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In our Dogen study group, a student mentioned how Dogen often seems hell bent on knocking the old teachers off their pedestals. He further seemed to be suggesting that Dogen is the ultimate authority. Some stupid illiterates say\u2026. This view does not compare with that of the scholastics of the Lesser Vehicle; it is inferior even to the Vehicle of Men and Gods. How could one [who holds such a view] be called a person who studies the buddhadharma?<\/span><\/p>\n I agree that Dogen digs digging the old ones but don\u2019t agree that Dogen\u2019s purpose was to assert himself as the ultimate authority.<\/p>\n Instead, I see Dogen modeling how to train through demonstrating the important skill of respecting the buddhadharma to such an extent that he\u2019s willing to take on the sages, utterly deconstructing the ancient archetypes. This is an ongoing process of transforming faith into verification, leaving no object of veneration unturned on the endless path of play.<\/p>\n Further, it seems to me that Dogen knocks the old ones off their pedestals so that he can say something new and invite us to knock him off his zafu as well, to take our turn freshly presenting the dharma.<\/p>\n On the other hand, I recently spoke to a buddy who is also a Zen teacher who bemoaned the way so many people talk nonsense these days without really engaging the way under the guidance of a teacher, flippantly espousing various views about the buddhadharma, clinging to superficial understandings, etc.<\/p>\n I foresee a Zen Teachers\u2019 Retirement Home (pictured above) with a bunch of old white guys (somehow I think the women and people-of-color Zen teachers will have other things to do) sitting around in lawn chairs, watching the traffic, complaining about the young kids these days and how they have maligned the buddhadharma. \u201cWe really trained before we opened our damn mouths, not like fricken young people these days. And internet Buddhism<\/a>, what a corruption! Hey \u2013 get off my lawn! \u2026But what was I saying \u2026 hey, how\u2019s your prostate\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Anyway, I do<\/em> think this propensity to stake out a dharma opinion (feigning authority) without experience is encouraged by the internet format. The usual social cues to zip the lip are not present here so it\u2019s easy to trip off a comment without digesting the matter at hand, to kill the Buddha before really meeting the Buddha.<\/p>\n Finally, here\u2019s a blog comment that arrived today, foreshadowing my thoughts on (both sides of) this issue. I posted it but would like to highlight it here too. After first noting how Dogen\u2019s wisdom could easily have been lost, wondering what wisdom has been lost, she writes:<\/p>\n \u2026The third thing that comes to mind is to ask \u2018Where is the Dogen of this generation?\u2019 If ever there was an age where this new teacher can speak to the world it would certainly be this one! I suppose the danger of our age is that amongst all the words, of all the people in conversation about Buddhism, will the \u2018Dogen\u2019s\u2019 be heard or lost?<\/span><\/p><\/span><\/div>\n
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