The Origin of the Institute of Zen Studies 

By Hosokawa Dogen Roshi

In September 1947, Omori Roshi visited the ailing Seisetu Seki Roshi, Chief Abbot of Tenryu-ji in Kyoto to receive guidelines about the situation after the defeat of Japan. Seki Roshi's final advice was: "Hakkou Ichi-u (Universal Oneness)." According to Omori Roshi's writing, Ga-ou Roshi Ikun (Gaou's Final Teachings), after talking about the future of Japan and the world, Seki Roshi sat up and finally said:

"I met many cabinet ministers and generals, but none of them understood the true meaning of Hakkou Ichi-u correctly. In order to rebuild Japan, it is necessary to pound in the spirit of Universal Oneness to all the Japanese. You are a patriot. It is not time for you to do zazen (sitting meditation) peacefully. Do it for me, please! When I recover, I will join you. Until then, I will depend on you."

As he said it, he held my hand tightly. I had no word in reply but just nodded while I choked with tears of gratitude. It is not necessary to explain the meaning of the last phrase of Ga-ou, "Universal Oneness," to those slow learners who adhere only to the letter of the phrase. They can interpret as they please. Anyway, I decided to devote my remaining life to carry out his final wish. This is the essence of our Ga-ou Zen. Thousands upon thousands of sermons and lectures are like a lone candlelight under the bright sun when compared to his final teachings.

Omori Roshi gave a definite form to Ga-ou's teachings and explained it under the title, "The Current Task For Zen Practitioners" in his newsletter Tesshu, No. 94, (1963) as follows:

"...All the Buddhist temples, regardless of their sects, should unite together, sell off the buildings and properties of their headquarters and build a building (about eight-stories high) at one site to accommodate all the headquarters offices. With the surplus fund, establish a trading company to bring cash in, train high level priests who are highly paid, not receiving a penny from followers and extend the helping hands to the poor."

He further mentioned that Musou Kokushi (l275-1351) built a total of sixty "peace temples" and "divine towers" (Rishou-tou) throughout Japan after taking great pains in finding a peaceful way to settle the conflict of the Northern and Southern Imperial Courts (1336-1392). The profits from the foreign trade by Tenryuji-bune financed the huge building projects.

"Well, what will match the Musou Kokushi's projects today? The Cold War could be compared to the conflict between two Imperial Courts. The confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union is a fight between the twins of the economic supremacist which is a result of the modern civilization similar to the family dispute at the Imperial Courts. As a man cannot lift himself up by holding is own belt, a solution for the Cold War cannot be found in a framework of the Western modern civilization. It needs a different principle. There is a basic reason why it is impossible to solve many problems facing the world today without the assistance of the Eastern Culture. ...The uncertainty prevails over the people due to the Cold War. We should now unite and put together all the wisdom to initiate a thought movement which overcomes the evils of the modern civilization and gives a new cultural guide to the people. It is like building intangible peace temples (Ankoku-ji) today. Musou Kokushi was aware of the affairs of China and the world through his Chinese mentor I-shan I-ning (1247-1317). As Zen practitioners, we must tackle a task without worrying about a little sectarianism."

The Institute of Zen Studies was established based on the vision of Omori Rotaishi, an embodiment of Seki Roshi's last teachings. Though the Cold War ended, the world is still facing many disputes of religious or racial origins. With these developments in the world, there is an urgent need for us, as Zen practitioners, to introduce our views on human beings and the world, based on Zen and the Eastern thoughts, to the West this is an aim for establishing the Institute of Zen Studies.