Kyudo Nakagawa

Kyudo Nakagawa
Religion Zen Buddhism
School Rinzai
Other name(s) Kyudo (Dharma name)
Personal
Nationality Japanese
Born February 12, 1927(1927-02-12)
Ichijima-cho, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Died December 29, 2007(2007-12-29) (aged 80)
Senior posting
Based in Soho Zen Buddhist Association
Title Roshi
Predecessor Soen Nakagawa

Kyudo Nakagawa (中川 球童, February 12, 1927—December 29, 2007), or Nakagawa Kyūdō, was a Japanese-born Rinzai roshi who for many years led Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc. in Manhattan's Lower East Side. A Dharma heir of the late Soen Nakagawa[1]—who is of no familial relation—Kyudo first became a Zen monk at age eight. He undertook Buddhist studies at Japan's renowned Komazawa University and entered Gukei-ji.[2] Then, at age thirty, Kyudo entered Ryutaku-ji temple and trained under Soen Nakagawa. In 1968 he moved to Jerusalem to lead a center Soen had opened in Israel called Kibutsu-ji, where he stayed on for thirteen years. Kyudo then returned to Ryutaku-ji briefly and moved to New York City, where he led the Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc. He also made occasional trips to England now and then to lead the London Zen Society.[3] After Soen Roshi's death in 1984, Sochu Suzuki Roshi became abbot of Ryutaku-ji. When Sochu Roshi died in 1990, Kyudo became abbot of Ryutaku-ji. He died on December 29, 2007 at the age of eighty.[2] The Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc. in Manhattan closed its practice center, the Soho Zendo at 464 West Broadway, following Kyudo's death. Among others, he trained Lawrence Shainberg, author of Ambivalent Zen, which discusses Kyudo's teachings and provides an intimate portrait of this Zen master.[4] A collection of Kyudo Nakagawa, Roshi's talks can be found on line here: http://www.engaged-zen.org/articles/Kyudo.html

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See also

Notes

  1. ^ Brazier, 171
  2. ^ a b Fisher; 35
  3. ^ Snelling, 205
  4. ^ Shainberg

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