Nonin Chowaney

Rev. Nonin Chowaney (OPW) is a retired American Soto Zen priest and brush calligrapher. A Dharma heir of the late Dainin Katagiri-roshi, Chowaney received Dharma transmission in 1989 and was the founder of an organization of Soto priests known as The Order of the Prairie Wind (OPW), which is now defunct. Having studied Zen in Japan as well as at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Chowaney was certified by the Soto School of Japan.

In 1999, Chowaney founded the Zen Center of Pittsburgh - Deep Spring Temple in Bell Acres, Pennsylvania and appointed Rev. Kyōki Roberts as the head priest. Then in 2001 he gave Dharma transmission to Roberts, his only ordained student.