 Vol. 5, Fall quarterKoun Franz appointed first guiding kyoshi Rev. Shumyo Kojima, Denominational Council Chair To the Members and Board of Soto Zen North America, from the chair of the Denominational Council: We, the members of the Denominational Council, have been meeting over the past several months. Our first important task was the selection of a Guiding Kyoshi who will join our committee as well as the Board, and assist us in the next important steps in the realization of Soto Zen North America. After careful and respectful deliberation, we are honored to announce that Rev. Koun Franz has been appointed as the first Guiding Kyoshi of Soto Zen North America. The role of the Guiding Kyoshi is essential in helping us build a strong and inclusive foundation for our community. As a spiritual and administrative leader, the Guiding Kyoshi will support both the Denominational Council and the Board in clarifying our direction and deepening our shared commitment to the Dharma in North America. To ensure a fair and thoughtful selection process, we established a Nomination Committee composed of Rev. Nyoze Kwong, Rev. Jisho Siebert, Rev. Shoryu Bradley, Rev. Doyo Kinst, and Rev. Josho Cabarga. We are deeply grateful for the care and discernment they brought to their work. The Committee recommended three deeply respected teachers: Rev. Teijo Munnich, Rev. Hoko Karnegis, and Rev. Koun Franz. All three demonstrated exceptional qualifications, insight, and dedication. One candidate later chose to withdraw from consideration. The Denominational Council then conducted individual interviews with the remaining candidates and engaged in a thorough evaluation of their strengths, vision, and readiness to serve at this particular moment in Soto Zen NA’s formation. After much consideration, we agreed that Rev. Koun Franz is especially well-suited to take on this important role. His steady presence, clarity of thought, and broad experience will be a tremendous asset as we move forward together. We offer our deep respect and gratitude to the candidates and to everyone who contributed to this process. This appointment is not only a step forward for Soto Zen NA, but also a reflection of the dedication and collaborative spirit of our wider sangha. The Denominational Council is composed of Rev. Konjin Godwin, Rev. Teijo Munnich, Rev. Eido Frances Carney, Rev. Ejo McMullen, and Rev. Shumyo Kojima, Chair. We remain committed to our shared work on behalf of the sangha and look forward to the unfolding future of Soto Zen in North America. With deep appreciation, Rev. Shumyo Kojima, Chair with Rev. Eido Frances Carney, Rev. Konjin Godwin, Rev. Ejo McMullen, and Rev. Teijo Munnich The Denominational Council Soto Zen North America From the Guiding Kyoshi Koun Franz, Guiding Kyoshi Two months ago, here at Sensouji, we held the ceremonies of Shinsan Kessei. In the shinsanshiki portion, I approached the Dojido altar and read this verse: Spirits, I call upon you-- As I move through light and dark In the world above the Earth, In the world above the sky, In the earth world, In the spirit world, In the world beneath the earth, In the world beneath the water, Please—do not let me lose my way. I’ve been in the Thousand Harbours community for twelve years now, since we moved to Halifax. And I have always had a clear role. But on that day in June, we were collectively agreeing that the role had shifted into something new, something unknown. For myself and for everyone present, I wanted to stand rooted to the earth, solid, but the feeling was a bit more like floating—though I had chosen to be there, I didn’t feel I could completely control where I went next. About a month later, while in Nagasaki, I received an invitation from the Denominational Council inviting me to serve as Guiding Kyoshi. As I read the email, I returned to that same feeling from a month before—of saying yes to a role I do not yet fully understand, of being pulled into the unknown. So much of the work of the last few years has been about getting us to this moment, right now. How we arrived here is clear: the ASZB Board worked for years to create the framework of Soto Zen North America so that it could be its own organization with its own Board; the Board then laid the ground for establishing the Denominational Council; the Council focused its efforts on appointing a Guiding Kyoshi. Structurally, for the first time, all the pieces are in place. What happens next? Over the last month, I have met with both the Board and the Denominational Council, and it is clear we are at a new moment in the organization: we can fully turn our attention to the mission and how to accomplish it. There is the feeling of something coming into being. There’s still that floating feeling—so much has yet to be clarified and depends on so many factors—but that doesn’t mean the ground isn’t solid beneath our feet. I am humbled by the trust placed in me by the Denominational Council and the nominating committee. I do not know how to do this job; I only know how we arrived at this place. But I am honoured to take up this work with all of you—I rely on you to point me in the right direction. I trust that together, we won't lose our way.
