Posts by Zenkai Taiun M. Elliston, Roshi

Elliston-Roshi began his engagement with Zen in 1966, when he met Rev. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi, founder and head teacher of the Chicago Zen Buddhist Temple (CZBT). He contacted Zen through Rev. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi in the mid-sixties, becoming his disciple in short order, and later founded the Atlanta Soto Zen Center(ASZC) in the 1970s. Elliston-Roshi is the current Abbot of ASZC, which is one of the largest and most active centers for lay practitioners of Zen in the United States today. After two years of training under Matsuoka-roshi’s supervision, and at his suggestion, he underwent a combined Initiation and Discipleship ceremony, and was given the dharma name Taiun, meaning “great cloud.” Later he was given a second name Zenkai, which means “whole world.” In the Zen world, his preferred address is, simply “sensei” (teacher).