Carlo Zendo Tetsugen Serra

Carlo Zendo Tetsugen Serra, born in Milan, Italy in 1953, is an influential Italian missionary Soto Zen master and a recognized Buddhist religious authority in Europe. He is a key figure in the lineage of Harada Daiun Sogaku and has dedicated his life to spreading Zen Buddhism and its practices.

Life and Historical Context

After a brief career in photography and cinema, Carlo Serra traveled to Japan in 1983, where he was ordained as a monk at the Tosho-ji monkery in Tokyo, taking the Dharma name Tetsugen. He trained under Abbot Ban Tetsugyu Soin Roshi and also studied eastern medicine, receiving a certificate as a teacher of Zen Shiatsu from the institute founded by Shizuto Masunaga. This dual background as a Zen monk and shiatsu teacher informed his unique approach to Zen practice.

In 1988, Tetsugen was sent as a missionary to Italy, where he founded his first monastery, Enso-ji il Cerchio, in Milan. He also established the "Scuola Zen di Shiatsu" in 1992, integrating shiatsu treatments as a form of Zen practice. In 1995, Enso-ji began offering shiatsu massage, allowing monks and teachers to refine their skills and even make a living from it. A second monastery, Sanbo-ji Tempio dei Tre Gioielli, was founded near Berceto in 1996, which later became the seat of a monastic "Sangha" open to lay practitioners.

In 1998, Tetsugen received Dharma transmission from Zen Master Tetsujyo Deguchi, who recognized him as a missionary Zen master (Kokusaifukyoshi) with the name Zendo. This title was confirmed by the international association "Sōtōshū shumucho." Between 2000 and 2003, he served as a member of the direction of the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI).

Major Contributions and Adaptations

In the early 21st century, Tetsugen Serra began to evolve his teachings, aiming to transfer the essence of Buddhist and Zen traditions into languages and forms accessible to Western society. He explored the application of Zen principles to management, founding the society "ZenEssere" and publishing works like "Management by Zen Koan." His work also extends to applying Zen teaching and cognitive psychology to lay paths of self-improvement, offering counseling sessions and developing the "MindfulZen" program for contemporary mindfulness.

Notable Works

Carlo Zendo Tetsugen Serra is the author of numerous books, including "Zen 3.0. La via della meditazione" (2015), "Zen 2.0. La via della felicità" (2014), "Management by Zen Koan" (2009), and several works on Zen Shiatsu and Zen philosophy published in Italian and Spanish.