DÅgen
DÅgen | |
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School | SÅtÅ |
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Born |
Kyoto, Japan | 19 January 1200
Died |
22 September 1253 53) Kyoto, Japan | (aged
Senior posting | |
Title | Zen Master |
Predecessor | Rujing |
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DÅgen Zenji (é“元禅師; 19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), also known as DÅgen Kigen (é“元希玄), Eihei DÅgen (永平é“å…ƒ), Koso Joyo Daishi (高祖承陽大師), or Bussho Dento Kokushi (仿€§ä¼æ±å›½å¸«), was a Japanese Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the SÅtÅ school of Zen in Japan. Originally ordained as a monk in the Tendai School in Kyoto, he was ultimately dissatisfied with its teaching and traveled to China to seek out what he believed to be a more authentic Buddhism. He remained there for five years, finally training under Tiantong Rujing, an eminent teacher of the Chinese Caodong lineage. Upon his return to Japan, he began promoting the meditation practice of zazen through literary works such as Fukan zazengi and BendÅwa. He eventually broke relations completely with the powerful Tendai School, and, after several years of likely friction between himself and the establishment, left Kyoto for the mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the head temple of the SÅtÅ school today.
DÅgen is known for his extensive writing including his most famous work, the collection of 95 essays called the ShÅbÅgenzÅ, but also Eihei KÅroku, a collection of his talks, poetry, and commentaries, and Eihei Shingi, the first Zen monastic code written in Japan, among others.
Biography
Early life
DÅgen was probably born into a noble family, though as an illegitimate child of Minamoto Michitomo, who served in the imperial court as a high-ranking ashÅ (亞相, "Councillor of State").[1] His mother is said to have died when DÅgen was age 7.
Early training
At some later point, DÅgen became a low-ranking monk on Mount Hiei, the headquarters of the Tendai school of Buddhism. According to the Kenzeiki (建撕記), he became possessed by a single question with regard to the Tendai doctrine:
As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth. If this is the case, why did the Buddhas of all ages — undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment — find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?[2][3]
This question was, in large part, prompted by the Tendai concept of original enlightenment (本覚 hongaku), which states that all human beings are enlightened by nature and that, consequently, any notion of achieving enlightenment through practice is fundamentally flawed.[4]
The Kenzeiki further states that he found no answer to his question at Mount Hiei, and that he was disillusioned by the internal politics and need for social prominence for advancement.[1] Therefore, DÅgen left to seek an answer from other Buddhist masters. He went to visit KÅin, the Tendai abbot of OnjÅ-ji Temple (園城寺), asking him this same question. KÅin said that, in order to find an answer, he might want to consider studying Chán in China.[5] In 1217, two years after the death of contemporary Zen Buddhist MyÅan Eisai, DÅgen went to study at Kennin-ji Temple (建ä»å¯º), under Eisai's successor, MyÅzen (明全).[1]
Travel to China
In 1223, DÅgen and MyÅzen undertook the dangerous passage across the East China Sea to China to study in Jing-de-si (Ching-te-ssu, 景德寺) monastery as Eisai had once done.
