John Daido Loori

John Daido Loori
TitleRōshi, abbot
Personal
BornJune 14, 1931 (1931-06-14)
DiedOctober 9, 2009 (2009-10-10) (aged 78)
ReligionZen Buddhism
SchoolRinzai and Sōtō
LineageMountains and Rivers Order (part of White Plum Asanga)
Dharma namesMuge Daido
Senior posting
TeacherTaizan Maezumi
SuccessorBonnie Myotai Treace, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Konrad Ryushin Marchaj
Websitezmm.mro.org Zen Mountain Monastery

John Daido Loori (June 14, 1931 – October 9, 2009)[1] was a Zen Buddhist rōshi who served as the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery and was the founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order and CEO of Dharma Communications. Daido Loori received shiho (dharma transmission) from Taizan Maezumi in 1986 and also received a Dendo Kyoshi certificate formally from the Soto school of Japan in 1994. In 1997, he received dharma transmission in the Harada-Yasutani and Inzan lineages of Rinzai Zen as well.[2] In 1996 he gave dharma transmission to his student Bonnie Myotai Treace, in 1997 to Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, and in 2009 to Konrad Ryushin Marchaj.[2] In addition to his role as a Zen Buddhist priest, Loori was an exhibited photographer and author of more than twenty books and was an avid naturalist.

In October 2009, he stepped down as abbot citing health issues. Days later, Zen Mountain Monastery announced that his death was imminent.[3] On October 9, 2009, at 7:30 a.m. he died of lung cancer in Mount Tremper, New York.[1]

  1. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (October 10, 2009). "John D. Loori, 78, Zen Abbot and Photographer, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Seager; p. 257-258
  3. ^ Press Release, October 2009 Archived 2009-10-07 at the Wayback Machine