Remember Soto Zen had a rather circuitous route from India. Well actually it was not what is now India but Nepal. Then it flowed over to China and then Japan? No, the next developmental stop was Korea (Seon): https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism/Korea-and-Japan.
And yes, then on to Japan. Remember Dogen did not trace the origin back to Korea or to India but traveled to China. In China starting around 400 CE, Buddhism became influenced by Taoism and the teachings of Confucius. There were five schools ( Linji, Caodong, Fayan, Yunmen, and Guiyang) with two reaching prominence by the time Dogen-Zenji arrived in 1223: Caodong (Soto-ish) and Linji (Rinzai). Dogen-Zenji was trained in Tendai and Rinzai but championed the more insight-based Caodong and founded Soto Zen Buddhism which was later codified by Master Keizan in Japan.
Tuesday night April 2, 2024 (Service starts at 7:00 EDT) please join us in person at the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, or on Zoom as we watch a video on how Buddhism in China evolved and how this influenced, via Master Dogen, the Soto Zen Buddhism Japanese school.
Password: FSZS
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