Film on the life of a Jesuit Zen Master

A new documentary on the life of Irish-American Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy SJ » who is also a Zen Buddhist Master, was shown in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar, Dublin, on Sunday 15 December 2024. Click here to watch the trailer ».

The film, entitled Are We One, is the work of award winning documentary-maker Dónal Ó Ceilleachair. It traces the sharing of Zen meditation as part of Robert Kennedy life’s work, and that of his successors and student. It is a contemporary exploration of interfaith dialogue and co-operation based on the common ground of human experience.

The screening was followed by a lively Q&A with Dónal Ó Céilleachair and executive producer and contributor Miriam Healy. It was hosted by writer Michael Harding, who described the film as “a jewel to behold”.

Turlough O’Donnell, one of the producers of the film and a friend of the Jesuits, says, “Robert Kennedy SJ sees it as a duty of the Jesuits to bring gifts to the church. Robert brought Zen as his gift.”

Turlough adds that the movie is spacious and allows for dialogue, and it is his hope that the follow-up conversation might allow for significant exploration of some of the important questions that it evokes. “Questions like: Is Zen the gift that the church might need? Or, how can we even approach an understanding of the ‘nada, nada, nada’ of John of the Cross without Zen?” He says that Father Kennedy’s teaching over the years and Zen practice help us understand the stillness of St Kevin of Glendalough and the insights of the mystics.

Turlough describes Roshi Robert Kennedy, now 90 years old, as a “brave and inspirational man who deserves the support of his fellow Jesuits and their friends and colleagues.”

Brendan McManus SJ was one of many in attendance on the night. He said: “I was delighted to attend the Irish premiere of We Are One tonight in the IFI Dublin. It’s an inspiring documentary about Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy’s transformative mission to foster unity and compassion across divides. Through personal stories of becoming a Zen Master and those he taught, the film highlights his profound impact on developing teachers to work with marginalized communities, offering a powerful message of hope and the strength of collective humanity.”

Roger Haight, the Former President of the Catholic Theological Society of America has described the work as ‘revelatory.’ whilst actor, broadcaster and comedian Tommy Tiernan simply says it’s ‘beautiful’.

When Robert was visiting Ireland he gave this interview to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications » In it he speaks of how he first became a Jesuit and his posting in Tokyo, Japan as a missionary. He spent a number of years there before returning to the United States. He explains how a formative experience he had, totally out of the blue in America, led to his rediscovering the true power of the Buddhism he had encountered in Japan.