Report by Sydney Thayer
History of the Monastery
The Ryumonji Zen Temple is a Soto Zen Buddhist Monastery that is formally registered with Soto Zen Headquarters in Japan. The temple is located in the rolling hills of northeast Iowa on 40 acres of land that were donated for the purpose of establishing a monastery. What once was a farmstead has been transformed into a traditional Soto Zen monastery with land and buildings that are meant to reflect the spirit of “peaceful dwelling”. The buildings on the property were constructed in accordance with the standards passed down from Zen traditions in China, with the final building on the property being completed in 2013. Currently on the 40 acres there is a Buddha Hall (Hondo), an entry gate (Sanmon), a bell tower (shoro), a kitchen/residential facility (Kuin), a Monk’s Hall (Sodo), and a residential study quarters (Shuryo).
The name Ryumonji comes from three Japanese characters “Ryu-mon-ji” meaning “Dragon Gate Temple”. This name comes from an ancient Chinese legend. This legend notes that there is a gate in the ocean where huge waves rise, yet fish cannot pass through the gate because they become dragons. This story is supposed to highlight the struggles of everyday life represented by the waves and the dragons. How we overcome these challenges and pass through the waves is meant to represent the challenge that we face as humans.
The Ryumonji Zen Temple is rooted in the Zen Buddhist tradition, but they emphasize that true Buddhism is beyond denominationalism and that anyone is welcome to join their practice.
Founding of the Monastery
The Ryumonji Zen Temple considers their honorary founder to be Katagiri Roshi. Katagiri Roshi is an ordained Zen monk from Japan who practiced and studied in Japan before he was assigned by the Soto Zen International office to serve the Japanese Congregation. While in California he studied English and assisted Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in establishing the San Francisco Zen Center. In December of 1972 he was invited to Minneapolis where he became passionate about introducing Buddhism in the Midwest by establishing a traditional Soto Zen monastery with the goal of training American priests. Katagiri Roshi started accomplishing this goal when he established the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center.
Three books have been published with the teachings of Katagiri Roshi. In many of his lectures he advocated for modern people to take a step back and follow the path of the Ancient Way. He advocated that modern people “need to live in direct contact with nature and find a practice method in tune with nature’s rhythm.” While Katagiri Roshi did not directly establish the Ryumonji Zen Temple it is said to have been created in his honor.
The temple was officially founded by Rev. Shoken Winecoff who was a disciple of the late Katagiri Roshi. Rev. Winecoff received dharma transmission at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in 1989 from Katagiri Roshi, after which he went to practice for three years at Zuioji Senmon Sodo in Japan. Rev. Winecoff is the founding teacher and abbot of the monastery, but since its founding many more teachers have become associated with the monastery. Formerly a Roman Catholic priest and then psychologist, Rev. Winecoff found a renewed commitment to spirituality in Buddhism after a painful divorce. He notes that this experience was a teaching moment and credits his study of Zen Buddhism in Minneapolis for leading him down the path of becoming a monk and spending three years at a monastery in Japan.
Ryumonji just celebrated the 100th anniversary of Soto Zen Buddhism in North America. They are members of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA). This group was proposed as the American association related to the Japanese Sotoshu, but operates autonomously. This organization aims to connect people to Zen centers and Soto Zen teachers within North America.
The Ryumonji Zen Temple is also affiliated with a number of other Zen temples located in the midwest. The contact information and location of these temples is listed on their website.
The monastery is supported by dana which is a free will offering made by supporters of the monastery. In addition to dana, their website also briefly mentions Takuhatsu, which is the practice of begging done by those monks in the Zen Buddhist community. Supporters can set up a recurring donation to the temple and stay up to date on Ryumonji by reading through their temple newsletter.
The temple does not provide any information about the makeup of their community, but based on photos from monastery events the community appears to be predominately white. At any given time, there are several people living onsite at the monastery, helping with upkeep of the monastery and deepening their spiritual practice. Rev. Winecoff is the one permanent resident of the monastery.
Practice & Events at the Temple
The Ryumonji Zen Temple holds two public meditation sessions each week on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. There are opportunities to attend these sessions virtually. Those who are new to the temple have the opportunity to complete orientation before they attend a public sitting session. In addition to these opportunities, the temple also holds other events and longer practice periods and retreats throughout the year.
Each month the temple holds a weekend retreat called sesshin, a word meaning “collecting the mind”. Sesshin is a structured retreat that includes multiple periods of zazen, formal oryoki meals, work practice, and observation of silence. The temple notes that while sesshin can be open to beginners, some experience with sitting would be helpful before undertaking sesshin. These weekend retreats begin with an informal dinner on Friday evenings, followed by sesshin orientation, and conclude with an informal lunch on Sundays. Participants will spend the weekend staying in dormitory style bunks in the Kuin building and are provided with bedding and towels.
For those interested in longer periods of practice, the temple also offers a traditional summer and winter Ango. This is an extended practice period in which participants have the opportunity to experience residential monastic life and training. This longer practice period should be placed in the context that the word “Ango” means “dwelling in one place in peace and harmony.” Before participating in Ango the temple asks that you have attended at least one sesshin weekend retreat at the Ryumonji Zen Temple.
On their website the temple goes into great detail regarding the schedule and activities that participants can expect should they decide to participate in sesshin and/or ango. While the temple does accept donations, participating in sesshin and a public zazen sitting is free. There is a small fee attached to participation in Ango practice periods. Registration for these sessions can be completed on their website or by calling the temple. Participants are encouraged to stay the entire duration of the retreats, but it is not a requirement for participation. The temple seems to work well with those interested in joining their community and does their best to make accommodations wherever reasonable so that the practice is more accessible. A full calendar can be found on the temple’s website, listing the dates of the monthly weekend retreats, in addition to the daily schedules for both sesshin and Ango.
For those who are not physically able to make it to the temple, Ryumonji has Sutras available for download and dharma talks uploaded to SoundCloud.
Soto Zen Buddhism
Soto Zen Buddhism is a form of Buddhism popularized in Japan, having evolved from the historical teachings of the Buddha. Known as Ch’an in China, this practice was inspired by the Chinese practice of Taoism and was developed in Mahayana Buddhist monasteries during the 7th century. The practice was not brought to Japan until the 12th century, but was eventually brought to North America by Japanese Zen Buddhists.
Soto Zen Buddhism is unique from other forms of Buddhism in that it emphasizes meditation without a goal, which comes from the notion that they believe everyone is already inherently enlightened. They believe that silent, seated meditation is the best way to practice, which occurs as a common theme on the Ryumonji Zen Temple website, where they frequently emphasize the importance of meditation and speaking infrequently and quietly. Soto Zen encourages an everyday approach to Zen that encourages being mindfully aware in all areas of daily life. This practice also emphasizes that caring for others is as important as sitting meditation and chanting sutras.
Those practicing Soto Zen Buddhism have Shakyamuni Buddha as their main image of worship. They believe that we are all children of the Buddha and come into the world with the Buddha-Mind, meaning that we all have enlightenment inside us. In order to be fulfilled in our lives we must come to realize this enlightenment. Taking refuge in the Buddha allows followers to push back against any hardships that they may face. The ultimate goal of Soto Zen Buddhism is to find happiness and fulfillment in life.
Works Cited
“Denomination.” Denomination | SOTOZEN.COM, Soto Zen,
Soto Zen Buddhist Association, https://www.szba.org/.
“Welcome to Ryumonji.” Ryumonji Zen Monastery, 1 Dec. 2022, https://ryumonji.org/.