Lineage
In Soto Zen, the Dharma is transmitted directly from teacher to student. This living transmission, known as the lineage, connects each generation of practitioners with the historical Buddha through an unbroken tradition of practice and realization. Keiryuji belongs to the Soto Zen tradition and the White Plum Lineage founded by Taizan Maezumi Roshi.
Taizan Maezumi Roshi
Taizan Maezumi Roshi (1931–1995) was one of the great pioneers of Zen Buddhism in the West. Through his teaching, he introduced authentic Soto Zen practice to thousands of students and established what later became known as the White Plum Lineage.
Maezumi Roshi received Dharma Transmission in the Soto tradition from Baian Hakujun Kuroda Roshi.
In addition, he received Inka in both the Shakyamuni Kai and the Sanbo Kyodan traditions, giving him an exceptionally broad training and allowing him to transmit a rich and balanced approach to Zen practice.
Today, the White Plum Lineage continues throughout the world, with Keiryuji standing within this living tradition through the Dharma transmission from Maezumi Roshi to Genpo Roshi, Tenkei Roshi, and Gakudo Roshi.
Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi
Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in California. He began formal Zen training with Taizan Maezumi Roshi at the Zen Center of Los Angeles in 1972.
He received Dharma Transmission (Shiho) from Maezumi Roshi in 1980 and, from the following year onward, began teaching extensively in Europe.
In 1984, he founded the Kanzeon Sangha, bringing together his students in the United States and Europe.
Among his Dharma successors is Anton Tenkei Coppens Roshi, whose teaching continues through Zen River and Keiryuji.
Anton Tenkei Coppens Roshi
Anton Tenkei Coppens Roshi was born in 1949 in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. He is a Dharma successor of Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi, from whom he received Dharma Transmission (Shiho) in 1996.
During the following four years, he assisted Genpo Roshi full-time in Salt Lake City, where he was closely involved in teaching and training.
In 2000, together with his wife, Tamara Myoho Gabrysch Sensei, he founded Zen River Temple in Uithuizen, the Netherlands. Since then, Zen River has become an important centre for Soto Zen practice and priest training in Europe.
Tenkei Roshi is the author of Timeless Calling, Timely Response: A Guide for Zen Buddhist Practice and has edited several important publications, including The Echoless Valley and Teaching of the Great Mountain, collections of Dharma talks by Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He also co-edited Beyond Sanity and Madness by Genpo Roshi.
Teachers Who Have Supported Our Training
Tamara Myoho Gabrysch Roshi
Tamara Myoho (Tammy) Gabrysch Roshi was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She began practising Zen with Genpo Roshi in 1988 and soon became Tenzo (Temple Cook), integrating Zen practice with the art of mindful cooking.
Together with Tenkei Roshi, she founded Zen River Temple in 2000. In 2008, she received Dharma Transmission (Shiho) from Genpo Roshi.
Myoho Roshi is one of the contributors to The Hidden Lamp, a collection of stories of female Zen teachers. She is also the author of the two-volume Zen River Cookbook, sharing the vegetarian cooking tradition that has become an integral part of life at Zen River.
Baigaku Junyu Kuroda Roshi (Hojo-san)
Baigaku Junyu Kuroda Roshi (1940–2021), affectionately known as Hojo-san, was the younger brother of Taizan Maezumi Roshi and served as abbot of Kirigayaji in Tokyo and Fujidera in Gotemba, near Mount Fuji.
After graduating from Komazawa University in 1963, he received Dharma Transmission (Shiho) from his father in 1968.
Following his traditional monastic training at Sojiji, he completed the advanced Soto training programme that qualified him as a Zen Master in 1970.
Throughout his life, Hojo-san travelled extensively, teaching and supporting Soto Zen both within Japan and abroad. He also developed a long-standing connection with Bhutan, where he contributed to intercultural and Buddhist exchange.
In 2010, he was appointed Gondai Kyoshi (Vice-President of the Soto School), and in 2012 he received the title of Daikyoshi, one of the highest teaching ranks within the Japanese Soto School.
Hojo-san maintained a close relationship with Zen River Temple for many years. Tenkei Roshi and Myoho Roshi visited him regularly in Japan, and Gakudo Roshi and Koren Sensei also stayed with him on several occasions. He served as Jokeshi during the Hossenshiki of both Gakudo Roshi and Koren Sensei, and his encouragement and support have been of lasting importance to the training and development of Keiryuji.