Ven. Myokyo-ni (born Irmgard Schlögl; 29 January 1921 – 29 March 2007) was a

Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

Zen 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), and ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

nun and head of the

Zen Centre The Zen Centre is a Buddhist temple in London, England, and the active arm of the Zen Trust, whose object is to promote the Zen Buddhist religion for the benefit of the public. Members generally attend its meetings at the premises of the Bud ...

in London.

Biography

Raised in

Leitersdorf im Raabtal Leitersdorf im Raabtal (literally ''Leitersdorf in the Raab Vale'') is a former municipality in the district of Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform The Styria municipal structural ...

, Styria, Austria, Schlögl obtained a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree in geology from

Graz University The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The unive ...

before joining the Zen Group at the

Buddhist Society The Buddhist Society is a UK registered charity which aims to encourage the study and practice of Buddhist principles. The Buddhist Society is an inter-denominational and non-sectarian lay organization. It offers talks and classes on the teach ...

under

Christmas Humphreys Travers Christmas Humphreys, QC (15 February 1901 – 13 April 1983) was a British barrister who prosecuted several controversial cases in the 1940s and 1950s, and who later became a judge at the Old Bailey. He also wrote a number of works on M ...

in 1950. In 1960 she went to Japan and trained at

Daitoku-ji is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. It is located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The "mountain name" ('' sangō'') by which it is known is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex today covers more ...

monastery for six years under Oda Sesso Rōshi and, after his death, for a further six years under his successor Sojun Kannon Rōshi. In 1966, following the death of Oda Sesso Roshi, she returned to England for nine months, during which time she started a small

Zazen ''Zazen'' (literally " seated meditation"; ja, 座禅; , pronounced ) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. However, the term is a general one not unique to Zen, and thus technicall ...

Group at the Buddhist Society which continued until she returned permanently in 1972. With the introduction of another Zazen class, and then a beginners' class, running alongside Christmas Humphreys' original Zen Class, the Zen Group grew in size until the Zen Centre was formally established in 1979. During this period she was living at the home of Christmas Humphreys whom she referred to affectionately as 'father'. On his death in 1983, his residence was bequeathed to the Zen Centre becoming ''Shobo-an'', Hermitage of the True Dharma, a residential training temple. In 1984,

Sōkō Morinaga was a Rinzai Zen roshi. He was head of Hanazono University and abbot of Daishu-in in Kyoto, one of the sub-temples of the Ryōan-ji temple complex. Biography He began his Zen training in his early twenties at Daishuin under Goto Zuigan, former ...

Rōshi, who had been head monk at

during her time there, visited England with a retinue of seven monks, the requisite number to ordain her as both nun and teacher and to inaugurate ''Shobo-an''. The ordination took place at Chithurst Forest Monastery on 22 July at the invitation of the Abbot

Ajahn Sumedho Luang Por Sumedho or Ajahn Sumedho ( th, อาจารย์สุเมโธ) (born Robert Karr Jackman, July 27, 1934) is one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was abbot of Amaravat ...

. Sōkō Morinaga Rōshi gave her the name ''Myokyo-ni'', which was the name he had given her as a

student in Japan. The name is from ''Myokyo'' meaning 'mirror of the subtle' and ''ni'' meaning 'nun'. Myokyo-ni is the author of a number of books on Zen and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, including a translation of The Zen Teaching of

( Linji). She guided the translation of the Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp by Master

Tōrei Enji (8 May 1721 - 10 April 1792) was an eminent Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, painter and calligrapher. He was the chief disciple and Dharma heir of famed Japanese Rinzai master Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1786) and was a major figure in the r ...

, which was awarded the Culture Prize by the Japanese Translators' Association in 1991. From 2002 until her death in 2007, Ven. Myokyo-ni lived at Fairlight (

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

), one of the Zen Centre's two training temples, where she received students and gave regular teisho (Zen talks). Fairlight was founded and inaugurated as a Zen Buddhist temple by Myokyo-ni on 8 April 1996. Both temples continue to run under her disciples, providing meditation classes, holding regular sessions and offering residential facilities for Zen Centre members. Fairlight is now run by the

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

Sogen, with the assistance of Ven. Myosui and ''Shobo-an'' in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London is run by Ven. Myokun. Ven. Sogen was ordained on 18 July 1998 and Ven. Myosui and Ven. Myokun on 26 June 2004. Daiyu (meaning 'Great Oak') was added to Ven. Myokyo-ni's name posthumously so that she is now formally known as Daiyu Myokyo Zenji.

Bibliography

*''Wisdom of the Zen Masters'' (1976) (under her pre-ordination name Irmgard Schlögl) *''The Zen Way'' (1977) *''Introducing Buddhism'' (1978) *''Gentling the Bull: The Ten Bull Pictures, a Spiritual Journey'' (1980) *''Living Buddhism'' (2000) *''The Daily Devotional Chants of the Zen Centre'' (2008)

Translation and editing

* ''The Record of Rinzai'' (1976) (under her pre-ordination name Irmgard Schlögl) * ''The Ceasing of Notions'' (1988) (with

Rōshi and Michelle Bromley) * ''The Bull and his Herdsman'' (1989) by Daizokutsu R Otsu (from the German ''Der Ochs und sein Hirte'' by Tsujumura and Buchner) * ''The Discourse on The Inexhaustible Lamp of the Zen School'' (1989) (also translated by Yoko Okuda)

Other writings

* Introduction for ''

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and giv ...

on Zen'' (1976). Sheldon Press.

References

External links