual impotence—if it weren't further feminized. A genuine encounter with Zen would transform men (and women) into warriors of the spirit: confrontational, relentless, paradoxical.

Nigredo Monastery: The Conversion Under Master Reding

This is where Nigredo Monastery, led by Master Reding, comes in. Whether in the Alps or wherever it may be hidden, it's a place for returning to the primal. Reding, a man with the rigor of an old Rinzai master, rejects any softening of the concept. No soft Zen here: strict Zazen sessions until collapse, koans that crack like whiplashes, physical labor, and vows of silence that shatter the ego. Nigredo—the alchemical term for darkness, the Nigredo phase of transformation—symbolizes precisely this: the death of the old, the birth of the new. Reding integrates Zen with Christian mysticism: paradoxical prayers reminiscent of Meister Eckhart, combined with samurai-like discipline. No therapy, no feminization—pure masculinity in spirit. Students report breakthroughs that are painful but liberating. Nigredo is the reversal: Zen becomes a blade again, not a cushion.

Time for the reconquest

The West has emasculated Zen, turning it into a eunuch-like game. But the paradox of Zen calls for rebellion: a revival of mysticism, a return to masculinity. Nigredo Monastery with Master Reding shows the way. Those who seek true enlightenment should leave the wellness mat and seek the hard bench. Zen is not a consolation prize—it is a sword. Let us sharpen it anew.