it's not too late to joinYou've received the link to this newsletter because you're recognized as a kyoshi in Soto Zen North America. Thank you and welcome! All current kokusaifukyoshi and kyoshi have been invited to apply to be part of Soto Zen N. A. and actively participate in its mission. If you have friends or dharma heirs who are kokusaifukyoshi or kyoshi and have not yet applied, please share this newsletter with them or point them toward our membership page for application forms and additional information.
vol 4, Summer quarterfrom the president Koun Franz Here in Nova Scotia, summer happens all at once. A few days ago, our days alternated between rainy and cloudy, with cold as the one constant. This week, suddenly, it's a new world of sun and heat and baby ducks in the pond down the street. It's a long time coming, but still, it's a surprise. It's been a while since Soto Zen North America's last newsletter, but a lot has been happening behind the scenes, both on the board of directors and on our newly-formed Denominational Council. With the Denominational Council in place, the board has been able to focus more fully on its core functions--ambassadorship, policy setting, stewardship, and human resources--and how to fulfill them. I feel lucky to be part of these conversations; I have the feeling of watching something taking shape, becoming solid. The Denominational Council has begun its own work: outlining the path of Soto Zen North America in the areas of membership, training, ethics, and dissemination. To that purpose, the Council's first focus has been on establishing the office of Guiding Kyoshi, an important first for our organization. The Guiding Kyoshi will serve not only as a bridge between the board and the Council, but also as the voice of the organization to our membership and beyond. With the support of its appointed selection committee, the Council has been thorough and intentional in its deliberations. You should expect, in the next couple months, to receive another newsletter naming the Guiding Kyoshi, effectively announcing the completion of Soto Zen North America's organizational structure. In the coming months, we will also have more to say about the place of Soto Zen North America in the October ASZB meeting at Zenshuji. Thank you all for your selfless work in the dharma. May these summer months invigorate you and your communities. There is so much for us to do. DeparturesWe've added a page to our website to serve as our online memorial hall for our members who have passed on. it's not too late to joinYou've received the link to this newsletter because you've become a member of Soto Zen North America. Thank you and welcome! All current kokusaifukyoshi and kyoshi have been invited to apply for membership in Soto Zen N. A. and actively participate in its mission. If you have friends or dharma heirs who are kokusaifukyoshi or kyoshi and have not yet applied, please share this newsletter with them or point them toward our membership page for application forms and additional information.
vol. 3, winter quarterfrom the president Koun Franz The other day, I was looking through old emails and stumbled upon one of the earliest messages about what is now Soto Zen North America. It's a message I wrote--I was reaching out to members of the first exploratory committee, tasked with examining the Shumucho regulations with an eye toward adapting them to our North American context. I laid out the basic idea (not too different, at its core, from what we're working on today) and then wrote, "I have no doubt that I’m overlooking significant hurdles (and perhaps also possibilities). I have no idea what to do with this. It makes a beautiful kind of sense to me, as an ASZB member, that we, after all these years of working with the Sokanbu and Sotoshu, would take up the mantle of traditional practice standards in the West and make it our own." In some ways, I feel like not much has changed: I know there are still significant questions that have yet to be explored; and, honestly, I still have days when I'm really not sure what to do with it all. But most importantly, almost nine years later, this project still makes a beautiful kind of sense to me. In fact, it makes more sense to me every day. As a member of the board, I am in the privileged position of watching the organization take shape, which is exactly what is happening right now. Very soon, Soto Zen North America will have its first Denominational Council in place, and soon after that, we will have a Guiding Kyoshi. From there, a lot of very creative conversations--and a lot of creative work--will begin in earnest. 2024 has been the year for the board to find its feet; 2025 will be the year for the Denominational Council to find its direction, and for us as an organization to start to find our voice. The meeting at Zenshuji in October was an important check-in with all of you--you let us know where there's excitement, where there are questions, and where there's a sense of possibility. I hope that conversation will never stop. As always, please feel free to reach out anytime with questions, concerns, and ideas to [email protected]. We want to hear from you. My thanks to you all--for your patience and support right now, and for the work each of you will eventually do to build this organization and keep it strong. There's a lot to do. board gives updates at sotoshu conference Attendees at Sotoshu's annual conference in Los Angeles heard from Soto Zen NA directors about the status of the organization and the initiatives now in progress. Following a review of accomplishments to date, the presentation acknowledged that important questions are still to be decided, such as how the organization will be funded, how members will formally and informally support each other and work together, how temples and dharma centers become members (as well as individuals), and of course how best to invite and integrate those not now affiliated with Sotoshu. "We’re making steady progress," Vice President Hoko Karnegis noted, "but it’s important to be thoughtful and thorough in order to create a stable and sustainable organization. This is where you come in." She reminded attendees that there were three ways to be involved now.
