Issho Fujita
Encyclopedia
was born in Niihama, Japan
and was head teacher at Sōtō Zen
practice center Pioneer Valley Zendo
in Charlemont, MA. Fujita did studies in Child psychology at Tokyo University, but abandoned these studies and became a Zen monk. At 29, Fujita was ordained as a Zen priest at Antai-ji temple
by Koho Watanabe, dharma heir of Kosho Uchiyama
.
In 1987, Fujita took over role as head abbot at Pioneer Valley Zendo, where he lived with his wife Naomi and their children, Saki and Masumi, until his return to Japan in 2005. He is currently living in Hayama, Kanagawa prefecture.
News article with updated info (2/19/11) - Monk brings global view to Buddhism | The Japan Times Online
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...
and was head teacher at Sōtō Zen
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...
practice center Pioneer Valley Zendo
Pioneer Valley Zendo
Pioneer Valley Zendo is a Soto Zen zendo established in 1976 in Charlemont, MA as a sister-temple to Antai-ji in Japan, where Kosho Uchiyama was roshi. Koshi Ichida, Eishin Ikeda and Shohaku Okumura were the zendo's original founders, and the place was run by Reverend Issho Fujita from 1987 until...
in Charlemont, MA. Fujita did studies in Child psychology at Tokyo University, but abandoned these studies and became a Zen monk. At 29, Fujita was ordained as a Zen priest at Antai-ji temple
Antai-ji
is a Buddhist temple that belongs to the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. It is located in the town of Shin'onsen, Mikata District, in northern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, where it sits on about 50 hectares of land in the mountains, close to a national park on the Sea of Japan...
by Koho Watanabe, dharma heir of Kosho Uchiyama
Kosho Uchiyama
was a Sōtō priest, origami master, and the former abbot of Antaiji near Kyoto, Japan.The author of more than twenty books on Zen Buddhism and origami—of which Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice is best-known—Uchiyama graduated from Waseda University with a masters...
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In 1987, Fujita took over role as head abbot at Pioneer Valley Zendo, where he lived with his wife Naomi and their children, Saki and Masumi, until his return to Japan in 2005. He is currently living in Hayama, Kanagawa prefecture.
See also
- Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesTimeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesBelow is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.-Early history:* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago...
News article with updated info (2/19/11) - Monk brings global view to Buddhism | The Japan Times Online