ABSTRACT
Keizan Zenji's writings are highly intuitive. Before Keizan's advent, Soto Zen had been confined to a few small monasteries, none of which were to be found in Kyoto, the spiritual centre of Japan at that time. Keizan's works include the Denkoroku and the Sankonzazen-setsu, as well as the majority, if not the entirety, of the ceremonies presently used in the Soto Zen Church. The main ikon of the Soto Zen Church shows Shakyamuni Buddha at the top, in the centre, with Dogen Zenji on His right hand and Keizan Zenji on His left, both being slightly below Him. Through the magnificence of public ceremonies he was also able to reach the poorer classes who, having very little beauty in their lives, could nevertheless come to the temple and see something beautiful. Koho Zenji asked that he work hard to bring out the meaning of the Denkoroku in English rather than make an academic translation.
