(
Japanese: "old teacher"; "old master") is a title in
Zen Buddhism
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), an ...
with different usages depending on sect and country. In
Rinzai Zen, the term is reserved only for individuals who have received ''
inka shōmei
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha hims ...
'', meaning they have completed the entire ''
kōan'' curriculum; this amounts to a total of fewer than 100 people at any given time. In
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh� ...
Zen and
Sanbo Kyodan it is used more loosely. This is especially the case in the United States and Europe, where almost any teacher who has received
dharma transmission
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha himse ...
might be called rōshi, or even use it to refer to themselves, a practice unheard of in Japan.
Etymology
The Japanese ''rōshi'' is a translation of the more antiquated Chinese ''
Laozi
Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...
'' (
Wade-Giles; ''Lao Tzu'') meaning 'Old Master' and connoting the archetype of a
wise old man
The wise old man (also called senex, sage or sophos) is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character. The wise old man can be a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom ...
. The modern Chinese 老師/老师 (''Chinese'' ) is a common word for teacher or professor without the religious or spiritual connotation of ''rōshi''. Chinese
Chán Buddhism (Zen is the Japanese transliteration of Chán) uses the semantically related title 師父/师父 or Mandarin ''
shīfu'' (Cantonese "
sifu
Shifu () in Mandarin, or sifu in Cantonese, or sai hu in Hokkien, is a title for, and the role of, a skillful person or a master. The character 師/师 means "skilled person" or "teacher," while 傅 means "tutor" and 父 means "father."
Thoug ...
), literally "master father" or "father of masters", or 師傅/师傅, literally "master teacher" or "teacher of masters"; both pronounced "shīfu" in Mandarin) as an honorific title for the highest masters, but it also may be used in respectful address of monks and nuns generally.
Usage
Traditionally, the term ''rōshi'' has been applied as a respectful honorific to a significantly older Zen teacher considered to have matured in wisdom and to have attained a superior understanding and expression of the
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
(Japanese: ''mujōdō no taigen'') . Typically, a ''rōshi'' will have received
dharma transmission
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha himse ...
(Jap: ''inka shōmei'') many years ago and although often the abbot or spiritual director of a monastery may in fact be too old to carry these responsibilities.
Despite this historical reality, it has come in some modern Zen schools to be applied as a general title for a teacher regardless of the age of the individual who receives it. This is especially true in the United States and Europe where it appears that some confusion has arisen where the word ''rōshi'' has been conflated with the term ''
oshō'', which is the generic term for a Soto Buddhist teacher who has received ''
shiho'' and completed her or his basic training. Historically, the term ''rōshi'' will only be applied to an ''oshō'' after they have given many years of service as a teacher.
Rinzai
In some
Rinzai organizations, a monastic is sometimes called ''rōshi'' after they have received ''
inka shōmei
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha hims ...
'', meaning they have completed ''kōan'' study and received
Dharma transmission
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha himse ...
from their master;
According to roshi Sokun Tsushimoto, the title of ''rōshi'' is equivalent to ''
Zen master
Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authoriz ...
'' and ''shike'':
Sōtō
In the
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh� ...
organization, a person is sometimes called ''rōshi'' after they have received the title of ''shike'', but this is by no means standard practice:
Western Zen
Many Zen communities in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
confer the honorific title of ''rōshi'' to their teachers as a regular title, in deference to perceived Japanese Zen tradition. In most western instances it is used synonymously with the term
Zen master
Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authoriz ...
, which has a quite specific meaning in Japan, namely the select group of persons who are qualified to supervise the headtemples and monk training halls.
In the west, Rinzai and Soto-uses of the term have been mixed:
In the
Sanbo Kyodan, a lay organization that combines Soto and Rinzai elements, a person is called ''rōshi'' when they have received ''inka'', indicating they have passed the ''kōan'' curriculum and received Dharma transmission.
Criticism
The use of the term ''rōshi'' in the U.S. and Europe has at times led to confusion and controversy.
[Gard, 193][Muho Noelke, ''Ten points to keep in mind about dharma transmission'']
/ref> Stuart Lachs has argued that Zen institutions in the West have often attributed a mythic status to the title ''rōshi'' with harmful consequences.
/ref>
See also
* Dharma transmission
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha himse ...
* Oshō
* Sensei
Sensei, Seonsaeng, Tiên sinh or Xiansheng, corresponding to Chinese characters , is an East Asian honorific term shared in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese; it is literally translated as "person born before another" or "one who c ...
* Zen master
Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authoriz ...
* Zen ranks and hierarchy
Zen institutions have an elaborate system of ranks and hierarchy, which determine one's position in the institution. Within this system, novices train to become a Zen priest, or a trainer of new novices.
Sōtō
From its beginnings, Sōtō Zen ha ...
References
Web references
Sources
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External links
Buddhadharma, Dharma Dictionary, ''Roshi''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roshi
Japanese Buddhist titles
Zen