MBZC does not exist in isolation from those around it. In addition to the laypersons who come for longer or shorter times to learn about Zen, there are a number of other relationships that MBZC holds. These can be broadly divided into those with other centers in the Rinzai-ji, that is, those with others in the same sangha, or religious community, and those with secular persons and groups in the Los Angeles area.

Within the sangha of Rinzai-ji, all of the ordained monks and nuns have been students of the Roshi before moving on to serve in other places. Many of his students have gone to serve at and/or lead other Rinzai-ji centers. In addition to the Rinzai-ji Zen Center on Cimarron Street in Los Angeles, the Bodhidharma Zendo Wien, which has Genro as Acting Roshi, and the Bodhi Mandala Zen Center, which was founded in 1973 in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, other centers in the Rinzai-ji include centers in Albuquerque; La Cumbre, Puerto Rico; Ithaca, New York; Vancouver, Canada; and the most recent addition, in 1988, the Mt. Cobb Sai Sho Zen-ji, located a few hours north of San Francisco. Many of these are closely tied to the Roshi and view him as chief abbot, although each one also has its own abbot or vice-abbot, depending on how closely tied the center is to MBZC. There are other centers that relate to Rinzai-ji, where the Roshi is less involved, although we did not get a list of these (Brochure 1994). There is also some contact with various practitioners of Buddhism outside of Rinzai-ji, primarily through the academic seminars in New Mexico, and the Roshi's occasional trips to Japan.

Another area of contact comes as the lay participants at MBZC live and work in the surrounding communities. This is a fair size group of people who come to MBZC occasionally to study, but who spend most of their time elsewhere, taking with them what they have learned. While as a center, MBZC does not proselytize, the lay participants share their experiences with others around them who seek enlightenment. For instance, Margerie Edgren, who works in the medical field, is a lay nun and is starting her own center in Fullerton. "I have a few people, about three or four, who sit with me. I have a downstairs bedroom that I converted into a zendo, with benches and cushions for 17 people to sit. If people don't come, it doesn't matter; the zendo will do me good" (1994).

Outside of the world of Buddhism, MBZC relates to the people of the Los Angeles area in a variety of ways, though the closest connections are to the residents of Mount Baldy. In addition to accepting donations, charging for sesshins, and selling bread, robes, and cushions, another way MBZC earns income is by working in the Mount Baldy area, doing a number of things. For instance, MBZC is under contract to the Forest Service to maintain water service to the Mount Baldy community. This task of overseeing the plumbing is not an easy one. Kido has been trained as the plumber at MBZC; he is the one who is called whenever there's a problem. The water system is extremely old. It was put in in the 1920's or 1930's. And there have been several floods and other assorted natural disasters up here...And so the plumbing not only is not very well known, it's kind of a mystery to everybody, but because of all that shifting for one reason or another, floods, earthquakes, landslides, a lot of plumbing's gotten destroyed or moved around. And so there will be times like, maybe two or three years ago, where it was bitter cold up here. It got down to about seven degrees or something. And so a lot of pipes froze. And so then, I'm out working with the townies, or out working with a lot of the other members of the community. Because, of course, everybody needs water. There's about a hundred and twenty cabins and I've worked on a fair amount of them" (1994a).

The Cabin Owners Association pays MBZC for repairs such as those Kido described. The COA also holds its meetings at MBZC.

In addition to plumbing, the monks also work during Seikan at jobs for cabin owners, such as minor repairs and yardwork. And, as mentioned earlier, the monks are a key part of the annual Mount Baldy Fire Department Steak Fry. The acceptance they are given, not to mention the steak and beer, speaks volumes for their relationship to the Mount Baldy community.

In the larger Los Angeles community, in addition to begging, MBZC also offers its facilities for rent to groups during Seikan. The monks cook for the groups, which may take over most of the buildings. Some groups return year after year. Groups who come include dance troupes, AA retreats, martial arts classes, yoga classes, a Ba'hai group, and various church groups. The money earned from such groups is necessary for MBZC to keep its buildings maintained. Other contact with the wider community comes when the monks are asked to speak to various groups about their faith. They speak annually at Claremont High School and Rancho Palos Verdes High School. They also make themselves available to Claremont Colleges students who are interested in researching Zen.

MBZC, while often very isolated simply by its location, nevertheless has good relations with its neighbors and a good reputation in the community. That is not a thing to be taken lightly, since it does represent a challenge to the normal American way.