History of Sōtō

History & overview · every faith gets one

Just sitting. That is the whole of it.

Dogen's school: shikantaza — sitting itself as the realized state, not a technique aimed at one. The largest Zen school in Japan; the quiet counterpart to Rinzai's shout.

The founding

Its founding is bound to Dōgen — 1227 CE.

What it holds

The divine. None — no god at the center.

Death and after. Rebirth, until awakening.

The line

descent is public here — where it came from, what left it

Vedic Religion — c. 1500 BCE Buddhism — c. 480 BCE Mahāyāna — 100 CE Zen — 520 CE Sōtō — 1227 CE

Keep going

Back to the overview — the living page: elements, discussion, the web The Belief room — the claims themselves, with sources and context Branch Sōtō — inherit everything, change what you must