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Last month, I had the honor of making a (virtual) visit to Shao Shan Temple in Woodbury, Vermont, as a representative of Soto Zen North America. I offered a short talk on how I understand Soto Zen practice and how coming together as a denomination can deepen and strengthen that practice—for temples, for individuals, and for the tradition itself.
Afterwards, we had an open discussion in which members from Shao Shan shared their questions about what it would mean to join a denomination. Those questions revealed curiosity about the connections Soto Zen NA might bring, but also concern about the potential downsides of something that feels, well, institutional. That conversation, I'm told, continued into later meetings in the community; it also stays with me as an important glimpse into how one sangha might be viewing the work we're doing here.
Over the next year, I hope I might have the opportunity to visit all of your sanghas as well, so that we can all explore this work together. As we move toward temple registration, our community members will need to be able to ask what it all means—and we need to know what those questions are.
If your sangha is open to a virtual visit, please reach out so we can find a time that works. I'm excited to bring our temples and community members into the conversation.
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