Charles Tenshin Fletcher

Last updated February 21, 2025

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Charles Tenshin Fletcher

Title	Rōshi
Personal life
Born	Charles Fletcher Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Nationality	American
Occupation	Abbot
Religious life
Religion	Zen Buddhism
School	Harada-Yasutani
Lineage	White Plum Asanga
Senior posting
Based in	Yokoji Zen Mountain Center
Predecessor	Taizan Maezumi
Successor	Philip Shinko Squire^[1] Barry Kaigen McMahon^[2] David Keizan Scott^[3] David Jokai Blackwell^[4] Tom Chigen Bartholomew^[5] Jim Yugen Lakey^[6] Craig Eishu Twentyman^[7] Gavin Mokuin Strathie^[8] Arthur Wayu Kennedy^[9]

Zen Buddhism

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Western Buddhism
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Charles Tenshin Fletcher is a British-born American Zen teacher.

Biography
Publications
See also
References
External links

Biography

Born in Manchester, England, he moved to the United States in 1979 to study at the Zen Center of Los Angeles with founder Taizan Maezumi Rōshi , for whom he served as jisha (personal attendant). In 1994, he received Dharma transmission (authorization to teach) in the White Plum lineage from Taizan Maezumi Rōshi. He acted as administrator for many years at Zen Center of Los Angeles, and then was made abbot of Yokoji Zen Mountain Center in 1995 after the death of Taizan Maezumi Rōshi on May 15, 1995.

Charles Tenshin Fletcher Rōshi continues as the abbot at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, in the San Jacinto Mountains, near Idyllwild, California. He is certified as a Kokusai Fukyōshi ("Official Foreign Representative") by Sōtō-shū Shûmusôchô, that is, the Japanese Sōtō Zen sect.^[10]

Tenshin Rōshi has trained thoroughly in kōan and shikantaza as well as other more recently developed forms of practice. In addition to his work in the US, he returns to the UK annually to lead a sesshin near Liverpool.

Publications

Tenshin Rōshi co-authored Way of ZEN with David Shoji Scott (2001) ISBN 0-312-20620-8

External links

Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, California (https://zmc.org/)
White Plum Asanga, US (http://www.whiteplum.org)
Green Mountain Zen, New Zealand (http://www.greenmountainzen.org.nz)
StoneWater Zen Sangha, Liverpool, UK (http://www.stonewaterzen.org/)
Citrus Zen (http://citruszen.com)
Mojave Zen (https://mojavezen.com)
Soto Zen International (https://web.archive.org/web/20080228015830/http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/eng/org_tmpl_non_jpn.html)

v t e Topics in Buddhism
Outline Glossary Index
Foundations	Four Noble Truths Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way
The Buddha	Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Eight Great Events Great Renunciation Physical characteristics Life of Buddha in art Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna (father) Māyā (mother) Mahapajapati Gotamī (aunt, adoptive mother) Yaśodharā (wife) Rāhula (son) Ānanda (cousin) Devadatta (cousin) Bodhi Tree Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions
Bodhisattvas	Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Mañjuśrī Mahāsthāmaprāpta Ākāśagarbha Kṣitigarbha Samantabhadra Vajrapāṇi Skanda Tārā Metteyya/Maitreya
Disciples	Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Ānanda Mahākassapa Aṅgulimāla Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhūti Puṇṇa Mantānīputta Upāli Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa
Key concepts	Avidyā (Ignorance) Bardo Bodhicitta Buddha-nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mental factors Mindstream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā (Craving) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Anicca Dukkha Anattā Two truths doctrine
Cosmology	Ten spiritual realms Six Paths Deva realm Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Naraka Three planes of existence
Branches	Mahayana Zen Chinese Chan Japanese Zen Korean Seon Vietnamese Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Huayan Risshū Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Shingon Dzogchen Theravada Navayana Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna Southern, Eastern and Northern Buddhism
Practices	Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiṣeka Dāna Devotion Deity yoga Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha-vipassanā (Vipassana movement) Shikantaza Zazen Tukdam Koan Ganana Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Mindful Yoga Satipatthana Nekkhamma Nianfo Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Music Refuge Sādhu Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five precepts Eight precepts Bodhisattva vow Pratimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Twenty-two vows of Ambedkar
Nirvana	Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddhayāna Four stages of awakening Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat
Monasticism	Bhikkhu Bhikkhunī Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagārika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Western tulku Kappiya Donchee Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Achar Śrāvaka Ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery
Major figures	The Buddha Nagasena Aśvaghoṣa Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Kumārajīva Buddhaghosa Buddhapālita Dignāga Bodhidharma Zhiyi Emperor Wen of Sui Songtsen Gampo Xuanzang Shandao Padmasambhava Saraha Atiśa Naropa Karmapa Hōnen Shinran Dōgen Nichiren Shamarpa Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Ajahn Mun B. R. Ambedkar Ajahn Chah Thích Nhất Hạnh
Texts	Early Buddhist texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana sutras Pali Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Dhammapada Sutra Vinaya Madhyamakālaṃkāra Abhidharmadīpa
Countries	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Buryatia Kalmykia Tuva (ru) Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Africa Senegal South Africa Central Asia Uzbekistan Middle East Iran Saudi Arabia Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Costa Rica Czech Republic France Germany Italy Mexico New Zealand Norway Poland Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom United States Venezuela
History	Timeline Ashoka Kanishka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Huichang persecution of Buddhism Greco-Buddhism Gandharan Buddhism Texts Menander I Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists In Afghanistan In Vietnam Rimé movement Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Dalit Buddhist movement Chinese invasion of Tibet 1959 Tibetan uprising Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Engaged Buddhism Women in Buddhism
Philosophy	Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Buddhism and democracy Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswerable questions
Culture	Architecture Temple Vihāra Kyaung Wat Ordination hall Stupa Pagoda Burmese pagoda Candi Dzong architecture List of Buddhist architecture in China Japanese Buddhist architecture Buddhist temples in Korea Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco-Buddhist Budai Buddha in art Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Māgha Pūjā Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Hama yumi Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism
Miscellaneous	Abhijñā Amitābha Brahmā Dharma talk Hinayana Iddhi Kalpa Koliya Lineage Māra Siddhi Sacred languages Pāḷi Sanskrit
Comparison	Baháʼí Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy
Lists	Bodhisattvas Buddhas Buddhists Suttas Sutras Temples Festivals
Category Buddhismportal

