In Soto-Zen, dharma transmission is referred to as shiho, and further training is required to become an osho.
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15 Facts About Dharma transmission
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2.
Notion and practice of Dharma Transmission developed early in the history of Chan, as a means to gain credibility and to foster institutional ties among the members of the Chan community.
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3.
Concept of dharma transmission took shape during the Tang period, when establishing the right teachings became important, to safeguard the authority of specific schools.
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4.
Dharma transmission claimed Huineng to be the successor of Hongren's, instead of the then publicly recognized successor Shenxiu.
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5.
The most prominent of the successors of his lineage was Guifeng Zongmi According to Zongmi, Shenhui's approach was officially sanctioned in 796, when "an imperial commission determined that the Southern line of Chan represented the orthodox Dharma transmission and established Shen-hui as the seventh patriarch, placing an inscription to that effect in the Shen-lung temple".
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6.
Dharma transmission lineage reflects the importance of family-structures in ancient China, and forms a symbolic and ritual recreation of this system for the monastical "family".
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7.
Nevertheless, while the Zen tradition has always stressed the importance of formal Dharma transmission, there are well known examples of Mushi dokugo, such as Nonin, Jinul and Suzuki Shosan who attained awakening on their own, though all of them were familiair with the Zen-teachings.
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8.
Every link in the genealogy of dharma transmission occurs in documented historical circumstances: a specific place and time, identifiable individuals, and specific words and actions.
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9.
The Dharma transmission is totally vertical from teacher to student, no peer control is involved.
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10.
In Soto, dharma transmission is the acknowledgement of the ties between teacher and student.
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11.
In contrast to the status that dharma transmission has begotten in the west, in Soto it has a relatively low status:.
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12.
Relatively low status of dharma transmission means that in and of itself it does not qualify one to accept students or to train disciples.
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Dharma transmission is part of the maintenance of the Soto-institutions.
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14.
Dharma transmission is not the last and final step in a student's practice.
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