In this post, I will continue my recent Dōgen translations with short comments. This is Part 2 of Eihei koroku V8.14. As I’ve been working on this dharma discourse (hogō) it has occurred to me that if you were looking for just one writing of Dōgen that expressed his view of the path for householders, you wouldn’t have to look beyond this one. The emphasis is on finding a true teacher and awakening. In this pith summary of Zen path... Read more
I’ve previously posted my translations of excerpts from a revealing Dōgen dharma discourse (J. hogō), Eihei koroku V8.14, with brief commentaries. This hogō focuses on the importance and the role of the Zen teacher, specifically in the context of householder practice. Going zigzag on the straight path as I tend to do, I’ve already post several sections from this hogō that are near the middle and at the end. In this post, I go back to the beginning. And after... Read more
The short passage that I’m sharing today comes from Dōgen’s Extensive Record (Eihei koroku), V8.14, like the recent post, Dogen: Find a Good Teacher, Ask For a Koan, Break Through. Intended for householders, this snippet is a powerful summary of the Zen path. I’ll first share my translation, then highlight a few elements of the passage. Translation “Vigorous people who study and practice Zen: You absolutely must meet a dharma teacher who, through right view, embodies the Way. Then stay close... Read more
Context This post is a follow-up to Cultivating Verification: A New Shushogi for Now. Near the top of page 3, just before Dōgen praises the kōan “Zhaozhou’s Mu,” he says, “When you meet a teacher, first ask for a kōan, just keep it in mind, and study it diligently.” This sentence was selected from Dogen’s Extensive Record, Volume 8, Dharma Discourse 14 (EK V8.14), trans. Taigen Leighton and Shohaku Okumura. The alternate translation offered below includes a bit more of... Read more
“Radiant light” (J. komyō) was one of the central themes for the in-person sesshin we completed on Sunday. When I translated the text, I compared it to the Cleary version and found many details that could be rendered differently, and in my view, more in line with actual Zen practice. Below you’ll find headings in bold. The kōan is also in bold. Yuánwù’s capping phrases are in italics. Yuánwù’s commentary on the case and on Xuědòu’s verse are in normal... Read more
I recently wrote a piece titled, The “Soto Zen” of the PMSO: A New Religion Whose Time Has Passed, wherein I call out a text titled “Shushōgi” (“The Meaning of Practice Enlightenment”), a late-19th century summary of the teaching of Dōgen Zenji that has served as a fairly succinct synopsis (~3,000 words in translation) of Sōtō Zen for the last 130 years. “Shushōgi” was created by selectively cutting and pasting from Dōgen’s writings in order to reframe Sōtō Zen as a... Read more
Introduction Note: This is an updated version of an essay from June of ’21. I have several Dōgen related posts coming up this next week, and this came to mind as a good place to begin, emphasizing as it does the One School Zen. So here’s the new version: When I was translating The Record of Empty Hall and working on the commentary, a respectable scholar sent me a copy of Xutang’s preface (really, more like a book blurb) for... Read more
Meditation can have adverse effects.* Just look at the above image of Bodhidharma – does his face give you the impression that there’s nothing adverse going on here? Now if you’ve practiced meditation in any form (with the possible exception of soaking-in-a-hot-tub zazen) for more than about ten minutes, you’ll know this is true. You will almost certainly have had some uncomfortable sensations of a psychological and/or physical nature pass through, if only an itch that you couldn’t scratch. This,... Read more
Going Through the Mystery’s One Hundred Questions, my third book, is now available through Sumeru. Click here. It isn’t quite ready-to-go yet on Amazon, but should be soon. There will be a Kindle version of the book soon. A dedicated web page for all things Going Through the Mystery is now open here. You’ll find more about the book – blurbs, excerpts, and other upcoming book-related events. Coming soon – audio versions for some of the sections. And here’s the... Read more
“What is the minimum amount of asceticism required?” That’s the question a young practitioner put to me at the Boundless Way Zen Temple during the homeleaving workshop way back in 2013. I was there to share the in-the-room methods for practicing with the kesa, oryoki, as well as other priest-oriented practices that I received from Katagiri Roshi. The questioner wasn’t a homeleaver, at least not yet, but apparently the teachers thought that he might be on that track so had... Read more
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