By Cassidy Gersten
Nestled at the edge of a lush park sits the Atlanta Soto Zen Center (ASZC) of Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1977 by Reverend Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston, the ASZC prides itself on being one of the largest Zen centers in America. The ASZC is associated with Soto Zen, which originates from Japan and is related to a form of Zen Buddhism rooted in China. Additionally, the ASZC is part of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association–an organization of practitioners who aim to promote and spread the practices of Japanese Soto Zen in North America.
The ASZC is open to anyone who wants to deepen their practice, from beginners who take their introductory Zen meditation class to those interested in their residency program. The ASZC emphasizes zazen, or seated meditation, as well as individual effort. The center offers zazen sessions every morning and evening of the week. The ASZC also hosts discussion groups weekly, has an extensive library available to laypeople, holds a Zen-related book club, and has online Dharma study groups. The center has many opportunities to strengthen Zen practice, from monthly all-day meditation (zazenkai) to week-long retreats (sesshin). The center has a prison outreach program that offers meditation teaching to prisoners throughout Georgia. The ASZC is open to all people, regardless of background or demography. The center’s sangha is predominantly made up of laypeople who gain instruction under the center’s main religious leader, Elliston-Roshi. Elliston-Roshi describes his teaching as an “ordinary” style of Zen that emphasizes balancing the aspects of everyday life.
Zen Buddhism
The Origin of Zen
Zen (or Chan, in Chinese) is one of the main forms of Buddhism in East Asia and can trace its roots back to India during Buddha’s time. Zen emphasizes the idea that everyone has an awakened Buddha nature that already exists inside of them. Through cultivation of this nature and Zen practices, one can realize their nature and become suddenly enlightened. Zen is taught through mind to mind transmission when one’s master decides that their disciple is ready, or when they understand the governing beliefs of Buddhism. Through transmission, the ability to teach Zen is passed from master, or patriarch, to disciple. 28 cycles of mental transmission occurred before Zen arrived in East Asia in the 5th century CE when the Zen Master Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Chinese Zen, arrived in search of a worthy disciple. Disappointed by his options, he traveled to a remote mountain cave close to the Shaolin Temple and proceeded to meditate for nine years. In search of a teacher, a monk from the Shaolin Temple named Dazu Huike went to the cave to consult the Zen Master. Initially, Bodhidharma refused to teach Huike. To show his commitment, Huike decided to depict his resolve: by cutting off his arm and presenting it to the Zen Master. Inspired by Huike’s act of commitment, Bodhidharma agrees to teach Huike, who becomes the first Chinese-Buddhist monk to receive the Zen transmission, and the 2nd Patriarch of Chinese Zen Buddhism.
Originally, there were two schools of Zen Buddhism in China born from the conflict over transmission of Zen to the 6th Patriarch. The tale surrounding the transmission, known as the Platform Sutra, details the 5th Patriarch Hongren attempting to decide who is worthy for transmission. To aid his decision, Hongren creates a challenge for his disciples in which they must express their understanding of Buddhism in one poetic verse. While everyone in the monastery believes the head Monk, Shenxiu, will win the competition, the verse he writes is unsatisfactory to Hongren. Meanwhile, the monk Huineng, who does not formally practice Buddhism at the monastery but rather helps in its upkeep, is invited to submit his poetry by Hongren who hears him speaking to himself about Shenxiu’s verse. In his verse, Shenxiu states that in Buddhism one has to be diligent in cleaning the mind of dust, therefore implying that the body and mind exist. Alternatively, in Huineng’s verse, he states that there is neither a body nor a mind, thus one cannot clean it of dust. While Shenxiu’s verse exemplifies the basic understanding of Buddhism in ridding oneself of maladaptive thoughts, Huineng’s truly captures the essence of Buddhist philosophy. Thus, Hongren transmits Zen to Huineng, who becomes the 6th Patriarch.
Shenxiu’s verse represents the idea of gradual enlightenment through Buddhism that must be taught in steps, a notable belief of the Northern School of Zen. While Shenxiu is regarded as the best monk in the temple, he still does not grasp Buddhist philosophy surrounding the nonexistence of the body and mind. In contrast, the unpracticed Huineng is able to comprehend the deepest Buddhist ideal and thus becomes the chosen receiver of the transmission. Huineng’s ability to understand this concept represents sudden enlightenment, which became a hallmark of the Southern School of Zen. While the two schools existed for a significant period of time, the Southern School eventually overtook the Northern School in popularity due to its teaching that awakening could happen suddenly and quickly. However, instructing someone in achieving sudden awakening proved a difficult task, and thus 5 Houses were born.
Soto Zen is Born
The second house of Chinese Zen is the Caodong house, which is the predecessor to Japanese Soto Zen. Caodong practices mainly through a form of meditation called silent illumination, in which one does not ruminate over a specific idea of Buddhism (for example, suffering or aging), but rather sits in “silence” and mindfulness. By attempting to not think about one singular object, the mind is forced to set aside its dualistic thinking and thus reveal its Buddha nature. The essence of silent illumination can be seen throughout other Zen practices, mainly in sitting meditation and the practice of mindfulness in everyday life. Additionally, similar ideas can be seen in Japanese Soto Zen.
