Soyu Matsuoka
Encyclopedia
Dr. Soyu Matsuoka along with Sokei-an
and Nyogen Senzaki
, was one of the first Zen
teachers to make the United States
his home, and possibly the first official representative of the Sōtō
tradition to do so. He established the Chicago Buddhist Temple in 1949 (now the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago), and in the 1960s grew a following of Americans
. Additionally, he gave Dharma transmission
to one of the first American heirs—Richard Langlois. In 1970 he left Chicago and moved to Long Beach, California
, where he continued to preside over other communities. Somewhere along the line Matsuoka and the Soto school of Japan
had some sort of falling out, and the two went their separate ways. Matsuoka held that Zen was a personal experience and the authority of the Soto Sect and its training monasteries (専門僧堂) had inhibited the practice of Zen. Over his tenure as a Zen teacher Matsuoka named many Dharma heirs, which has led many in the Zen community to question their qualifications as teachers. However, from extensive examination of Matsuoka's documentation, it is clear these critics may be mistaken (see note, Sampson). There are four living Dharma Heirs of Soyu Matsuoka: Hogaku Shozen McGuire, Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston,and Kaiten Johndennis Govert,Shogaku Zenshin Stephen Echard Musgrave,the later retired from the Zen institue of San Diego do to ill health. Matsuoka died in 1997.
Sokei-an
Sokei-an Shigetsu Sasaki , born Yeita Sasaki, was a Japanese Rinzai roshi who founded the Buddhist Society of America in New York City in 1930. Influential in the growth of Zen Buddhism in the United States, Sokei-an was one of the first Japanese masters to live and teach in America...
and Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki was a Rinzai Zen monk who was one of the 20th century's leading proponents of Zen Buddhism in the United States.-Early life:...
, was one of the first Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
teachers to make the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
his home, and possibly the first official representative of the Sōtō
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
tradition to do so. He established the Chicago Buddhist Temple in 1949 (now the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago), and in the 1960s grew a following of Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Additionally, he gave Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
to one of the first American heirs—Richard Langlois. In 1970 he left Chicago and moved to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, where he continued to preside over other communities. Somewhere along the line Matsuoka and the Soto school of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
had some sort of falling out, and the two went their separate ways. Matsuoka held that Zen was a personal experience and the authority of the Soto Sect and its training monasteries (専門僧堂) had inhibited the practice of Zen. Over his tenure as a Zen teacher Matsuoka named many Dharma heirs, which has led many in the Zen community to question their qualifications as teachers. However, from extensive examination of Matsuoka's documentation, it is clear these critics may be mistaken (see note, Sampson). There are four living Dharma Heirs of Soyu Matsuoka: Hogaku Shozen McGuire, Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston,and Kaiten Johndennis Govert,Shogaku Zenshin Stephen Echard Musgrave,the later retired from the Zen institue of San Diego do to ill health. Matsuoka died in 1997.