History of ZBTC
The Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago was founded in 1949 by Soyu Matsuoka Roshi. Originally located on Halsted Street on the north side of Chicago, the Temple moved to its current location in the 1980s. We also share space with the Chinese Cultural Academy which offers classes in Tai Chi Chuan.
Soyu Matsuoka Rōshi
Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka Rōshi is an important historical figure in the propagation of Soto Zen in the United States. Matsuoka Roshi was born in Japan, in Yamaguchi Prefecture near Hiroshima on November 25, 1912, into a family which had a history of Zen priests dating back six centuries. He attended Komazawa University in Tokyo, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree. From there, he studied and practiced Zen at Sōji-ji Zen Monastery which is one of two of the Japanese Soto Zen headquarter monasteries. . After several years at Sōji-ji, he was given an assignment to establish a Zen Temple in northern Japan on Karafuto (Sakhalin) Island. Prior to his coming to America, Matsuoka Roshi earned a PhD in philosophy,
