Summer 2026 Newsletter: Letter from the Abbot
Chozen-ji’s next step
by Michael Kangen Roshi
In Chozen-ji’s canon, Omori Sogen delivers the powerful and concise line, “Zen without the accompanying physical experience is nothing but empty discussion.” This directive continues to set Chozen-ji apart in a world that is leaning more toward talking, online content, and intellectual discourse. The intensity of physical training in zazen and the martial arts (and even our fine arts like chado, shodo, ceramics and hula) continues to stay strong at Chozen-ji.
Omori Roshi’s instruction, along with our designation as a daihonzan, means that we have a responsibility to share this valuable training method with the world in the hopes that, for certain people, this will be the key that unlocks their true strength and amplifies their impact in everything they do.
Nine years ago, it became clear that Chozen-ji needed to focus on internal growth before extending beyond Hawaiʻi. We started new classes, accepted more live-ins and began the long, arduous work of preparing a younger generation to step into leadership. During COVID, rather than shifting online, we doubled down on accepting live-ins who could quarantine here and keep our budo classes going. This allowed us to reemerge with a stronger core of students who could anchor the next six years of what turned out to be very steady growth. Many of these students have since been ordained as Chozen-ji priests.
The best and most important indicator of the health of our community and the quality of our training is that our dai sesshin have consistently stayed vigorous and well-attended, with our last three averaging 28 attendees. We even added a third, weeklong sesshin this February to accommodate students who wanted more intensive training.
This dedication to developing a core of new teachers in Hawaiʻi has paid off. We have a new generation anchoring kyudo, okyo, hula, kendo, hojo, aikido, shodo, ceramics, and boxing. With this in place, we have been able to start extending the training beyond Hawaiʻi’s shores, much like Tanouye Roshi did in the 1980s and 90s.
This year, we've held Chozen-ji training in the Philippines, Japan, and China; in Los Angeles and Oakland on the mainland; and on Kahoolawe. As our reach extends further it is also bringing more people to Chozen-ji from outside of Hawaiʻi—for example, the students from the Oakland Dojo who have joined our Intro to Zen weeklong live-in program. Additionally, the Japanese carpenters in Okayama who are fabricating the new building for Kado and Calligraphy at the dojo have been sitting zazen, and will be primed to train with us when they are here for the raising. All of this is adding up to a vibrant community engaged in Chozen-ji Zen training around the world.
Please read the articles in this newsletter written by Chozen-ji teachers and students to hear about training happening in all these new locations. From teenagers in the Philippines doing zazen in a boxing ring to carpenters in Japan waking up early to sit before a long day of work, Chozen-ji’s impact on people’s spirits continues to grow and spread.
Our style of training still stands out as a valuable resource to shift the world’s vibration as it faces the uncertainties of automation, AI, and global division. We are lucky to continue to have as great a training community as Chozen-ji, and our responsibility remains to share its training methods. These days, the world needs to be reminded what it means to be human. The arts remain the best method we have to do so, and the human body the most powerful tool.