Source: Chicago Tribune
On October 23, 1998, the Chicago Tribune published an article concerning the official transmission of Sherry Chayat as "roshi" in the Rinzai Zen sect of Buddhism at a special ceremony at the Syracuse Zen Center on October 18th, 1998. Sherry Chayat is an adjunct art instructor at Syracuse University, an affiliate Buddhist chaplain at the university, and the abbot at the Syracuse Zen Center. Her transmission as roshi, a "venerable teacher" who is able to pass down the teachings of Rinzai Zen, marks the first time an American woman has been transmitted as a roshi by any Rinzai Zen sect. Chayat commented on her transmission: "It is an acknowledgment of a meeting of minds between teacher and student...but the path itself is endless, and understanding is boundless...and I've just begun." Concerning the ceremony, Chayat mentioned that it is not a personal achievement but an "opening up to the truth in the universe."