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Temple complex modeled on Eiheiji
Founder Dainin Katagiri Roshi envisioned Hokyoji as a temple complex modeled on Eiheiji, one of the two head temples of Soto Zen in Japan and the site of his own clerical training. The original site included 280 acres of land formerly used for grazing cattle, located on the Winnebago Creek two miles west of the Mississippi River in Houston County.
Construction
Katagiri Roshi chose an interior portion of the site to house the eventual permanent complex, but meanwhile Hokyoji’s first “structures” were tents set up in a clearing closer to the entrance and used for zazen and cooking. Temporary platforms were later built under them in response to the wet ground, and wooden structures eventually replaced the tents on the platforms as the number of practitioners grew. A permanent workshop was erected to serve as a base for the construction of other buildings, and a residence went up as well.
Memorial Stupa
Katagiri Roshi died on March 1, 1990, before a final design for Hokyoji could be developed. On July 7, 1991, some of his ashes were placed under a memorial stupa on a hill overlooking Hokyoji.
Hokyoji Area
In 2002, MZMC reached an agreement to sell a significant portion of the land to the state Department of Natural Resources in order to raise much-needed funds. The remaining 105 acres, the current Hokyoji holdings, include the access road, buildings, Katagiri Roshi’s memorial stupa and the nearby grave sites of other sangha members.
The Capital Campaign
Back in 2016, it became clear that Hokyoji needed to address deteriorating facilities. Hokyoji’s meditation hall (zendo) and the kitchen / bath house originally were built as temporary structures with minimal budgets and volunteer labor. They were now over 30 years old. While the meditation hall had been upgraded over time, the kitchen / bath house had deteriorated to a point that was beyond any lasting remedy. Without adequate kitchen and bathing facilities, Hokyoji would be limited in the number of people it could serve and the kind of programming it could offer.
In the beginning, discussion centered around just replacing the bath house. The conversation quickly changed to something more ambitious, to build two buildings, a dormitory and a practitioners hall. The practitioner’s hall would add a commercial kitchen, bathrooms, and a large multi-purpose room that could function as a dining hall or meeting space. The new dormitory would have individual sleeping quarters and bath facilities. With these expanded plans came an expanded vision of what Hokyoji could offer. Click here to read about our new practice vision.
With these grand plans also came some grand costs. Our supporters more than stepped up to the plate. In three years over $500,000 was raised toward the cost of the two new buildings! Many others volunteered their time, labor, or professional services. Hokyoji is grateful and indebted for such generous support in our time of need.
The practitioners’ hall and the upstairs of the dormitory were completed in May and ready for use in July 2019. Together, these buildings will preserve the future of Hokyoji as an oasis of joyful quiet and calm, dedicated to personal renewal and refreshment.
