Daiyuzenji

Daiyuzenji is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple situated on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its origins trace back to 1982, when it was established as the Illinois betsuin (branch temple) of Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen headquarters temple founded in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1979 by Omori Sogen Roshi. The establishment and administration of the Chicago branch temple were primarily driven by Fumio Toyoda, a lay Zen master and martial arts teacher who had emigrated from Japan to Chicago in 1974. Early in its existence, Omori Sogen Roshi's successors, Tenshin Tanouye Roshi and Dogen Hosokawa Roshi, provided guidance by traveling to Chicago to lead sesshin sessions.

Over time, the Chicago betsuin cultivated a dedicated group of senior students, including several ordained priests. A significant milestone occurred in 2005 when Hosokawa Roshi officially designated the temple as fully independent, renaming it Sokeizan Daiyuzenji. So'zan Miller Roshi, one of Hosokawa Roshi's dharma heirs, was appointed as the first Daiyuzenji shike (abbot). The current abbot of Daiyuzenji is Tesshin Brand Roshi, a dharma heir to So'zan Miller Roshi.

Daiyuzenji plays a role in a broader network of Zen practice groups. Teachers and community members from Daiyuzenji were instrumental in the establishment of Korinji, a new Rinzai Zen Buddhist sodo (monastery) located near Madison, Wisconsin, with its groundbreaking in June 2009. Together, Daiyuzenji and Korinji form the core of an associated network of Zen practice groups known as the Rinzai Zen Community (RZC).