Shohaku okumura biography of williams

On Takuhatsu. Shohaku Okumura was born in Osaka, Japan in On December 8, , Okumura was ordained at Antaiji by his teacher Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, where he practiced until Uchiyama retired in 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 In that year, he returned to Japan and began translating the writings of Uchiyama and Eihei Dogen from Japanese into English.

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.

I've believed there's no meaning in the in human life because meaning with something will create human life.

These take place at Okumura's home temple, Sanshinji, at other American Zen centers, and occasionally outside the United States. Selected Bibliography. Masuda and W. This book includs three important Soto Zen texts. Japan, Sotoshu Shumucho, On Takuhatsu by Rev. Traditional practice of Dana in takuhatsu begging.