Oka Sotan

Oka Sotan was an influential Zen teacher who lived from 1860 - 1921. His students included Kodo Sawaki and Ian Kishizawa who was Shunryu Suzuki's teacher at Eiheiji. Sotan founded the famous Kyoto monastery Antai-ji in 1921.

丘 (大潤) 宗潭 Oka (Daijun) Sōtan (1860-1921) — 1st abbot of Antaiji

Oka Sotan on the right who gave transmission to Kodo Sawaki on the left.

As a young monk, Shunryu Suzuki met this revered teacher when Oka Sotan visited Zounin, Gyokujun So-on, Shunryu's master's temple. Later Shunryu praised Oka Sotan's teaching as the root teaching for him and many of the senior and contemporary priests that he respected. His master So-on had studied with Sotan. Sotan gave transmission to the famous Kodo Sawaki, and he was both dharma brother and teacher of Ian KIshizawa.

A Kishizawa Ian story maybe referring to Oka Sotan.

Oka (Daijun) Sotan (1860-1921); Nishiari (Kin'ei) Bokusan (1821-1910); Hioki (Ishitsu) Mokusen (1837-1920) Photo taken at Shuzenji, 1905 - from Terebess.hu

Charlie Pokorny wrote:

When I made the SZBA chart I tried to track down Oka Sotan's transmission lineage but I could not find it. I found this in my notes from back then (I'm not sure where I found this):
Oka Daijun Sotan: "Temple: Shuzen-ji, Izu Shizuoka. The ex-president of Soto-shu College. The founder of Antai-ji, Kyoto. Pen name: Karyu. Dharma transmission from Token Mitetsu. Also studied Shobogenzo under Bokuzan Kinei. He became a president of the Soto University in 1918. He was a master of Kyugaku Oka, Kodo Sawaki and Eko Hashimoto. The founder of Antai-ji in Kyoto."
(Note that "He was a master of..." does not necessarily refer to dharma transmission. I think it can just indicate some teaching/training relationship.)

That Oka Sotan gave transmission to Kodo Sawaki and Ian Kishizawa is not disputed by anyone I know of. - DC

See a lineage chart Bill Shurtleff made for Oka Sotan in Japan in the early 70s. He added another heir - Hashimoto Eko.

Ancestors and Heirs page

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Shunryu Suzuki on Oka Sotan

When he was very young, not yet a monk, at Zounin with his master Syokujun So-on

At that time I saw famous a Zen master-- Oka Sotan-- and his disciple Oka Kyugaku,18 and those famous teachers were there. I was fortunate to see them, even though I-- I didn't know they were so famous. But training was very strict. Oka Sotan Roshi was a-- did not become a archbishop, but under him we have many noted scholars and monks and Zen masters. He is, maybe, the-- one of the most important person in our Soto history in Meiji period. Yasutani Roshi's, you know, grand-teacher is Oka Roshi. And my-- of course, my master's teacher is Oka Roshi. And Eto [Sokuo]-- Professor Eto's teacher was Oka Roshi. And there is numberless powerful teacher under him-- appeared under him. So I think I was lucky to be there. And I was encouraged by-- by them. - - 69-09-16

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So far as I know, Oka Sotan Roshi, you know, was the-- all the source of-- source of all the teachers, you know-- source of power of all the teachers. Tatsugami Roshi, you know, studied under Harada Roshi. Harada Roshi's, you know, teacher was Oka Sotan. My teacher was Kishizawa Roshi, and my master was Suzuki So-on, and their teacher was, you know, Oka Sotan Roshi. Yoshimura Roshi's teacher, you know, is Hashimoto Roshi. Hashimoto Roshi's teacher is Oka Sotan Roshi, you know.

At Komazawa [University] there were, you know, good scholar of Buddhism-- Eto Sokuo. He was my classmate-- my teacher's classmate-- master's [Gyokujun So-on's] classmate when they were studying at Komazawa. At that time, Oka Sotan Roshi was head of Komazawa.

So if we, you know-- things didn't happen, yeah, to Zen Center just by chance. If we don't know what to do, if we study, you know, Oka Roshi's teaching, Kishizawa Roshi's teaching, or [Kodo] Sawaki Roshi's [?] teaching, you know. Answer is there.

[Tape changed.]

-- you know, came from one source. He was a really great, you know, teacher. Not only he was a great teacher for his disciples, but also for laymen who studied under him he was a great, you know, teacher.

I wanted to tell you, you know, something about how to extend our shikantaza to your everyday life, you know, today, right now. But-- and I-- I, you know-- I take out the interpretation of precepts by Oka Sotan Roshi. And I read, you know, preface of it [laughs], preface, which was written by Kishizawa Roshi. And in the introduction of, written by Kishizawa Roshi for Oka Sotan Roshi's interpretation of precepts, he referred to Oka Roshi's, you know, precepts lineage, which was wrong [laughs]. Which was wrong.

Kishizawa Roshi knew, you know, under the, you know, many-- after many years study under Oka Roshi, what is right lineage. Lineage should be like this, he knew-- Kishizawa Roshi knew what-- how it should be. But Oka Roshi's, you know, his teacher's lineage was wrong because Dogen Zenji's lineage consist of two lineage: Rinzai and Soto. And came to Dogen Zenji one from Nyojo-- [from the] Soto lineage. Another is from Myozen-- Rinzai master, disciple of Eisai.

