Hakone Zendo was founded by Rev. Enyu Ito to share authentic Rinzai Zen practice with the community. He led our sangha until 2016, when he stepped back because of his age, and he passed away in 2020.
We no longer have a resident teacher, but his legacy lives on. Today we’re a volunteer-run zazen-kai, a community sitting group, and we still sit the way Rev. Ito taught us.
Rev. Enyu Ito
- Founder of Rinzai Hakone Zendo
- Received Buddhist priesthood at Honganji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
- 1996: received the master’s license from Honganji
- Taught Zen at Hakone Zendo from 1998 to 2016
- Passed away in 2020
His journey
Rev. Ito studied Buddhism and modern religious thought in Kyoto, Japan. His Zen training took him to temples across Japan, including Nishi Honganji in Kyoto, Ryutakuji in Shizuoka, Heirinji in Saitama, and Sainenji in Ibaraki, and later to Kongouji in New York.
In 1965, he settled in Los Gatos, California, and became connected with Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. In 1997, he established Rinzai Hakone Zendo there.
Restoring the Upper House
Seeing that the Upper House at Hakone Gardens needed care, Rev. Ito and his wife worked hard to restore and maintain it, turning it into a welcoming space for Sunday morning zazen. It’s still where we sit today.
Today, we’re carrying on his work. Just as Rev. Ito restored the Upper House when he opened Hakone Zendo, we’re now helping to restore it again, so it can stay a peaceful place to sit for years to come. Support the restoration →
Sitting at Ground Zero
In Buddhist tradition, the 49th day after a death marks an important passage for the soul. On the 49th day after 9/11, Rev. Ito felt called to travel to Ground Zero in New York City to hold a memorial service. He faced many obstacles, but he made it to the site. Unable to perform the ritual he had planned, he sat in zazen among the debris, offering his prayers and tears for those who were lost.
His teaching
Rev. Ito believed zazen was a remedy for the challenges of modern life. Science, technology, and society have changed enormously over the centuries, he observed, but the basic struggles of the human mind and heart have stayed much the same. He taught zazen as a way to understand ourselves deeply, and he guided his students toward mastering their inner selves.
