Oshō
Oshō is a Buddhist priest ; honorific title of preceptor or high priest. 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" The Chinese term "he-shang" is derived from the Sanskrit word upadhyaya or acharya:
The standard English translation of oshō has become "priest", it has a somewhat different connotation in Zen:
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":An example of its use is in Rinzai's teachings:
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":
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:
To supervise the training of monks, further qualifications are necessary: