Statement of the Guiding Teacher

Dear Hokyoji Friends,

I am writing to you to tell you of my retirement from the position of Guiding Teacher at Hokyoji and the model of teaching that will follow my retirement.

The board, the community and I have worked extensively and diligently over these past two years with many meetings which included a weekend strategic planning meeting discussing different models of teaching that could be employed at Hokyoji. Eventually, a decision was reached to move away from a singular Guiding Teacher to a group model. The thinking is that a group of teachers would offer a broader perspective of styles and personalities that would appeal to a broader base. Hokyoji needs to expand its base of support at this time.

The board and myself are endorsing the existing Associate Teachers of Hokyoji to be this group. They are, Rev. Onryu Kennedy, Rev. Keido Thotland and Rev. Jushin Butcher. These priests are all transmitted in the Dainin Katagiri lineage and have been working for the benefit of Hokyoji for a number of years. They have emerged as energetic leaders. I believe they care deeply about Hokyoji’s future and will work together to find creative ways to broaden and deepen Hokyoji’s spiritual practice.

As you all know Hokyoji operates both as a retreat center and also a formal Soto Zen Temple. This is how Katagiri Roshi originally envisioned Hokyoji to operate. Although, to be sure, he emphasized the monastic training side quite a bit more. Fundamentally, at the heart of Hokyoji’s practice are the teachings of Katagiri Roshi. For me, to maintain this practice is the most important matter as Hokyoji moves forward. I believe these teachers have the depth, breadth and capacity of practice to sustain this.

These teachers will need to communicate very closely and intimately with each other to carry out this mission. I have seen them work, talk, and practice together and I believe they are capable of doing this.

I invite you to wholeheartedly support Hokyoji and these teachers under this new practice leadership model.

Respectfully,
Rev. Dokai Georgesen, Guiding Teacher of Hokyoji

Statement of the Board of Directors

For the last five years, Hokyoji has been preparing for the retirement of its Guiding Teacher, Rev. Dokai Georgesen, and that day is fast approaching. As a result of this planning we have developed the Associate Teacher/Practice Council (ATPC) model. It is the result of many months of collaborative work by those interested in the future of Hokyoji. We believe that this model will best suit the unique needs of Hokyoji going forward, needs which are not the same as urban centers.

Under the ATPC model, the core of Soto Zen practice will be guided by three Associate Teachers. They will serve with fixed terms and term limits. The teachers will also lead a collaborative Practice Council that will include teachers and instructors from Zen and other Buddhist schools, other faith traditions, and other practice modalities. Your Board believes that this structure will permit greater collaboration, a diversity of offerings, and allow the next generation of teachers to come forward to teach the Buddhadharma all while keeping true to our Zen roots.

The first Associate Teachers, Rev. Onryu Kennedy, Rev. Keido Thotland, and Rev. Jushin Butcher, underwent background checks, submitted letters of recommendation, and were interviewed by a panel of sangha members including myself. The panel was impressed by the unique styles and perspectives these teachers bring to the Dharma. The panel recommended all three candidates to the Board of Directors for a vote, and the Board voted unanimously to appoint them as Hokyoji’s first Associate Teachers. I am personally excited to see where they take Hokyoji in the next few years! Please join me in welcoming them.

Sincerely,
Paul Wartman, President, Hokyoji Board of Directors

Statement of the Associate Teachers

We are honored and humbled by our appointment as Associate Teachers by the Board of Hokyoji. We acknowledge the gravity of this appointment and are deeply grateful for Dokai’s leadership and spiritual guidance of Hokyoji’s community throughout his 20 years of service, and for the Board’s confidence in us to lead Hokyoji into the future.

Also we acknowledge that, though we are not Dokai, we share with him the commitment to Soto Zen and to the Bodhisattva Vow to serve all beings without exception. We are dedicated to meeting the suffering of a world on fire with compassion. We understand that we are interconnected to all beings, the Hokyoji sangha and the broader and larger communities. We will be diligent in our efforts to skillfully work together to amplify the strength of the Hokyoji community. We understand that liberation is a collective experience not an individual one. And that there is strength in radical relationality and reciprocity.

In addition, we are committed to abiding by the Ethics Policy of Hokyoji and following the sixteen bodhisattva precepts. These precepts will guide us as we continue to navigate the transition from a Guiding Teacher model to an Associate Teacher Council model of spiritual leadership.

With nine bows,
Rev. Onryu Kennedy, Rev. Keido Thotland, and Rev. Jushin Butcher