Philosophy in Library Special Collections

Alan Wilson Watts (1915-1973) was a professor of comparative philosophy (1951-57), dean (1953-56), and writer and lecturer (1956-73) at the University of the Pacific, Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. He helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the U.S., was an author, and a presentor of radio lectures in syndication. The collection consists of notes of seminars and lectures given by Alan Watts in the Los Angeles area, transcribed by Marcella Scott Krisel from shorthand notes, typed, and in paper binders.

The Ruth Strout McCandless collection on Nyogen Senzaki contains materials related to Ruth McCandless's 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.

The Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) is a national organization of the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji sect in the continental United States. Formerly known as the Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA), the BCA is the largest Japanese American Buddhist organization and is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California. The collection includes correspondence between headquarters in the United States, Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji Headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, and individual temples, as well as meeting minutes and conference materials, education-related records, publications, financial records, and audiovisual materials in a wide variety of formats.

The Ruth Strout McCandless collection on Nyogen Senzaki contains materials related to Ruth McCandless's 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.

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.