In China, DÅgen first went to the leading Chan monasteries in ZhèjiÄng province. At the time, most Chan teachers based their training around the use of gÅng-à ns (Japanese: kÅan). Though DÅgen assiduously studied the kÅans, he became disenchanted with the heavy emphasis laid upon them, and wondered why the sutras were not studied more. At one point, owing to this disenchantment, DÅgen even refused Dharma transmission from a teacher.[6] Then, in 1225, he decided to visit a master named Rújìng (如淨; J. NyÅjo), the thirteenth patriarch of the Cáodòng (J. SÅtÅ) lineage of Zen Buddhism, at Mount TiÄntóng (天童山 TiÄntóngshÄn; J. TendÅzan) in NÃngbÅ. Rujing was reputed to have a style of Chan that was different from the other masters whom DÅgen had thus far encountered. In later writings, DÅgen referred to Rujing as "the Old Buddha". Additionally he affectionately described both Rujing and MyÅzen as senshi (先師, "Ancient Teacher").[1]
Under Rujing, DÅgen realized liberation of body and mind upon hearing the master say, "Cast off body and mind" (èº«å¿ƒè„±è½ shÄ“n xÄ«n tuÅ luò). This phrase would continue to have great importance to DÅgen throughout his life, and can be found scattered throughout his writings, as—for example—in a famous section of his "GenjÅkÅan" (ç¾æˆå…¬æ¡ˆ):
To study the Way is to study the Self. To study the Self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe. To be enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind of the self as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever.[7]
MyÅzen died shortly after DÅgen arrived at Mount Tiantong. In 1227,[8] DÅgen received Dharma transmission and inka from Rujing, and remarked on how he had finally settled his "life's quest of the great matter".[9]
Return to Japan

DÅgen returned to Japan in 1227 or 1228, going back to stay at Kennin-ji, where he had trained previously.[1] Among his first actions upon returning was to write down the Fukan Zazengi[10] (普観å禅儀; "Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen"), a short text emphasizing the importance of and giving instructions for zazen, or sitting meditation.
However, tension soon arose as the Tendai community began taking steps to suppress both Zen and JÅdo ShinshÅ«, the new forms of Buddhism in Japan. In the face of this tension, DÅgen left the Tendai dominion of KyÅto in 1230, settling instead in an abandoned temple in what is today the city of Uji, south of KyÅto.[11] In 1233, DÅgen founded the Kannon-dÅri-in[12] in Uji as a small center of practice. He later expanded this temple into the KÅshÅ-hÅrinji Temple (èˆˆè–æ³•林寺).
Eihei-ji
In 1243, Hatano Yoshishige (波多野義é‡) offered to relocate DÅgen's community to Echizen province, far to the north of KyÅto. DÅgen accepted because of the ongoing tension with the Tendai community, and the growing competition of the Rinzai-school.[13]
His followers built a comprehensive center of practice there, calling it Daibutsu Temple (Daibutsu-ji, 大ä»å¯º). While the construction work was going on, DÅgen would live and teach at Yoshimine-dera Temple (KippÅ-ji, å‰å³¯å¯º), which is located close to Daibutsu-ji. During his stay at KippÅ-ji, DÅgen "fell into a depression".[13] It marked a turning point in his life, giving way to "rigorous critique of Rinzai Zen".[13] He criticized Dahui Zonggao, the most influential figure of Song Dynasty Chán.[14]
In 1246, DÅgen renamed Daibutsu-ji, calling it Eihei-ji. This temple remains one of the two head temples of SÅtÅ Zen in Japan today, the other being SÅji-ji.
DÅgen spent the remainder of his life teaching and writing at Eihei-ji. In 1247, the newly installed shÅgun's regent, HÅjÅ Tokiyori, invited DÅgen to come to Kamakura to teach him. DÅgen made the rather long journey east to provide the shÅgun with lay ordination, and then returned to Eihei-ji in 1248. In the autumn of 1252, DÅgen fell ill, and soon showed no signs of recovering. He presented his robes to his main apprentice, Koun EjÅ (å¤é›²æ‡å¼‰), making him the abbot of Eihei-ji.
Death
At Hatano Yoshishige's invitation, DÅgen left for KyÅto in search of a remedy for his illness. In 1253, soon after arriving in KyÅto, DÅgen died. Shortly before his death, he had written a death poem:
- Fifty-four years lighting up the sky.
- A quivering leap smashes a billion worlds.
- Hah!
- Entire body looks for nothing.