Japanese Soto Zen was created by Dogen Zenji who, seeking a school of Buddhism that aligned with his beliefs, traveled to China from Japan. In China, Dogen Zenji consulted the Buddhist teacher Nyojo Zenji. Satisfied with Nyojo Zenji’s description of Buddhism, Dogen received Zen transmission from Nyojo Zenji and became the first Japanese monk of Zen. Dogen then traveled back to Japan to establish Soto (translated from Caodong) Zen. Originally, Soto Zen was unpopular throughout Japan compared to its counterpart, Pure Land Buddhism. However, as it gained traction in rural areas and among regular laypeople, it quickly blossomed. Now, Soto Zen is the second most popular form of Buddhism in Japan.
Zen Buddhism in America
Zen Buddhism came to America at the beginning of the 20th century, as Asian-American communities began to grow. Due to these communities’ needs for cultural centers, temples, and religious leaders, many Japanese Zen priests were sent to the United States to offer Buddhist guidance. However, as the countercultural movement boomed in the 1960s, non-Buddhist Americans became increasingly more interested in what the religion had to offer. Inspired by academic translations of Buddhist work and its inclusion in mainstream media, non-Buddhist Americans flocked to Buddhist centers. There were many aspects of Zen Buddhism that drew in this new crowd, particularly the idea popularized by D.T. Suzuki that Zen was about daily experiences rather than formal training and practice. The accessibility of zazen appealed to them as well, as it could easily be worked into everyday life. Throughout its time in America, Zen Buddhism has been intricately linked with social movements and activism, from causes that promote nonviolence to those that fight against climate change. Its popularity highlights American individualism, as Zen can be molded and shaped to each practitioner in a way that best fits their needs. It is no surprise that Zen Buddhism persists throughout America and continues to grow.
Leaders of the ASZC
Reverend Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-Roshi
Reverend Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston, the founder of the ASZC, was a student of Reverend Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-Roshi in Chicago in the 1960s. Matsuoka-Roshi spent the majority of his life promoting and propagating Soto Zen throughout America. Reverend Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-Roshi was one of the first Japanese Zen teachers to come to America. Before coming to America, Matsuoka-Roshi was taught at the Sojiji Zen Monastery in Japan and established a temple on Karafuto Island off the coast of Northern Japan. Arriving in the United States in 1939, Matsuoka-Roshi served as an assistant to the Los Angeles Soto Zen Center. After attending Columbia University for graduate study under the renowned D.T. Suzuki, he settled in Chicago, Illinois and established the Chicago Buddhist Temple (now known as the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago). Matsuoka-Roshi not only ran the Zen center, but also lectured at high schools and colleges, was an instructor of zazen at the Chicago Judo-Karate School, and went on yearly tours of Japan where he lectured on cultural understanding.
Reverend Zenkai Taiun Michael Elliston
Elliston-Roshi and Matsuoka-Roshi met in 1966; shortly after, Elliston-Roshi received two years of formal training before undergoing a Soto Zen initiation ceremony where he received Zen transmission from Matsuoka-roshi. In 1970, Elliston-Roshi became an ordained Zen priest before moving to Atlanta, Georgia, where he began to offer meditation instruction and gatherings. Due to the popularity of his instruction and increasing interest, Elliston-Roshi created the ASZC in 1977.
Elliston-Roshi is also the founder of the Silent Thunder Order (STO), which is an affiliation of Soto Zen centers that fall within Matsuoka-Roshi’s lineage. The STO has affiliated centers throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, and Alabama. The STO prides itself on educating Soto Zen disciples, training new masters, and placing experienced leaders in affiliated Soto Zen Centers. The STO seeks to teach Zen as well as the true essence of the Dharma “without distorting its meaning or demeaning its import.” The Silent Thunder Order emphasizes zazen as its primary Soto Zen practice. Zazen is a form of seated meditation, in which one sits in a form similar to that of the Buddha and attempts to free the mind of thought. Zazen became popularized by the founder of Soto Zen, Dogen Zenji, who was inspired by his Chinese Zen (specifically Caodong Buddhism) teacher’s use of silent illumination, a form of meditation similar to zazen. Zazen was originally used as a way for one to realize their own inherent Buddha-self and become awakened. While this is still present today, zazen is also predominantly used as a mindfulness practice in modern Soto Zen instruction.
Works Cited
“Atlanta Soto Zen Center.” Atlanta Soto Zen Center, https://www.aszc.org. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
Gioia, Joey. “The American Way of Zen: How It Arrived and Why It Thrived.” MagellanTV, 7 Aug. 2022, https://www.magellantv.com/articles/the-american-way-of-zen-how-it-arrived-and-why-it-thrived.
Gwong Zau Kung Fu. The “Silent Illumination” Of The Caodong School. 24 May 2021, https://gwongzaukungfu.com/en/the-silent-illumination-of-the-caodong-school/.
“History.” SOTOZEN.COM, https://www.sotozen.com/eng/what/history/index.html. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
“Silent Thunder Order.” Silent Thunder Order, https://storder.org/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
“Soto Zen Buddhist Association.” Soto Zen Buddhist Association, https://www.szba.org. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.