Zo Ga

Background

Zo Ga was born in 917 Kyoto, Japan. He was the son of state councilor Tsunehira Tachibana.

Education

Zo Ga entered Enryakuji Temple at the age of nine as a disciple of Ryogen.

Career

A man of quiet habits, Zo Ga sought no fame and was content to travel unostentatiously on his preaching missions throughout the provinces till he retired into obscurity for 40 years at Tono-mine Temple in Yamato (Nara Prefecture). Later was conferred the title of Zoga-no-Hijiri (Saint of Zoga).

In 963 he retired to Tonomine hill in Yamato Province, where he diligently practiced Tendai meditation and lectured on the Lotus Sutra, Great Concentration and Insight, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, and other basic texts of the school. With these lectures, he won many disciples.

Connections

Father:

Tsunehira Tachibana