Kodo Sawaki
Encyclopedia
is considered by some to be the most important Japan
ese Zen
master of the 20th century. His parents died early, and he grew up being adopted by a gambler and an ex-prostitute. When he was 16, he ran away from home to become a monk at Eihei-ji
, one of the two main temples of Sōtō Zen
. At first unsuccessful, he was finally ordained as a monk and began his Zen studies. Later, he started to give lectures and instructions in the practice of zazen
, and during the 1930s he served as a professor at Komazawa University
. At the same time, he also took responsibility for Antai-ji
, a zazen temple in northern Kyoto
. Because of his continuous travels throughout Japan to practice zazen with people everywhere, he began to be called "Homeless Kodo". Sawaki Roshi has been accused, along with several other WW2 era Zen monks, of supporting Japanese imperial aggression, although these charges appear groundless. Apparently Sawaki Roshi was skeptical of the Japanese war effort, in fact characterizing war in general as "useless". Sawaki Kodo Roshi died on December 21st, 1965, at Antaiji. He was succeeded by his closest disciple, Kosho Uchiyama
.
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...
ese 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...
master of the 20th century. His parents died early, and he grew up being adopted by a gambler and an ex-prostitute. When he was 16, he ran away from home to become a monk at Eihei-ji
Eihei-ji
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō sect of Zen Buddhism. Its founder was Eihei Dōgen. Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.- History :...
, one of the two main temples of 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...
. At first unsuccessful, he was finally ordained as a monk and began his Zen studies. Later, he started to give lectures and instructions in the practice of zazen
Zazen
In Zen Buddhism, zazen is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind, and be able to concentrate enough to experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment .- Significance :Zazen is considered the heart of Zen Buddhist practice...
, and during the 1930s he served as a professor at Komazawa University
Komazawa University
Komazawa University is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young monks of the Sōtō sect, one of the two main Zen Buddhist traditions in Japan.The university in Tokyo campus comprises eight faculties...
. At the same time, he also took responsibility for Antai-ji
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...
, a zazen temple in northern Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. Because of his continuous travels throughout Japan to practice zazen with people everywhere, he began to be called "Homeless Kodo". Sawaki Roshi has been accused, along with several other WW2 era Zen monks, of supporting Japanese imperial aggression, although these charges appear groundless. Apparently Sawaki Roshi was skeptical of the Japanese war effort, in fact characterizing war in general as "useless". Sawaki Kodo Roshi died on December 21st, 1965, at Antaiji. He was succeeded by his closest disciple, 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...
.