Dharma Heritage Ceremony

The Dharma Heritage Ceremony was created by the Soto Zen Buddhist Association to bring Soto priests across the country together in a lineage and tradition that expresses their common ground and fulfills the need to collectively affirm new teachers.

The Dharma Heritage Ceremony pays honor not only to Dogen and Keizan Zenjis, but to all our ancestors and especially those teachers who founded our lineages in the West, and it emphasizes the sangha of priests acknowledging one another. The Ceremony is performed once every two years at the national conference of the SZBA. At the end of the conference a Closing Ceremony is held in which a formal proclamation is read welcoming the participating priests into the national sangha of Soto Priests. Each is presented with a certificate of completion of the Dharma Heritage Ceremony.

See Proclamation of Heritage Ceremony beneath pictures

The Proclamation

Each of the disciples of the Buddha who is a Dharma Heritage Candidate has practiced with faith and dedication for many years. Each has completed Dharma Transmission and become an authorized teacher for the world. They have all come to the national colloquy of Soto Zen Priests and performed the Dharma Heritage Ceremony. With this they have joined the sangha of North American Soto Zen teachers. We hope they will proclaim the Dharma widely to all sentient beings. Trusting this, we acknowledge them and honor them and wish them blessings and help from Buddhas and Ancestors throughout all times. May they, together will all of us, dedicate themselves to supporting the authentic Dharma, to bringing peace and harmony to the world, and to promoting wisdom and compassion in the ten directions. The merit of this ceremony and the power of our Dharma relations extends throughout space and time. May our practice be worthy of it, as we go forward to benefit beings widely. Congratulations to these great priests! Deep congratulations!