- Living, I plunge into Yellow Springs.[15]
Teachings
Zazen
DÅgen often stressed the critical importance of zazen, or sitting meditation as the central practice of Buddhism. He considered zazen to be identical to studying Zen. This is pointed out clearly in the first sentence of the 1243 instruction manual "Zazen-gi" (å禪儀; "Principles of Zazen"): "Studying Zen ... is zazen".[16] DÅgen taught zazen to everyone, even for the laity, male or female and including all social classes.[17] In referring to zazen, DÅgen is most often referring specifically to shikantaza, roughly translatable as "nothing but precisely sitting", which is a kind of sitting meditation in which the meditator sits "in a state of brightly alert attention that is free of thoughts, directed to no object, and attached to no particular content".[18] In his Fukanzazengi, DÅgen wrote:
For zazen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Cast aside all involvements and cease all affairs. Do not think good or bad. Do not administer pros and cons. Cease all the movements of the conscious mind, the gauging of all thoughts and views. Have no designs on becoming a Buddha. Zazen has nothing whatever to do with sitting or lying down.[19]
DÅgen called this zazen practice "without thinking" (hi-shiryo) in which one is simply aware of things as they are, beyond thinking and not-thinking - the active effort not to think.
The correct mental attitude for zazen according to DÅgen is one of effortless non-striving, this is because for DÅgen, enlightenment is already always present.
Oneness of practice-enlightenment
The primary concept underlying DÅgen's Zen practice is "oneness of practice-enlightenment" (ä¿®è‰ä¸€å¦‚ shushÅ-ittÅ / shushÅ-ichinyo).
For DÅgen, the practice of zazen and the experience of enlightenment were one and the same. This point was succinctly stressed by DÅgen in the Fukan Zazengi, the first text that he composed upon his return to Japan from China:
To practice the Way singleheartedly is, in itself, enlightenment. There is no gap between practice and enlightenment or zazen and daily life.[20]
Earlier in the same text, the basis of this identity is explained in more detail:
Zazen is not "step-by-step meditation". Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom. The Truth appears, there being no delusion. If you understand this, you are completely free, like a dragon that has obtained water or a tiger that reclines on a mountain. The supreme Law will then appear of itself, and you will be free of weariness and confusion.[21]
The "oneness of practice-enlightenment" was also a point stressed in the BendÅwa (å¼é“話 "A Talk on the Endeavor of the Path") of 1231:
Thinking that practice and enlightenment are not one is no more than a view that is outside the Way. In buddha-dharma [i.e. Buddhism], practice and enlightenment are one and the same. Because it is the practice of enlightenment, a beginner's wholehearted practice of the Way is exactly the totality of original enlightenment. For this reason, in conveying the essential attitude for practice, it is taught not to wait for enlightenment outside practice.[22]
Buddha-nature
For DÅgen, Buddha-nature or BusshÅ (佛性) is the nature of reality and all Being. In the ShÅbÅgenzÅ, DÅgen writes that "whole-being is the Buddha-nature" and that even inanimate things (grass, trees, etc.) are an expression of Buddha-nature. He rejected any view that saw Buddha-nature as a permanent, substantial inner self or ground. DÅgen held that Buddha-nature was "vast emptiness", "the world of becoming" and that "impermanence is in itself Buddha-nature".[23] According to DÅgen:
Therefore, the very impermanency of grass and tree, thicket and forest is the Buddha nature. The very impermanency of men and things, body and mind, is the Buddha nature. Nature and lands, mountains and rivers, are impermanent because they are the Buddha nature. Supreme and complete enlightenment, because it is impermanent, is the Buddha nature.[24]
Time-Being
