Shohaku Okumura
Encyclopedia
Shohaku Okumura is a Japanese
Soto Zen priest and the founder and guiding teacher of the Sanshin Zen Community
(Sanshinji) located in Bloomington, Indiana
, where he and his family currently live. From 1997 until 2010, Okumura also served as Director of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco, California
, which is an administrative office of the Soto school of Japan
(formerly located in Los Angeles California under the name North American Soto School in Los Angeles).
in Tokyo, Japan, where he studied Zen Buddhism. On December 8, 1970, Okumura was ordained at Antaiji by his teacher Kosho Uchiyama
, where he practiced until Uchiyama retired in 1975. He then traveled to the United States
, where he co-founded Pioneer Valley Zendo
in Massachusetts
and continued Uchiyama's style of zazen practice there until 1981. In that year, he returned to Japan and began translating the writings of Uchiyama and Eihei Dogen from Japanese
into English
. Prior to founding the Sanshin Zen Community, in 1996, he was a teacher at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
,
and at the Kyoto Soto Zen Center, in Japan.
, he leads four intensive study retreats (called genzo-e) each year, which are dedicated to particular fascicles of Dogen's Shōbōgenzō
. These take place at Okumura's home temple, Sanshinji, at other American Zen centers, and occasionally outside the United States. Okumura's wife, Yuko, serves as the sewing teacher at Sanshin Zen Community, continuing the nyoho-e style of okesa and rakusu
sewing that was encouraged by Uchiyama's teacher, Kodo Sawaki
. The author James Ishmael Ford
describes Shohaku Okumura as, "...a tireless worker bridging the gap between Japanese and non-Japanese practice communities."
("Dharma transmission") from Okumura: Chiko Corona (Los Angeles, CA), Shotai de la Rosa (Daishin Zendo Hialeah, FL), Densho Quintero (Comunidad Soto Zen de Colombia Bogotá, Colombia), Shoju Mahler (Zendo L'eau Vive Alès, France), and Shoryu Bradley. Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston (Atlanta Soto Zen Center) has also received transmission from Okumura to further legitimize the sometimes disputed Soto lineage of Soyu Matsuoka
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Soto Zen priest and the founder and guiding teacher of the Sanshin Zen Community
Sanshin Zen Community
Sanshin Zen Community is a Soto Zen sangha in Bloomington, IN founded in 1996 by Shohaku Okumura. The style of practice at this zendo follows the lineage of Kosho Uchiyama-roshi and his teacher, Kodo Sawaki-roshi, who founded Antaiji temple, and greatly simplified the Soto Zen forms used there...
(Sanshinji) located in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, where he and his family currently live. From 1997 until 2010, Okumura also served as Director of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, which is an administrative office of 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...
(formerly located in Los Angeles California under the name North American Soto School in Los Angeles).
Biography
Shohaku Okumura was born in Osaka, Japan in 1948. He received his education at Komazawa UniversityKomazawa 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...
in Tokyo, Japan, where he studied Zen Buddhism. On December 8, 1970, Okumura was ordained at Antaiji by his teacher 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...
, where he practiced until Uchiyama retired in 1975. He then traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he co-founded 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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and continued Uchiyama's style of zazen practice there until 1981. In that year, he returned to Japan and began translating the writings of Uchiyama and Eihei Dogen from Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Prior to founding the Sanshin Zen Community, in 1996, he was a teacher at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
,
and at the Kyoto Soto Zen Center, in Japan.
Teaching
Okumura has dedicated his life to zazen and to the study and translation of Dogen's writings. Among contemporary Zen teachers, he offers the unique perspective of a practitioner who is active in both the Japanese and Western Soto Zen communities, as well as insights that come from his translation work. The two main focuses of Okumura's teaching career have been sharing the zazen practice of his teacher Kosho Uchiyama and giving extensive commentaries on the works attributed to Dogen. In addition to sesshinsSesshin
A sesshin , literally "touching the heart-mind" , is a period of intensive meditation in a Zen monastery....
, he leads four intensive study retreats (called genzo-e) each year, which are dedicated to particular fascicles of Dogen's Shōbōgenzō
Shobogenzo
The term Shōbōgenzō has three main usages in Buddhism: It can refer to the essence of the Buddha's realization and teaching, that is, to the Buddha Dharma itself, as viewed from the perspective of Mahayana Buddhism, it is the title of a koan collection with commentaries by Dahui Zonggao, and it...
. These take place at Okumura's home temple, Sanshinji, at other American Zen centers, and occasionally outside the United States. Okumura's wife, Yuko, serves as the sewing teacher at Sanshin Zen Community, continuing the nyoho-e style of okesa and rakusu
Rakusu
The rakusu is a traditionally Japanese garment worn around the neck of Zen Buddhists who have taken the precepts. It can also signify . It is made of 16 or more strips of cloth, sewn together into a brick-like pattern by the student during their period of preparation for their jukai or ordination...
sewing that was encouraged by Uchiyama's teacher, Kodo Sawaki
Kodo Sawaki
is considered by some to be the most important Japanese 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...
. The author James Ishmael Ford
James Ishmael Ford
James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948...
describes Shohaku Okumura as, "...a tireless worker bridging the gap between Japanese and non-Japanese practice communities."
Dharma heirs
In recent years, several priests have received shihoShiho
refers to a series of ceremonies in Sōtō Zen Buddhism wherein which a priest receives full transmission, inheriting the Dharma from his/her master and becoming empowered to transmit the precepts and lineage to others. A shiho ceremony can last anywhere from one to three weeks, with the final...
("Dharma transmission") from Okumura: Chiko Corona (Los Angeles, CA), Shotai de la Rosa (Daishin Zendo Hialeah, FL), Densho Quintero (Comunidad Soto Zen de Colombia Bogotá, Colombia), Shoju Mahler (Zendo L'eau Vive Alès, France), and Shoryu Bradley. Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston (Atlanta Soto Zen Center) has also received transmission from Okumura to further legitimize the sometimes disputed Soto lineage of Soyu Matsuoka
Soyu Matsuoka
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 , and in the 1960s grew a following of...
.
See also
- Buddhism in JapanBuddhism in JapanThe history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the Nara period , the Heian period and the post-Heian period . Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools...
- Buddhism in the United StatesBuddhism in the United StatesBuddhism is one of the largest religions in the United States behind Christianity, Judaism and Nonreligious, and approximate with Islam and Hinduism. American Buddhists include many Asian Americans, as well as a large number of converts of other ethnicities, and now their children and even...
- 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...