Biography
As the 20th anniversary of Katagiri Roshi's death was approaching, Andrea Martin was wondering how to honor the occasion in some meaningful way. She realized that as his archivist she could preserve not just what he taught, but also information about him as a Zen teacher. So, she embarked on a quest to pull together whatever information she could find and write a narrative account of his life.
Katagiri Roshi often told stories about his life to illustrate points in his talks, so there was some autobiographical information to draw on. There were also resources such as articles about him, references in books written by his students, Minnesota Zen Meditation Center files, and peoples' memories. Using what she discovered, Martin wrote her first version of the essay: "Ceaseless Effort: The Life of Dainin Katagiri" in 2010. Now she regularly revises it as she hears new stories or finds new information.
"Ceaseless Effort" is not an official biography. It is simply the result of Martin's wish to honor her teacher and preserve his story for those who want to know about the human being behind his books and audio recordings, the teaching lineage before and after him, and the history of Zen in America.
Katagiri Roshi often told stories about his life to illustrate points in his talks, so there was some autobiographical information to draw on. There were also resources such as articles about him, references in books written by his students, Minnesota Zen Meditation Center files, and peoples' memories. Using what she discovered, Martin wrote her first version of the essay: "Ceaseless Effort: The Life of Dainin Katagiri" in 2010. Now she regularly revises it as she hears new stories or finds new information.
"Ceaseless Effort" is not an official biography. It is simply the result of Martin's wish to honor her teacher and preserve his story for those who want to know about the human being behind his books and audio recordings, the teaching lineage before and after him, and the history of Zen in America.
Lineage
The lineage chart is a family tree of everyone in the Jikai Dainin Katagiri lineage. This includes priests who have received dharma transmission and novice priests who are actively training with a Katagiri lineage holder. It also includes lay teachers who have received lay entrustment and those who are receiving guidance from a Katagiri lineage holder. Everyone's help in keeping this chart up to date is greatly appreciated.
