SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

52 Sōtō Zenrather grasping them through intense religious training bymeans of which we shall find the life of the Buddha.The greatness of D‡gen lies in the deep theory andscrupulous practice which are perfectly harmonized in hisnoble character. D‡gen rejected worldly honors and wealth,kept aloof from the powerful families of the day and wascontent to spend his life in the humble black robes of a priest.He devoted himself to the training of sincere people, howeverfew their number might be, in the mountains of Echizen. Herejected unfounded contributions from the regent, Tokiyori,and returned purple robes sent him by the Imperial court.Among D‡genÕs many successors, the most famous areEj‡, S‡kai and Senne. The mantle of Koun Ej‡ passed to hisdisciple Tetts‰ Gikai and then to the Great Master, KeizanJ‡kin (1268Ð1325). Keizan founded S‡ji-ji, which is one of thetwo head temples of the S‡t‡ School. He is designated ÒTais‡Óor Great Ancestor because he exerted great influence on latergenerations. There is a Japanese proverb which says, ÒThe difficultyis not to start an enterprise, but to carry it to finalsuccess.Ó In order to preserve what has been given to us, and toadapt this so that it can suit the needs of the times, unremittingefforts are necessary.Keizan was born in Fukui Prefecture. At the age of six, hehad already decided to become a priest and at eight became adisciple of Tetts‰ Zenji at Eihei-ji. He served him for about six