DÅgen's conception of Time-Being (Uji, 有時) is an essential element of his metaphysics in the ShÅbÅgenzÅ. According to the traditional interpretation, "Uji" here means time itself is being, and all being is time." [25] Uji is all the changing and dynamic activities that exist as the flow of becoming, all beings in the entire world are time.[26] This view has been developed by scholars such as Steven Heine[27] Joan Stambaugh[28] and others and has served as a motivation to compare DÅgen's work to that of Martin Heidegger. Recently, however, Rein Raud has argued that this view is not correct and that DÅgen asserts that all existence is momentary, showing that such a reading would make quite a few of rather cryptic passages in the ShÅbÅgenzÅ quite lucid.[29]
Perfect expression
Another essential element of DÅgen's 'performative' metaphysics is his conception of Perfect expression (DÅtoku, é“å¾—).[30] "While a radically critical view on language as soteriologically inefficient, if not positively harmful, is what Zen Buddhism is famous for,"[31] it can be argued "'within the framework of a rational theory of language, against an obscurantist interpretation of Zen that time and again invokes experience.'"[32] DÅgen distinguishes two types of language: monji æ–‡å—, the first, – after Ernst Cassirer – "discursive type that constantly structures our experiences and—more fundamentally—in fact produces the world we experience in the first place"; and dÅtoku é“å¾—, the second, "presentative type, which takes a holistic stance and establishes the totality of significations through a texture of relations.".[33] As Döll points out, "It is this second type, as Müller holds, that allows for a positive view of language even from the radically skeptical perspective of DÅgen’s brand of Zen Buddhism."[34]
Critique of Rinzai
DÅgen was sometimes critical of the Rinzai school for their formulaic and intellectual koan practice (such as the practice of the Shiryoken or "Four Discernments")[35] as well as for their disregard for the sutras:
Recently in the great Sung dynasty of China there are many who call themselves "Zen masters. They do not know the length and breadth of the Buddha-Dharma. They have heard and seen but little. They memorize two or three sayings of Lin Chi and Yun Men and think this is the whole way of the Buddha-Dharma. If the Dharma of the Buddha could be condensed in two or three sayings of Lin Chi and Yun Men, it would not have been transmitted to the present day. One can hardly say that Lin Chi and Yun Men are the Venerable ones of the Buddha-Dharma.[35]
DÅgen was also very critical of the Japanese Daruma school of Dainichi Nonin.
Virtues
Dogen's perspective of virtue is discussed in the ShÅbÅgenzÅ text as something to be practiced inwardly so that it will manifest itself on the outside. In other words, virtue is something that is both internal and external in the sense that one can practice internal good dispositions and also the expression of these good dispositions.[36]
Writings

While it was customary for Buddhist works to be written in Chinese, DÅgen often wrote in Japanese, conveying the essence of his thought in a style that was at once concise, compelling, and inspiring. A master stylist, DÅgen is noted not only for his prose, but also for his poetry (in Japanese waka style and various Chinese styles). DÅgen's use of language is unconventional by any measure. According to DÅgen scholar Steven Heine: "Dogen's poetic and philosophical works are characterized by a continual effort to express the inexpressible by perfecting imperfectable speech through the creative use of wordplay, neologism, and lyricism, as well as the recasting of traditional expressions".[37]
ShÅbÅgenzÅ
DÅgen's masterpiece is the ShÅbÅgenzÅ, talks and writings—collected together in ninety-five fascicles. The topics range from monastic practice, to the equality of women and men, to the philosophy of language, being, and time. In the work, as in his own life, DÅgen emphasized the absolute primacy of shikantaza and the inseparability of practice and enlightenment.
