On May 30th, we concluded our Spring 90-day ango training period with this Shuso Hossen ceremony. Shuso Hossen means “chief disciple (or, literally, ‘head seat’) dharma encounter.” It is a centuries-old tradition that empowers a Zen student to represent the teachings and help guide other students in their own cultivation. In this case, Linda Shinji Hoffman completed her training in this role by offering her first public talk to the sangha in which she presented her understanding of a koan from the collection found in the teachings of Eihei Dogen.

Following her talk, Shinji was asked questions by those in attendance for further clarification. After an acknowledgement from her teacher, Shugen Roshi, you’ll next hear a number of monastics and fellow practitioners offering Shinji congratulatory poems.