Listserve establishedConference attendees suggested that Soto Zen N. A. create a listserv such that members could easily stay in touch and share resources and information. That was quickly done following the meeting, and a dozen and a half members signed up immediately. All Soto Zen N. A. members should have received by email the invitation to join; if you didn't receive or have lost the information, please contact us for help in signing up. Supervising kyoshi applications coming inSeven applications have been received thus far from ASZB members willing to take on the responsibility of serving as supervising kyoshi within Soto Zen N. A. Establishing a group of supervising kyoshi is a necessary step in forming the Denominational Council, which will work in parallel with the Board of Directors. While the Board will continue to focus on administration, the Council will take on the work of the practice side of the organization, from priest development to the support of temples/centers and lay practitioners. Supervising Kyoshi, as distinct from the ranks of Kyoshi and Senior Kyoshi, is clearly defined as a role. This is evident in both the five-year term and the requirement that any Supervising Kyoshi be willing to serve on the Denominational Council. Someone accepting that role represents a specific balance: on one hand, the energy and availability to collaborate with others to create a large-scale vision and plan for Soto Zen, and on the other hand, the deep experience and maturity in the practice and tradition required to move that vision forward. The application process remains open, so if you are a member of the ASZB and you can see yourself in this role, please consider applying. If you have questions you'd like to discuss beforehand, please feel free to reach out to Koun Franz. It's not too late to joinYou've received the link to this newsletter because you've become a member of Soto Zen North America. Thank you and welcome! All current kokusaifukyoshi and kyoshi have been invited to apply for membership in Soto Zen N. A. and actively participate in its mission. If you have friends or dharma heirs who are kokusaifukyoshi or kyoshi and have not yet applied, please share this newsletter with them or point them toward our membership page for application forms and additional information.
vol. 2, fall quarterFrom the President Koun Franz I took a walk this afternoon and noticed, for the first time this year, colours just starting to turn. I hope the summer has been a good one for each of you, and for your communities. There's always so much for us to do. The Board of Directors of Soto Zen North America has been hard at work the last few months; with every box we check, we uncover another thing to be done, but things are coming together. I remain deeply excited about what we're doing and where we're headed as an organization. I want to call your attention to two things happening in the near future. The first is that we are now accepting applications for Supervising Kyoshi, a senior service position. Finding those people who are ready and able to serve in that capacity will allow us to, among other things, establish the first Denominational Council—a major milestone, and a fundamental piece of our organizational puzzle. The other thing is the upcoming ASZB meeting at Zenshuji, October 23 and 24. We're still working out the timing, but at some point in the schedule, the board members present want to be available for a Q&A session. Please come—knowing your questions is critical to how we lay out the steps ahead. And of course, please feel free to reach out anytime with questions, concerns, or hopes. Thank you for being a part of this work. Applications invited for supervising kyoshiThe next step in the development of Soto Zen North America is the establishment of the Denominational Council, which will work in parallel with the Board of Directors. While the Board will continue to focus on administration, the Council will take on the work of the practice side of the organization, from priest development to the support of temples/centers and lay practitioners. Especially in these early days, the work of the Council will be a rich opportunity for deep thinking and creativity around the future of our tradition on this continent. What, collectively, can we offer? And what does each of us need from the organization to make that vision a reality? The first step in forming the Denominational Council is to solicit applications for the next rank in Soto Zen North America: Supervising Kyoshi. Here's the official description:
The important thing to understand about Supervising Kyoshi--distinct from the ranks of Kyoshi and Senior Kyoshi--is that it is clearly defined as a role. This is evident in both the five-year term and the requirement that any Supervising Kyoshi be willing to serve on the Denominational Council. Someone accepting that role represents a specific balance: on one hand, the energy and availability to collaborate with others to create a large-scale vision and plan for Soto Zen, and on the other hand, the deep experience and maturity in the practice and tradition required to move that vision forward. If you can see yourself in this role, please consider applying. If you have questions you'd like to discuss beforehand, please feel free to reach out to Soto Zen N. A.'s president, Koun Franz.
