Kodo Sawaki was one of the most influential Soto Zen masters of the 20th century. Charismatic, unconventional, sometimes irreverent, he revitalized Japanese Zen, which had fallen into a quagmire of religious rituals and nepotism. He emphasized shikantaza (just sitting), tirelessly brought the practice to laypeople as well as ordained followers, and taught that zazen and satori were one – all the while insisting that zazen was “good for nothing.” Read more...

Mokudo Taisen Deshimaru has been called “the modern-day Bodhidharma” because of his formidable character, his uncompromising Zen practice and his pioneering mission to plant the seed of authentic Zen in a new land (in this case, Europe). Like his master Kodo Sawaki before him, he insisted on the importance of the seated posture, zazen. His teaching – direct, concrete and rooted in daily life – encouraged disciples to be beyond thinking (hishiryo), without any interest in personal profit (mushotoku), and free to follow the cosmic order “unconsciously, naturally and automatically.” Read more...

Taisen Deshimaru planted the seeds of Zen in Europe with his arrival in France in 1967. His disciple, Philippe Rei Ryu Coupey, is one of the first shoots of the next generation to stand tall in this Western soil. Coupey is unabashedly faithful to the teaching he received from his master, and transmits that legacy with a candor and freshness that come from his own life experience.

Kojun Kishigami Osho:

“Master Deshimaru received the last monk ordination given by Kodo Sawaki before he died. I am the last to have received Kodo Sawaki’s shiho. In a way, we are the last ones to whom he transmitted his mind. Twenty-four years after Deshimaru’s death, I find myself in France. Seeing you all, I have the impression that I’ve found Deshimaru again.”

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