Nebraska Zen Center (NZC) is one of the oldest Soto Zen communities in the United States, founded by Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1975.
It began in the early 1970s as the Nebraska Zen Group, an informal association of practitioners that formed around Bryan Daizen Victoria, an Omaha native who studied in Japan for twelve years and ordained there as a Zen priest. Upon returning to Omaha, Daizan taught Japanese and Buddhist studies at Creighton and UNO. He hosted meditation sessions and provided dharma talks for the Nebraska Zen Group, but was not interested in a formal position as head priest or abbot. Daizan maintained ties with several priests from Japan, and he eventually connected the Nebraska Zen Group with Dainin Katagiri Roshi, a Japanese priest who in 1972 had established the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis. Katagiri Roshi agreed to act as teacher for the Nebraska group, and in 1975 he established it as the Nebraska Zen Center, an MZMC affiliate with himself as abbot. NZC formally registered in Nebraska as a religious, nonprofit corporation in 1977.
Dainin Katagiri Roshi was an important figure in American Soto Zen, one of the first priests to bring Soto Zen Buddhism to a wider, nonimmigrant population in the United States. In the late 1960s, he assisted Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the emerging San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California. After Suzuki’s death, Katagiri founded the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis as well as Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in rural Eitzen, Minnesota. Books compiled from his dharma talks include Returning to Silence: Zen Practice In Daily Life; You Have to Say Something: Manifesting Zen Insight; Each Moment is the Universe: Zen and the Way of Being Time; and The Light That Shines through Infinity: Zen and the Energy of Life.
Katagiri came to Omaha at least once a month for years, lecturing, leading sesshins (extended meditation retreats), and otherwise encouraging practice. He often brought MZMC students and priests-in-training with him. As time went on, several priests ordained by Katagiri came to Omaha to lead retreats and practice, including Rev. Teijo Munnich and others. The sangha at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center provided crucial support for the fledgling Nebraska group during these years.
The Omaha sangha met in members’ homes until 1979, when NZC acquired a building—once the home of Daizen Victoria’s mother—at 3303 Lafayette Avenue, not far from NZC’s current location. With the help of students from MZMC, the NZC sangha spent the summer of 1979 transforming the old house into a Zen center. The updated premises included a zendo and a Buddha hall, three bedrooms for students, guest space in the large basement, and an apartment for the teacher.
Opening ceremonies for Nebraska Zen Center’s new building took place in September 1979, attended by Dainin Katagiri Roshi and Tim Burkett (then MZMC President, now MZMC’s Guiding Teacher). Harada Tangen Roshi came from Japan with his wife and attendant. He conducted a private ceremony for Zen students and a public ceremony the following day. Other guests included an Omaha city councilman, who gave a supportive talk, and Luis Gomez, a professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A group of about 40 attendees walked three times around the building chanting the Heart Sutra.
Daizen Victoria left for California after NZC’s opening ceremonies to complete a PhD in Buddhist Studies. In 1980, three to five practicing members were living at the center, and several others lived in the immediate neighborhood. The center offered space for resident students from other parts of the country as well.
With Katagiri’s assistance, the NZC sangha looked for a full-time resident priest. When Harada Roshi first visited in 1978, he indicated interest in becoming NZC’s resident teacher. He returned for the opening ceremonies in September 1979, planning to return in the late spring of 1980 for an extended and possibly permanent stay. Harada Roshi was ultimately unable to accept the position, however. Katagiri later recommended another Zen priest, Okazaki Roshi, and the NZC sangha invited him to be its resident teacher. However, he also was unable to accept.
By 1983, Daizen Victoria had completed his Buddhist studies and returned to Omaha. The house at 3303 Lafayette was put up for sale. Katagiri Roshi continued to encourage the Omaha group to practice, urging members to sit individually and together when possible. Scheduled zazen (seated meditation) continued at Daizen Victoria’s home. The group also began sitting at the home of Dr. Gordon Becker, a UNO professor and sangha member. His residence on South 67th Street became such a frequent meeting place that in 1987 NZC members collaborated to add a zendo to the premises. A dedication ceremony was held later that year, with Katagiri attending.
In 1990, NZC asked Rev. Nonin Chowaney, a priest who was ordained by and received dharma transmission from Katagiri Roshi, to serve as its resident teacher. Nonin had been leading the monastic community at Hokyoji, a monastery and retreat center founded by Katagiri. However, MZMC was planning to close Hokyoji, so Nonin accepted the opportunity to lead the Omaha sangha. He became NZC’s first full-time resident abbot. He initially lived in the attic of sangha members Steve and Deirdre Evans on 38th Street, who converted their basement into a zendo.
In 1991, NZC located and purchased its current property at 3625 Lafayette Avenue. The building was in disrepair and required significant renovation work, most of it performed by Nonin and sangha members. Neighbors in Bemis Park supported the purchase and helped obtain the requisite zoning approvals. When the renovation and repairs were complete, Nonin moved into the center and founded the Heartland Temple there.
Nonin served as abbot of Nebraska Zen Center/Heartland Temple for 25 years. He ordained several students and established the Prairie Wind Order of Zen temples. He gave dharma transmission to only one student, Kyoki Roberts. She founded the Zen Center of Pittsburgh/Deep Spring Temple in 1999 as part of the Prairie Wind Order and remained abbot there until her retirement in 2016. During Nonin’s tenure, NZC further renovated the building to expand the zendo and add a back entryway, two restrooms, and a garage.
Nonin retired in 2016. Dosho Port, who was also ordained by Katagiri Roshi, succeeded him as head priest. Along with his wife, Tetsugan Zummach, Dosho led NZC for five years. He resigned in 2021.
NZC/Heartland Temple has been in its present location in the Bemis Park neighborhood for over 30 years. Rev. Nonin Chowaney passed away in July 2022. His ashes are buried on the temple grounds, along with those of his beloved dogs. Rev. Kyoki Roberts passed away in December 2023. Her ashes are also interred at NZC.
In 2022, NZC’s board engaged Rev. Daishin McCabe as part-time interim priest while the sangha searches for a new resident head priest. In 2023, NZC initiated a residency program for priests-in-training and priests on sabbatical, with candidates invited to live on premises and help lead the sangha for three to six months under the guidance of Rev. McCabe.