Shinji ShÅbÅgenzÅ
DÅgen also compiled a collection of 301 koans in Chinese without commentaries added. Often called the Shinji ShÅbÅgenzÅ (shinji:"original or true characters" and shÅbÅgenzÅ, variously translated as "the right-dharma-eye treasury" or "Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma" ). The collection is also known as the ShÅbÅgenzÅ Sanbyakusoku (The Three Hundred Verse ShÅbÅgenzÅ") and the Mana ShÅbÅgenzÅ, where mana is an alternative reading of shinji. The exact date the book was written is in dispute but Nishijima believes that Dogen may well have begun compiling the koan collection before his trip to China.[38] Although these stories are commonly referred to as kÅans, DÅgen referred to them as kosoku (ancestral criteria) or innen (circumstances and causes or results, of a story). The word kÅan for Dogen meant "absolute reality" or the "universal Dharma".[39]
Eihei KÅroku, ShÅbÅgenzÅ Zuimonki
Lectures that DÅgen gave to his monks at his monastery, Eihei-ji, were compiled under the title Eihei KÅroku, also known as DÅgen OshÅ KÅroku (The Extensive Record of Teacher DÅgen’s Sayings) in ten volumes. The sermons, lectures, sayings and poetry were compiled shortly after DÅgen’s death by his main disciples, Koun EjÅ (å¤é›²æ‡å¥˜, 1198–1280), Senne and Gien. There are three different editions of this text: the RinnÅ-ji text from 1598; a popular version printed in 1672 and a version discovered at Eihei-ji in 1937 which, although undated, is believed to be the oldest extant version.[40] Another collection of his talks is the ShÅbÅgenzÅ Zuimonki (Gleanings from Master DÅgen’s Sayings) in six volumes. These are talks that DÅgen gave to his leading disciple, EjÅ, who became DÅgen’s disciple in 1234. The talks were recorded and edited by EjÅ.
HÅkojÅki
The earliest work by DÅgen is the HÅkojÅki (Memoirs of the HÅkyÅ Period). This one volume work is a collection of questions and answers between DÅgen and his Chinese teacher, TiÄntóng Rújìng (天童如淨; Japanese: TendÅ NyojÅ, 1162–1228). The work was discovered among DÅgen’s papers by EjÅ in 1253, just three months after DÅgen’s death.
Other writings
Other notable writings of DÅgen are:
- Fukan-zazengi (General Advice on the Principles of Zazen), one volume; probably written immediately after DÅgen’s return from China in 1227
- Eihei shoso gakudÅ-yÅinshÅ« (Advice on Studying the Way), one volume; probably written in 1234
- Tenzo kyÅkun (Instructions to the Chief Cook), one volume; written in 1237
- BenÅhÅ (Rules for the Practice of the Way), one volume; written between 1244 and 1246.[41]
ShushÅ-gi
The concept of oneness of practice-enlightenment is considered so fundamental to DÅgen's variety of Zen — and, consequently, to the SÅtÅ school as a whole — that it formed the basis for the work ShushÅ-gi (ä¿®è‰å„€), which was compiled in 1890 by Takiya TakushÅ« (æ»è°·å“æ´²) of Eihei-ji and Azegami Baisen (畔上楳仙) of SÅji-ji as an introductory and prescriptive abstract of DÅgen's massive work, the ShÅbÅgenzÅ ("Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma").
Lineage
Though Dogen emphasised the importance of the correct transmission of the Buddha dharma, as guaranteed by the line of transmission from Shakyamuni, his own transmission became problematic in the third generation. In 1267 EjÅ retired as Abbot of Eihei-ji, giving way to Gikai, who was already favored by DÅgen. Gikai introduced esoteric elements into the practice. Opposition arose, and in 1272 EjÅ resumed the position of abbot. Following EjÅ's death in 1280, Gikai became abbot again, strengthened by the support of the military for magical practices.[42] Opposition arose again, and Gikai was forced to leave Eihei-ji. He was succeeded by Gien, who was first trained in the Daruma-school of NÅnin. His supporters designated him as the third abbot, rejecting the legitimacy of Gien.
- Koun EjÅ, commentator on the ShÅbÅgenzÅ, and former DarumashÅ« elder
- Senne, another commentator of the ShÅbÅgenzÅ.
Jakuen, a student of Rujing, who traced his lineage "directly back the Zen of the Song period",[43] established HÅkyÅ-ji, where a strict style of Zen was practised. Students of him played a role in the conflict between Giin and Gikai.
