Friday, September 13–Sunday, September 15
Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama will be visiting Nebraska Zen Center from September 13 to September 15 as part of his Midwest travels on behalf of Soto Zen Buddhism North America. He is one of two secretaries touring Zen centers to deepen our dharma connection and share news about Soto Zen in North America.
Gyokei will join our sangha for our fall sesshin and Open Zen the weekend he is here. Please join us in welcoming him to our temple and community. We are honored to have him as our guest.
横山行敬 Gyokei Yokoyama
Kokusai Fukyoshi (International Missionary) for the Soto shu (Soto school) in North America
Abbot of Sozenji Buddhist Temple in Montebello, California
Secretary of Soto Zen Buddhism North America Board member of Soto Zen Buddhist Association
Board member of Soto Zen Buddhism North America
After graduating, Gyokei worked as a paralegal translator in Tokyo. He then returned to his home temple in Eastern Aichi, where he finished priest training and served the community as kyoshi, or resident minister. He also taught English to local children and retired senior community members. Gyokei worked with a Japanese Brazilian and Peruvian community during the 2008 recession, advocating for children with linguistic challenges. As a city councilor, he helped form a youth council.
Gyokei co-led his home temple with his father/teacher from 2006 to 2011, until his father passed away. In 2012 he moved to Eastern Canada and in 2014 to Southern California, where he served the Long Beach Buddhist Church, an independent nondenominational Buddhist community, as well the Soto Zen Buddhism North America Office. In 2015, he joined the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. From 2019 to 2021, Gyokei also supported the Sozenji Buddhist Temple in Montebello, California. Since 2022, Gyokei has been a supporting teacher at Angel City Zen Center, facilitating their transition to ful Soto shu affiliation.
Through his associations with various temples, Gyokei works with six American Soto shu students who are going through the priest-formation process. Another student became a kokusai fukyoshi (international missionary) last year and currently serves Cedar Rapids Zen Center, Iowa.
Gyokei has also led a lay sangha, Rocky Mountain Zen in Alberta, Canada, since 2021. He joined the American Zen Teachers Association (AZTA) in January 2024. Since April of 2024, Gyokei has been on the board of Soto Zen North America, the new North American denomination of Soto Zen.
We are honored to have him visit our temple.