Soto Zen Community of Colombia, Okumura Roshi

Colombia Soto Zen Community's lineage

Since the origins of Buddhism until our days, the teachings have been transmitted in a direct way from teacher to disciple, form heart to heart.

In order to assure the continuity of a pure transmission it is necessary to keep a direct link with a live teacher.

Shohaku Okumura Roshi

He was born in Osaka, Japan in 1948. He studied Zen Buddhism at Komazawa University in Tokyo and was ordained by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi in 1970. They practiced together until 1975, when Rev. Okumura came to the United States. After practicing at the Pioneer Valley Zendo in Massachusetts until 1981, he returned to Japan, where he began translating Dogen Zenji's and Uchiyama Roshi's writings into English. Rev. Okumura was a teacher at the Kyoto Soto Zen Center and later at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has led sesshins and dharma study groups around the United States. In 1997 he was designated the director of the Soto Zen Education Center in Los Angeles, an office of the Administrative Headquarters of the Soto Zen School of Japan. The office has since changed its name and the location; today it is in San Francisco and is called Soto Zen Buddhism International Center, but Rev. Okumura is still its director, though he lives and practices at Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, IN. Rev. Okumura has translated many books, including "Shobogenzo Zuimonki", "Dogen Zen", "Zen Teachings of 'Homeless' Kodo", "Soto Zen. An Introduction to Zazen", "Wholehearted Way: A translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa", "Opening the Hand of Thought", "Nothing is Hidden: Essays on Zen Master Dogen's Instructions for the Cook”, "Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community: A Translation of Eihei Shingi" as well as Dogen's Extensive Record with Taigen Dan Leighton.