But his lineage is just Soto, you know-- Oka Roshi's. So, you know, Kishizawa Roshi have to ask him why. “Why is this, you know? It is wrong,” you [he] said, “But your lineage is wrong” [laughs]. “What is that?” you know. When he asked him, you know, Oka Sotan Roshi, you know, his face changed, and tears came down from his eyes. “Yes, it is wrong.” And he started to talk about his lineage.

When Oka Roshi was young, he wanted to go to Komazawa University-- Komazawa College-- you know, to study Buddhism. He wanted to go there. But his master Token did not allow him or could not afford to send Oka Roshi to school, so he didn't say yes so easily. So, you know, he said, you know, “I want to study hard and become a good teacher and give precepts, you know, jukai-- ojukai-- having ojukai-e and precepts to many people, so let me study more.” And his master Token was pleased: “Okay, then you can go.”

But after he finished schooling, he came back. At that time he was making, you know, wood print, you know, for lineage, you know, to make, you know, lineage paper, okechimyaku. Some of you already received my okechimyaku when you received, you know, rakusu. His master was making which is wrong, so Oka Roshi explained, you know, in detail, it should not be like this, you know. It should not be just lineage of Soto, it should be Rinzai and Soto.

His teacher agreed: “Okay, maybe I was wrong, but,” you know, “this lineage is the lineage which Kankei Zenji had”-- also famous teacher-- ”Kankei Zenji had. So according to Kankei Zenji's lineage, my lineage is not wrong. But if Dogen Zenji's lineage is like that, it should be like that,” you know, he said. So-- and then-- and he said, “I will make another wood print.”

But Kishizawa Roshi-- you know, when he came back and saw him-- when Kishizawa Roshi-- Oka Roshi saw him again, he, you know, he had-- he was making-- he finished half of it already, which was quite good. And his-- Token-- his teacher-- Sotan Roshi's teacher went to some specialist to make it and studied how to make it and, you know, tried to do it again.

But as Oka Roshi came back, you know, he made it although it was not complete. But he made it. And show it to him. At that time, you know, Oka Roshi ag- now-- his face changed again, and tears came down, especially when he said, “This is the okechimyaku,” you know, “lineage paper for you when you have big,” you know, “ojukai-e. This is for you.” When he said so, he almost cried and teacher and disciple cried, you know-- what do you say-- hugging and cried.

And then teacher said-- Oka Roshi said, “This lineage paper is okay, although it is not,” you know, “exactly [as] Dogen Zenji had it. It is okay. As long as,” you know, “this wood last, I will use it.” So that is why Oka Roshi's lineage paper is wrong. Because it was wrong, Kishizawa Roshi accused [him], you know, why [that] it is wrong. So when he was accused, again he [Oka] cried. Oka Roshi was that kind of person. It is not usual, you know, scholar or usual great Zen master. Not usual at all-- very unusual. When, you know, why we say Dogen Zenji is so great is not because of Shobogenzo maybe, but because of his sincere practice, not only as a Zen master but also as a man, you know, as a human. He was the most sincere student of Buddhism. Oka Roshi was that kind of teacher, you know.

I didn't know actually, you know, what we should do with our old okesa after, you know, Yoshida Roshi show us which-- how should be right traditional okesa, you know. I didn’t know what to do. But, you know, when I took out [Oka Roshi's book on the precepts], I didn’t know idea of solving this problem, you know, by Oka Roshi's help. But when I, you know-- I wanted to know what will be the interpretation of precepts not to act [do] unchaste act, you know. So I wanted to know about it. But what I found out is that, you know, preface [by Kishizawa Zenji], you know, I haven't read that part. It was just, I thought, it is just introduction [laughs]. But, you know, when I need it, you know, it appears in front of me like that. You may say that is just by chance, but I don't feel in that way [laughs]. If you say things happen just by chance, you know, all the things happen just by chance [laughs]. When we don't know, we say, “Things happen by chance." - 71-06-09

When Oka Sotan Roshi was young boy [laughs], his teacher, Token Roshi, told him to buy bean curd, you know. So he went to the store. On the way, he saw, you know, picture for advertising acrobatic [laughs] theater, and he was standing, seeing the various picture in front of the building. And while he was watching it [laughs], he heard, you know, bell of his own temple. It was sign of meal time [laughs]. He was supposed to come back to the temple with bean curd and cook [laughs]-- finish cooking before meal time, but he was watching the picture so long time without knowing what time it was. Hearing the bell, he noticed, you know, his duty-- what was his duty. So he, you know, dashed in the store. “Give me tofu!” [Laughs.] As soon as old [laughs] man gave it all to him, he dashed back. But on the way what he noticed was he left his hat [laughs] in the store. So he ran back again to the store. “Give me! Give me! Give me!” And the old man said-- old woman said, “What?” “Give me!” He didn't s[ay], you know-- he meant his hat, but, you know, he was so-- his mind was so busy [laughs, laughter] and the word “hat” didn't come out. “Give me! Give me! Give me!” “What? What? What?” [Laughs, laughter.] And at last he could say “my hat.” “Oh, your hat is on your head! What is matter with you?” [Laughs, laughter.] Again he dashed back to his temple with his hat. That was the story, you know [laughs].

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The precept is something like his hat. Precept is always on his head [laughs]. Because he tried to find out, you know, because he wanted to say “hat” or “precepts,” you know, it doesn't work, you know. If he has always, you know, his hat, then nothing to, you know, think about it. That is actually how we should keep our precepts. So we rather put, you know, an emphasis on actual practice or zazen, how to be concentrated on what we do, moment after moment.

71-06-12