SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

The Basic Meaning of Sōtō Zen 53years. He took his Bodhisattva vows (vows to save all sentientbeings before enjoying his own enlightenment) under Ej‡Zenji, who was his master for seven years. He keenly felt theneed for actual meditation practice and at the age of nineteensought guidance from Jakuen Zenji at Y‡ky‡-ji Temple. Later,he studied under H‡kaku at Manji Temple in Ky‡to, HakuunEgy‡ and other Zen masters, including the famous Sh‡ichiKokushi. He also studied the Tendai doctrine on Mt. Hiei andZen under Hatt‡ Kakushin. In 1289, at the age of twenty-two, hearrived at Daij‡-ji in Kaga and there devoted himself wholeheartedlyto the study and practice of S‡t‡ Zen under Tetts‰Zenji. He remained at Daij‡-ji for some seven years receivingthe instruction of his master and reading widely in the Buddhistcanon. He finally was enlightened at the age of twenty-seven in1294 by practicing the k‡an which declares, ÒYour ordinaryheart: thatÕs the way.Ó He thought deeply about the meaningof the k‡an and finally was able to penetrate the mind of theMaster who had given him the k‡an, thereby being able to tastethe deepest of all religious experiences. In January of thefollowing year, his master Tetts‰ conferred upon Keizan hisrobe as a symbol of the Transmission.Keizan continued his religious exercises after his enlightenment,carrying out the lofty ideal of spreading the teaching ofBuddhism and thereby benefiting humanity. In the autumn of1295 he founded the J‡man-ji Temple in Awa. He visited the