it's not too late to joinYou've received this newsletter because you've become a member of Soto Zen North America. Thank you and welcome! All current kokusaifukyoshi and kyoshi have been invited to apply for membership in Soto Zen N. A. and actively participate in its mission. If you have friends or dharma heirs who are kokusaifukyoshi or kyoshi and have not yet applied, please share this newsletter with them or point them toward our membership page for application forms and additional information.  vol. 1, summer quarterFrom the President Koun Franz Soto Zen North America has been taking shape for a long time. Work on regulations started first through an ad hoc committee, then as part of the Roadmap Committee, then under the umbrella of the ASZB board. In those ten years, the Soto Zen N.A. project—through discussions with all of you and, to a more limited extent, with Shumucho representatives in Japan—has expanded and deepened to include work on organizational structures and bylaws. This spring, after more than a decade of these efforts, the first Soto Zen N.A. board of directors met to take up this work and bring it forward. In the short term, the new board (Hoko Karnegis, Kenzan Seidenberg, Gyokei Yokoyama, Kotoku Crivello, and myself) is working to finalize the specifics of the kyoshi ranking system. Soto Zen North America's organizational chart specifies that beyond Kyoshi and Senior Kyoshi (all current members are recognized as senior kyoshi), there are Supervising Kyoshi and Elder Kyoshi, who will take on roles in leadership and instruction. In the coming weeks, we will be in contact about these roles, which, once in place, will lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Denominational Council. With a Denominational Council in place, we will at last be positioned to appoint a Guiding Kyoshi, who will guide and oversee both administrative and religious functioning of the organization. When that happens, Soto Zen N.A. will be up and running. Those of you who have played a role in organization-building in the past can appreciate the scope of this project. My experience of board meetings so far is that every question brings our attention to five more questions, all of which, in the moment, feel urgent and compelling. We have a lot to do. The central aspiration of the Soto Zen North America—to establish a Soto Zen denomination in North America that both upholds the tradition as we have received it and also recognizes the specific opportunities and challenges of this North American context—is a big one. Over the last ten years, and also now as a board member, I have had moments of feeling a bit overwhelmed by it. But what I find, over and over again, is that the questions we face are exciting ones. Beyond every apparent obstacle is the creative possibility of building something that serves practitioners and the dharma in profound ways. As we move forward, we will be reaching out with updates and also asking for your thoughts, for your questions, and most of all, for your help. Along the way, feel free to contact me anytime. If Soto Zen North America has come to feel a bit abstract over the years, I understand. It's been on the horizon for a long time. But it's here now. We're all here. I look forward to working with you all in this new way, in this new space, building this thing together. Board of directors formedSoto Zen N. A. has appointed its first board and determined officers. Since the organization is just getting underway and terms have not yet been established, the following will serve for a year and then a further discussion will take place.
With the board in place and meeting monthly, Soto Zen N. A. can now go forward with its work to clarify the roles of supervising kyoshi and elder kyoshi, develop applications for these senior ranks, and choose a denominational council and guiding kyoshi. READ MORE about Soto Zen N. A.'s leadership structure. Get your questions answeredThings will begin to move more rapidly now that directors are in place and planning work is beginning in earnest. As questions arise and answers become clear, the FAQ will continue to expand as a first-stop resource for members and potential members. Soto Zen N. A.'s website and newsletter will be its primary communication tools for now, but questions that they don't answer can be directed to our email. It's not too late to joinYou've received this newsletter because you've become a member of Soto Zen N. A. Thank you and welcome! All current kokusaifukyoshi and kyoshi have been invited to apply for membership in Soto Zen N. A. and actively participate in its mission. If you have friends or dharma heirs who are kokusaifukyoshi or kyoshi and have not yet applied, please share this newsletter with them or point them toward our membership page for application forms and additional information.
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