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Dr. Soyu Matsuoka (松岡 操雄, 1912—1997), along with Sokei-an and Nyogen Senzaki, was one of the first Zen teachers to make the United States his home, and was more than likely the first official representative of the Soto 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 substantial following comprised of Americans. Additionally, he gave Dharma transmission to one of the first American roshis—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. 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. Two exceptions to this perception are Langlois and another longtime student, Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center. Matsuoka died in 1997.[1][2][3]
[edit] See also
A tribute website can be found at http://mokurai.org/ .
- ^ Ford, 80-81
- ^ Prebish, 13
- ^ Williams, et al; 118
[edit] References
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