Sōtō school (Chin., Ts’ao-tung-tsung; Jap., Sōtō-shū); with the Rinzai school, one of the two most important schools of Zen in Japan. It belongs to the goke-shichishū and was founded by the great Chinese Ch’an (Zen) master Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Jap., Tōzan Ryōkai) and his student Ts’ao-shan Pen-chi (Jap., Sōzan Honjaku). The school was named Ts’ao-tung (Jap., Soto) after the first characterof the names of the two founders.
In the first half of the 13th century, the tradition of the Sōtō school was brought to Japan from China by the Japanese master Dōgen Zenji; there, Sōtō Zen, along with Rinzai, is one of the two principal transmission lineages of Zen still active today. While the goal of training in the two schools is basically the same, Sōtō and Rinzai Zen differ in their training methods though even here the line differentiating the two schools cannot be sharply drawn. In Sōtō Zen, mokushō Zen and thus shikantaza is more heavily stressed; in Rinzai, kanna Zen and kōan practice. In Sōtō Zen, the practice of dokusan, one of the most important elements of Zen training, has died out since the middle of the Meiji period.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Books on Sōtō school
External links: Rinzai school / goke-shichishū / Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tōzan Ryōkai) / Ts’ao-shan Pen-chi (Sōzan Honjaku) / Dōgen Zenji / mokushō Zen / shikantaza / kanna Zen / kōan / dokusan