Members of the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists have decided to continue our rich collaborative relationship with the Japanese Sōtōshu and wholeheartedly invite North American Soto Zen priests who have established themselves in the lineage through a traditional formation process to join together as a denomination called Soto Zen North America (Soto Zen N. A.). 

Our mission is to cultivate a North American Soto Zen denomination that stewards the lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha, as transmitted through Dogen Zenji and Keizan Zenji, with shared purpose, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to ongoing connection with our roots in Japan.

Our initial objectives:
  • Create and maintain opportunities for solidarity for Soto Zen Buddhists, leading to mutual support and identity with the organization.
  • Create and maintain the organization as a spiritual resource for North America with associated temples and kyoshi who are authorized, skilled, and trustworthy.
  • Create and maintain a mutually beneficial connection to the Sotoshu denominational leadership in Japan.
  • Create and maintain a sustainable organizational structure for the Soto Zen NA denomination.

The first step is to invite current kokusaifukyoshi, with an aim toward developing a broader membership of priests and temples in the future. 
Read our 2025 annual report.
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Message from the Guiding Kyoshi
​of Soto Zen North America

PictureGuiding Kyoshi Koun Franz
So much of this moment can feel unstable, unsafe. We should remember, it has always been this way—all who came before us were also subject to the violence of storms, the whims of leaders, distrust between nations. But unlike so many of our ancestors, we carry the deep understanding that our choices directly impact the entire planet, including the parts and the people we cannot see. Democratic government and a global economy invite us into a different level of personal responsibility, one in which the item we buy or the person we vote for has ramifications not only for our community, but for strangers and for future generations. Each of us carries the weight of the world.

The teachings we receive through our shared Soto Zen tradition do not tell us what to do in this moment, or in any moment. We may look to the precepts for answers, but if we seek sincerely, we come away with questions. The questions invite us into the mind of not knowing (fushiki), and that mind becomes the intimate mind of shikantaza: the mind of no resistance, of openness to things as they are. Shikantaza does not show us what to do. Rather, it shows us how to do it.
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The posture of shikantaza is the posture of vow. We choose, with every breath, to hold ourselves upright, to meet this moment without falling into it and without backing away. We remain still, unflinching, even in moments of discomfort. And perhaps most important, we simply remain—we hold ourselves in this way until the bell rings, or until the moment changes, or perhaps forever. By not moving, the bodhi tree made it possible for Siddhartha to approach and sit, and for the Buddha to stand and walk away. In this stillness, others find safety. There is no need for righteousness there—ours, or others’.

When all around us is turbulence and chaos, may we offer this: this stillness, this resolve, this openness. In this moment, wherever we are and whatever we face, may we offer ourselves up as trustworthy, as the ones who will remain steady, no matter what. May we offer it in our homes, to the ones we love; may we offer it in our temples and communities, to each other. And may we offer it collectively, as unshakeable bodhisattvas, to all beings in the ten directions. In this breath and the next, may we stay steady as the bodhi tree, offering a place for the world to awaken. 

deep roots

 Our Soto Zen tradition depends upon its deep roots in Dogen Zenji and Keizan Zenji’s wisdom as carried forward by our ancestors and teachers. Soto Zen N. A. aims to honor this ancient tradition, through caring for these roots and relationships, while blossoming in North American soil.  

Collaborative Invitation

Soto Zen models deep teachings of interdependent, intimate relationships and harmony of purpose. We wholeheartedly invite North American Soto Zen priests who have established themselves in the lineage through a traditional formation process to join together as a denomination called Soto Zen North America (Soto Zen N. A.), so that we can care for the tradition and for each other.

looking to the future

Soto Zen N. A. looks to a future in which a shared love of the Soto school will be continued and grow in many ways. We will maintain a collaborative relationship with the Japanese Sotoshu, and a close supportive relationship with and among members. We are renewing the Dharma through joining past, present and future thus tending our roots while looking forward to new branches and blossoms.

membership

Become a member
​of Soto Zen N. A. today!​

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