Dosho Port Roshi began practicing Zen in 1977 and now co-teaches with his wife Tetsugan Zummach with the Vine of Obstacles: Online support for Zen Training. He received Soto Zen transmission from Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and inka shomei, public seal of approval, from James Myoun Ford Roshi in the Harada-Yasutani koan lineage. Dosho is the author of Keep Me in Your Heart a While: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri and most recently, Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans. Dosho writes about the Buddhadharma on Wild Fox Zen and his patreon site.
In this podcast, Dosho and I discuss his teaching of “one track Zen:” his weaving together the Rinzai tradition of koan introspection with the Soto school’s focus on “just sitting.” Dosho emphasizes the importance of both traditions for householder and monastic practice. This “one-track Zen” harkens back to 18th century Soto Zen reformer Menzan Zuiho (1683-1789) who helped revitalize the tradition by focusing on Dogen’s teachings on meditation and monasticism.
One Track Zen