Ancestors

The recitation of ancestor names pays homage to all those who have kept alive the transmission of Shākyamuni Buddha's teaching, the Dharma.

Originally, female ancestors were not taken into account in lineages for sexist reasons. It wasn't until the 20th century that American research produced a list of names of female masters. These names are sometimes recited in alternation with the male lineage.

The list of names

The list of ancestors given here stops at Eihei Dōgen, founder of Zen sōtō in the 13th century. This is an officially recognized list of the Zen sōtō lineage, but let's not forget the independent or rebellious masters. Lineages differ according to temple and affiliation.

The names of Chinese ancestors are in Japanese, as they are recited in this way in sōtō Zen temples (saying daiosho (great master) after each name). The first six names are those of the Buddhas (butsu) who preceded Shākyamuni Buddha. As the historical Buddha was the first to formulate the Dharma, he is the first in the line of transmission.