Dogen's notable successor was Keizan (ç‘©å±±; 1268–1325), founder of SÅji-ji Temple and author of the Record of the Transmission of Light (傳光錄 DenkÅroku), which traces the succession of Zen masters from SiddhÄrtha Gautama up to Keizan's own day. Together, DÅgen and Keizan are regarded as the founders of the SÅtÅ school in Japan.
See also
- Zen - 2009 Japanese biopic about the life of DÅgen
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bodiford (2008), pp. 22–36
- ↑ Bodiford (2008), p. 22
- ↑ Ōkubo (1966), p. 80
- ↑ Abe (1992), pp. 19–20
- ↑ Tanahashi 4
- ↑ Tanahashi p.5
- ↑ Kim (2004), p. 125
- ↑ Tanahashi 6
- ↑ Tanahashi (2005), p. 144
- ↑ Fukan Zazengi
- ↑ Tanahashi 39
- ↑ Tanahashi 7
- 1 2 3 Dumoulin (2005b), p. 62
- ↑ McRae (2003), p. 123
- ↑ Quoted in Tanahashi, 219
- ↑ Principles of Zazen; tr. Bielefeldt, Carl.
- ↑ Dumoulin (2005b), Section 2, "Dogen" pp. 51-119
- ↑ Kohn (1991), pp. 196–197
- ↑ "Fukanzazengi: Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen" (PDF). Zen Heart Sangha.
- ↑ Yukoi 47
- ↑ Yukoi 46
- ↑ Okumura (1997), p. 30
- ↑ Dumoulin 82, 85
- ↑ Dumoulin 85
- ↑ "Uji: The Time-Being by Eihei Dogen" Translated by Dan Welch and Kazuaki Tanahashi from: The Moon in a Dewdrop; writings of Zen Master Dogen
- ↑ Dumoulin 89
- ↑ Existential and Ontological Dimensions of Time in Heidegger and Dogen, SUNY Press, Albany 1985
- ↑ Impermanence is Buddha-Nature: Dogen's Understanding of Temporality, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1990
- ↑ Raud, Rein. "The Existential Moment: Re-reading DÅgen's theory of time". Philosophy East and West, vol.62 No.2, April 2012
- ↑ Cf. Kim (2004) and more systematically based on a theory of symbols Müller (2013); reviewed by Steffen Döll in Philosophy East & West Volume 65, Number 2 April 2015 636–639.
- ↑ Döll (2015), p. 637
- ↑ Müller (2013), p. 25 cited after Döll (2015), p. 637
- ↑ Döll (2015), 637, cf. Müller (2013), p. 231.
- ↑ Döll (2015), p. 637.
- 1 2 Dumoulin 65
- ↑ Mikkelson, Douglas (2006). "TOWARD A DESCRIPTION OF DOGEN’S ¯ MORAL VIRTUES". Journal of Religious Ethics 34 (2): 225–251. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9795.2006.00267.x. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ Heine (1997), p. 67
- ↑ Nishijima (2003), p. i
- ↑ Yasutani (1996), p. 8
- ↑ Kim (1987), pp. 236–237
- ↑ See Kim (1987), Appendix B, pp. 234–237, for a more complete list of DÅgen's major writings.
- ↑ Dumoulin (2005b), p. 135
- ↑ Dumoulin (2005b), p. 138
Sources
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- Cleary, Thomas. Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Zenji. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-87773-973-0.
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005a). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1: India and China. World Wisdom Books. ISBN 9780941532891.
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005b). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan. World Wisdom Books. ISBN 9780941532907.
- Dogen. The Heart of Dogen's Shobogenzo. Tr. Waddell, Norman and Abe, Masao. Albany: SUNY Press, 2002. ISBN 0-7914-5242-5.
- Heine, Steven (1994). Dogen and the Koan Tradition: a Tale of Two Shobogenzo Texts. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-1773-5.
- Heine, Steven (1997). The Zen Poetry of Dogen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace. Boston, MA: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3107-6.
