Oshō
Title for a Buddhist priest
title: "Oshō" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["zen", "japanese-buddhist-titles"] description: "Title for a Buddhist priest" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshō" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Title for a Buddhist priest ::
Oshō is a Buddhist priest (in charge of a temple); honorific title of preceptor or high priest (especially in Zen or Pure Land Buddhism). The same kanji are also pronounced kashō as an honorific title of preceptor or high priest in Tendai or Kegon Buddhism and wajō as an honorific title of preceptor or high priest in Shingon, Hossō, Ritsu, or Shin Buddhism.
Etymology
Oshō is the Japanese reading of a Tibetan term meaning a high-ranking or highly-virtuous Buddhist monk. It is also a respectful designation for monks in general and may be used with the suffix -san.
According to the Kōjien Japanese dictionary and the Kanjigen dictionary of Chinese character source meanings, it is originally derived from the Sanskrit upādhyāya, meaning "master" in the sense of "teacher".
The literal meaning is "self-taught Buddhist monk/teacher"Oshobob, What is an Osho? The Chinese term "he-shang" is derived from the Sanskrit word upadhyaya or acharya: ::quote
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The standard English translation of oshō has become "priest", it has a somewhat different connotation in Zen: ::quote
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According to the Kōjien, the two characters that make up the word are pronounced oshō only in the Zen and Kegon schools. For example, they are read kashō in Tendai and wajō in Shingon Buddhism.
History
Oshō became an honorific title for Zen-masters", meaning "harmonious respect": ::quote
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An example of its use is in Rinzai's teachings: ::quote 29.a. Followers of the Way, I hold the transmission of the generations from Mayoku Osho, Tanka Osho, Doitsu Osho, Rozan Osho, Sekikyo Osho. All have gone the same way. Nobody could believe in them, all were reviled.
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Doitsu Osho's actualization was pure, it was not coarse. None of his three hundred or five hundred students could make out his meaning.
Rozan Osho was free and true, master of his actualization, whether adapting it or going contrary. But none of his students could fathom his vast horizon and were startled.
Tanka Osho played with the pearl (of wisdom, hidden in the sea), sometimes hiding it and sometimes revealing it. He was slandered by all students who came to him.Irmgard Schloegel, The Zen Teaching of Rinzai. Page 45}}
Sōtō Zen
In Sōtō Zen, to become an oshō, teacher, two more steps are to be taken after dharma transmission, namely ten-e and zuise.
Ten-e means "to turn the robe": ::quote
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After zuise one becomes an oshō, whereafter one may become the resident priest in one's own temple. Hereby one can gain the highest rank: ::quote
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To supervise the training of monks, further qualifications are necessary: ::quote The relatively low status of dharma transmission means that in and of itself it does not qualify one to accept students or to train disciples. According to the regulations, Zen students should be supervised only by a teacher who has attained supervisory certification (i.e. sanzen dōjō shike status), that is, someone who in the popular literature might be called a Zen master. To attain supervisory certification requires not just high ecclesiastical grades and dharma seniority but also at least three years' experience as an assistant supervisor at a specially designated training hall (tokubetsu sōdō), during which time one undergoes an apprenticeship. ::
Rajneesh
The term became well known in the West when Rajneesh began calling himself Osho.
References
Web references
Sources
References
- ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Tokyo 1991, {{ISBN. 4-7674-2015-6
- [http://antaiji.dogen-zen.de/eng/201007.shtml Muho Noelke, ''Ten-e and some words about Zui-se'']
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