Soto

Sōtō Zen was transmitted to Japan by Eihei Dōgen (1200–1253) and later organized by Keizan Jōkin. Its signature practice is shikantaza: objectless sitting that trusts Buddha-nature as already present rather than chasing special states.

Sōtō became Japan’s largest Zen school, with deep roots in parish temples and mountain monasteries such as Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji. In the West, Shunryu Suzuki, Taizan Maezumi, and others founded major centers (SFZC, ZCLA, White Plum sanghas) that still shape American Zen.