- Heine, Steven (2006). Did Dogen Go to China? What He Wrote and When He Wrote It. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-530592-2.
- Kim, Hee-jin (2004) [1975, 1980, 1987]. Eihei Dogen, Mystical Realist. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-376-1.
- Kohn, Michael H. (1991). The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 0-87773-520-4.
- LaFleur, William R.; ed. Dogen Studies. The Kuroda Institute, 1985. ISBN 0-8248-1011-2.
- Leighton, Taigen Dan; Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-538337-9.
- Leighton, Taigen Dan; Zen Questions: Zazen, Dogen and the Spirit of Creative Inquiry. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2011. ISBN 978-0-86171-645-6.
- Leighton, Taigen Dan; Okumura, Shohaku; tr. Dogen's Extensive Record: A Translation of the Eihei Koroku. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2010. ISBN 978-0-86171-670-8.
- Leighton, Taigen Dan. Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community: A Translation of Eihei Shingi. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. ISBN 0-7914-2710-2.
- Masunaga, Reiho. A Primer of Soto Zen. University of Hawaii: East-West Center Press, 1978. ISBN 0-7100-8919-8.
- McRae, John (2003). Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism. The University Press Group Ltd. ISBN 9780520237988.
- Müller, Ralf (2013). DÅgens Sprachdenken: Historische und symboltheoretische Perspektiven [DÅgen’s Language Thinking: Systematic Perspectives from History and the Theory of Symbols] (Welten der Philosophie [Worlds of Philosophy]). Freiburg: Verlag Karl Alber. ISBN 9783495486108.
- Okumura, Shohaku; Leighton, Taigen Daniel; et al.; tr. The Wholehearted Way: A Translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa with Commentary. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-8048-3105-X.
- ÅŒkubo, DÅshÅ« (1966). DÅgen Zenji-den no kenkyÅ« [é“元禅師ä¼ã®ç ”ç©¶]. Chikuma shobÅ.
- Nishijima, Gudo (2003). M. Luetchford & J. Peasons, eds. Master DÅgen's Shinji Shobogenzo, 301 Koan Stories. Windbell.
- Nishijima, Gudo & Cross, Chodo; tr. 'Master Dogen's Shobogenzo' in 4 volumes. Windbell Publications, 1994. ISBN 0-9523002-1-4 and ShÅbÅgenzÅ, Vol. 1-4, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley 2007-2008, ISBN 978-1-886439-35-1, 978-1-886439-36-8, 978-1-886-439-37-5, 978-1-886439-38-2 PDF
- Tanahashi, Kazuaki; ed. Moon In a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen. New York: North Point Press, 1997. ISBN 0-86547-186-X.
- Tanahashi, Kazuaki (tr.); Loori, Daido (comm.) (2011). The True Dharma Eye. Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-1590304747.
- Yokoi, YÅ«hÅ and Victoria, Daizen; tr. ed. Zen Master DÅgen: An Introduction with Selected Writings. New York: Weatherhill Inc., 1990. ISBN 0-8348-0116-7.
- Yasutani, Hakuun (1996). Flowers Fall: a Commentary on Zen Master DÅgen's Genjokoan. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-103-9.
External links
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- Who is Dogen Zenji? Message from Dogen
- Dogen Translations Translations of Dogen and other works by Anzan Hoshin.
- Translations of the Shobogenzo incomplete, an ongoing project by the Soto Zen Text Project
- Understanding the Shobogenzo by Gudo Nishijima
- Instructions for the cook
- Dogen and Koans by John Daido Loori
- Shusho-gi, Online Translation by Neil Christopher
- Gakudo Yojin-shu, Online Translation by Neil Christopher
- Shushogi What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment
- The Complete Shobogenzo free for download
- Shobogenzo Zuimonki
Buddhist titles | ||
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Preceded by Rujing |
SÅtÅ Zen patriarch 1227–1253 |
Succeeded by Koun EjÅ |
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