Zen Master Hogen-san

Rev. Daido Hōgen Yamahata, the founding teacher of Open Way Zen, died in Spain on 31.03.2024, aged 88.

Hōgen san’s life was committed to spreading peace through each of us awakening to the deepest truth of our existence. In 2004 he wrote, “Utimately, it is the most crucial and urgent task of our own awakening nature of compassion and understanding to put off our inner-war-fire which is the seed of wars in the world, everywhere.”

Born Yuzo Yamahata, on 28 September 1935 in Kiryū city, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, he started zen practice at age 16 under Tetsugyū Ban Rōshi. In 1961 he entered Bukkokuji Zen Monastery in Obama, Japan for formal training under the guidance of Harada Daisetsu Tangen Rōshi, initially as a lay practitioner. Hogen san’s story of his native koan, which led him to awakening, can be read here: life koan.

He ordained as a priest on 8 August 1963, taking the name Yamahata Daidō Hōgen, and received certification of Dharma transmission on 10 November 1972. He eschewed the title of Rōshi, and was simply known as Hōgen san.

On 16 April 1974 Hōgen san was appointed Abbott of Chōgenji Temple in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan, and in the same year married Keikō Katsuyama.

In 1980 Hōgen san led daily zazen sittings and gave lectures on Zen at the British Aikido Federation Summer School at University College of North Wales, Bangor. From then until 2016 he led retreats in Ireland, England, Holland, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Norway, France, Spain, Portugal, U.S.A., Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and India. Hōgen san had an intuitive understanding that the dharma being transplanted to the west needed to sprout and develop in its own organic way and not be defined by the formal zen practices of his native Japan.

Hōgen san authored “On the Open Way” (published in English, Portuguese and Japanese in multiple editions), “The Other Shore”, and “Falling Leaves, a Shooting Sprout” (Portuguese and English bilingual edition). He also translated two of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books into Japanese, “The Heart of Understanding” (privately published) and “Transformation and Healing”.

He made regular visits to Australia between 1986 and 2016, spending much of his time during these visits at Byron Bay, where a practice centre, Dōchu-an, was established through the efforts of his students.

In 1989, Hōgen san established Jikō-An in Spain, a Zen meditation centre located on the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada.

In early 2013, Hōgen san formally recorded his lineage transmission to a number of his Australian students who have undertaken to transmit his teachings there, whom he referred to them as “sprouts shooting from the old plum tree”. From that time, he was able to devote more time to his “life-work”, that is to live like a humble novice monk and to try and document the essence of his teachings for future generations. He finally retired as an active teacher in 2016, when he left Australia for the last time and went to spend his last years in Spain.

On behalf of Hōgen san’s thousands of students we offer our condolences to his family and express our gratitude for the significant sacrifices that they made so that he could benefit the lives of so many via his very humble, simple and direct teaching of zen. He once wrote, “… the only one kōan and mantra we all have is just THIS (awareness of THIS, discovery of THIS)”.

Peter Genjo Bruza

Peter (Genjo) Bruza started zen practice in the late eighties with the Kanzeon Sangha (The Netherlands). His first teacher was Genno Roshi /(Kanzeon Sangha), who greatly helped him on The Way. After moving back to Australia he briefly studied within the Korean Kwan Um school of zen and then met is master, Hogen Yamahata at a sesshin near Byron Bay in 1995. Since then he has been studying under Hogen san's guidance and became a Dharma successor in August 2008.

Peter Genyo Gallagher

Peter developed a serious interest in zen during his mid teens but it wasn't until the early 1990s that he began regular practice. His first formal teacher was John Tarrant, through retreats with the Sydney Zen Centre. On moving to Queensland in 1996 he became, and continues to be, a student of Zen Master Hogen Yamahata. The late Chan Master Sheng Yen has also influenced his practice.

Peter's formal Jukai was with Harada Tangen Roshi (Hogen Yamahata's master) on 16 August 2001, receiving the Dharma name of Daigyo Genyo. Peter ordained as a monk on 18 April 2003, and in January 2008 Hogen Yamahata gave him authority to teach, lead retreats, and give dokusan.

Eric Dokan Batten

Eric developed an interest in Zen in his late teenage years which led to a short introductory course in Zazen in the mid 1970s. He dabbled more off than on until one day in 1990 while sitting at the end of a yoga class he questioned his motives. This led to a vow to begin there and then a full time Zen practice.

He met Hogen-san in Sesshin in 2001 and felt a fire was lit under his zafu! He ordained in 2004 and was made a teacher in the Open Way tradition in 2014.

He has been running a Zazen group (with Hogen-san's permission) in Murwillumbah since 2007. Details of this group can be found on the practice page

Mark Hogaku Togni

Mark has a long history of Yoga and Buddhist studies and teaching for over 20 years. He met his first Master HWL Poonja (Papaji) in Lucknow India in 1992 and continues to be a devotee of his. He then went on to study and teach Yoga in the Ashtanga and Iyengar lines, his principal teachers being Nicky Knoff, James Bryan, Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar.

In 2001 Mark met Hogen-san and after a long time yearning to become a monk, he ordained with him in 2003. He continues to be a student of Hogen-san’s and a member of the Open Way Sangha and in 2016, Hogen san gave him permission to teach, give dokusan and lead retreats.

Emma Genko Cain

Emma has always held a strong curiosity about what Zen calls the Great Matter, and explored various other spiritual traditions before beginning practice with Open Way in 2009. Attending her first sesshin in January 2010 she felt like she had come home, and she took Jukai with her teacher Genjo shortly afterwards. He continues to be a generous guide, ordaining her as a monk in 2017 and encouraging her to dive deep in her study. During 2018 she undertook a contemplative residency at Upaya Zen Centre which also greatly enriched her practice.

Emma is particularly interested in how Zen practice can reveal the freshness, vitality, authenticity and joy of the life we are living right now—THIS life!

There are also a number of teachers affiliated with Open Way Zen. Click here to view affiliated teachers.