 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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