Zen Master Shinzan Miyamae (1935-2021)
Shinzan says hello…
Shinzan Miyamae (宮前 心山, 1935–2021) was a Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist Rōshi who restored Gyokuryuji, the 17th-century hermitage founded by Edo-period master Bankei Yōtaku, transforming it into a training centre focused on direct insight into one’s true nature.
Born in Niigata Prefecture and educated in economics at Doshisha University, he endured business failures and near-suicide before ordaining at age 31 under Mitsui Daishin Rōshi and undergoing intense koan training at Shōgen-ji and Kokutaiji monasteries, where he attained kensho through the "mu" koan.
Miyamae founded Zendo Kyodan, a lay practitioner organization prioritizing kensho above institutional rituals, and withdrew from the Myoshinji branch of Rinzai Zen in 2005 over its high funeral fees, publicly advocating low-cost lay-led ceremonies to democratize Zen practice.
His teachings, which integrated Hakuin's rigorous inquiry with Bankei's emphasis on innate buddha-mind, extended to international students and controversially included counseling and adopting former Aum Shinrikyo cult members—such as convicted murderer Kazuaki Okazaki—post the 1995 Tokyo sarin attack, reflecting his insistence on universal access to awakening irrespective of past actions.
An accomplished calligrapher, Miyamae produced artworks embodying Zen principles, featured in exhibitions and a 2015 tribute volume “The Zen Character” marking his 80th birthday.