v t e Modern Buddhist writers (19th century to date)
Buddhism Buddhism in the West Buddhist modernism
Theravada / Vipassana movement	Ajahn Amaro Acharya Buddharakkhita Bhikkhu Analayo Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero B. R. Ambedkar Charles Henry Allan Bennett Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu Bhikkhu Bodhi Sylvia Boorstein Vidyamala Burch P. D. Premasiri Ajahn Chah Anagarika Dharmapala Gil Fronsdal S. N. Goenka Joseph Goldstein Henepola Gunaratana Jack Kornfield Stephen Levine Noah Levine Nyanatiloka Walpola Rahula Thero Sharon Salzberg Sangharakshita Rahul Sankrityayan Ajahn Sucitto Ajahn Sumedho Bhante Sujato Ñāṇavīra Thera Katukurunde Nyanananda Mahathera Nyanaponika Thera
Mahayana	David Brazier Chin Kung Tanaka Chigaku Daisaku Ikeda Nikkyō Niwano Yin Shun Kenneth K. Tanaka Gyomay Kubose Alfred Bloom Kenryu Takashi Tsuji Marvin Harada
Vajrayana	Pema Chödrön Surya Das Anagarika Govinda Kelsang Gyatso Tenzin Gyatso Namkhai Norbu Thinley Norbu Ole Nydahl Matthieu Ricard Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche Sogyal Rinpoche Thrangu Rinpoche Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Robert Thurman Chögyam Trungpa
Zen	Reb Anderson Taisen Deshimaru Gil Fronsdal Steve Hagen Thích Nhất Hạnh Hsuan Hua Nan Huai-Chin Houn Jiyu-Kennett Philip Kapleau Dainin Katagiri David Loy Taizan Maezumi Kitaro Nishida Shōhaku Okumura Paul Reps Seungsahn Daewon Seongcheol Sheng-yen D. T. Suzuki Shunryū Suzuki Brad Warner Hakuun Yasutani Han Yong-un Hsing Yun
Secular Buddhism	Stephen Batchelor Robert Wright
Scholars	Alexander Berzin Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers Lokesh Chandra Edward Conze Heinrich Dumoulin Nalinaksha Dutt Walter Evans-Wentz Richard Gombrich Herbert V. Günther Red Pine George de Roerich Caroline Rhys Davids Thomas Rhys Davids Fyodor Shcherbatskoy Lucien Stryk B. Alan Wallace David Kalupahana K. N. Jayatilleke Alfred Bloom
Westerners influenced by Buddhism	Edwin Arnold Helena Blavatsky Fritjof Capra Leonard Cohen Alexandra David-Néel Heinrich Harrer Hermann Hesse Carl Jung Jon Kabat-Zinn Friedrich Nietzsche Henry Steel Olcott Helena Roerich Ernest Reinhold Rost J. D. Salinger Arthur Schopenhauer Gary Snyder Alan Watts Alfred North Whitehead Western philosophy and Buddhism Buddhism and psychology
Lists	List of modern writers on Eastern religions List of writers on Buddhism
Religionportal Indiaportal Myanmarportal Nepalportal Sri Lankaportal Thailandportal

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Charles Tenshin Fletcher

Contents

Biography

Publications

See also

References

External links