Translated by Mel Weitsman and the Editor, with David Schneider.
32. OCEAN MUDRA SAMADHI (KAI’IN ZEMMAI)
Dogen had been away from the ocean for some years, residing in a monastery near the Uji River that runs through a flat valley, south of Kyoto.
And yet, the ocean’s depth was part of his meditation. In “Ocean Mudra Samadhi” he speaks of samadhi that is as vast and dynamic as an ocean.
Colophon: “Written at the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the twentieth day, the fourth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Katherine Thanas and the Editor.
33. CONFIRMATION (JUKI)
“Confirmation” is the second fascicle Dogen completed at the beginning of the summer practice period. The monastery had been busy preparing for and entering the practice period. Perhaps Dogen was occupied with daily writing and that is why he did not present “Continuous Practice,” “Ocean Mudra Samadhi,” and this piece to the community.
The title, “Juki,” is a Japanese translation of the Sanskrit word vyakarana, meaning “predicting enlightenment”—that is, the Buddha’s prediction that a disciple will attain enlightenment in the future. The word suggests a span of time the practitioner will have between receiving a prediction and realizing enlightenment. Dogen presents his view of “prediction” according to the principle of the inseparability of practice and enlightenment.
Colophon: “Written at the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the twenty-fifth day, the fourth month, in summer, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Lewis Richmond and the Editor.
34. AVALOKITESHVARA (KANNON)
“Avalokiteshvara” was the fourth fascicle Dogen wrote in the fourth month, and was read to the participants of the practice period. Dogen’s first small practice place was called Kannondori (Avalokiteshvara’s Guiding Power) Monastery. When it was renamed Kosho Horin Monastery, he still kept the original name, Kannondori, and at times used it for the beginning of the monastery name. It is possible to guess that Avalokiteshvara was his guardian bodhisattva. And yet, Dogen did not speak much about the guiding power of the bodhisattva. Instead, he used the dialogue between two Chinese dharma brothers to unfold the essential Zen understanding of Avalokiteshvara.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly on the twenty-sixth day, the fourth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Joan Halifax and the Editor.
35. ARHAT (ARAKAN)
One month after the beginning of the practice period, on the day of the full moon, Dogen offered this teaching, “Arhat,” to participants. Arhats are known as sages of early Buddhism, disciples of the Buddha. Mahayana practitioners tended to look down on arhat practice, considering it to be Hinayana, compared with Mahayana bodhisattva practice. Dogen here fully values the arhats’ way.
Colophon: “Abiding at the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery, Uji County, Yamashiro Province, this was presented to the assembly on the fifteenth day, the fifth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Peter Levitt and the Editor.
36. CYPRESS TREE (HAKUJUSHI)
Six days after delivering “Arhat,” Dogen taught “Cypress Tree.” Much of this text reflects on the austere life of the Chinese Zen master Zhaozhou, whose enigmatic words pointing toward a cypress tree’s awakened nature are investigated here.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of Kannondori Monastery, Uji County, Yamashiro Province, on the twenty-first day, the season of Iris Festival, the fifth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Katherine Thanas and the Editor.
37. RADIANT LIGHT (KŌMYŌ)
Around the first day of the sixth month, at midpoint of the practice period, Dogen broke the schedule of communal zazen because of the fierce heat and humidity. (He resumed scheduled zazen on the first day of the ninth month, one and a half months after the practice period. Such a three-month break seems to have been common. Dogen mentioned it in his formal talks this year and in 1252.)
On the second day of the sixth month, Dogen delivered this text to the participants in the dark of midnight in the lingering rainy season. He implies that the radiant light of practice-enlightenment was, nevertheless, right there. As Yunmen said, one can find radiant light in the monks’ hall, the buddha hall, the kitchen, and the monastery gate.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery at the fourth segment of the third night period, the second day, the sixth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242]. It has been raining for a long time, and raindrops drip from the eaves. Where is the radiant light? The assembly must look and penetrate Yunmen’s words.”
Translated by Mel Weitsman and the Editor.
38. BODY-AND-MIND STUDY OF THE WAY (SHINJIN GAKUDŌ)
Soon after the practice period ended, on the fifth day of the eighth month, a copy of the newly published Recorded Sayings of Priest Rujing, Sequel was delivered from China to Dogen. On the following day he gave a formal talk about it.
According to Dogen, to study buddha dharma is to practice without separating body from mind. In this fascicle, however, he temporarily divides the practice into study with mind and study with body, spelling out these two aspects in detail.
Colophon: “This was taught to the assembly of the Horin Monastery on the ninth day, the ninth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Dan Welch and the Editor.
39. WITHIN A DREAM EXPRESSING THE DREAM (MUCHŪ SETSUMU)
In early winter, twelve days after the presentation of “Body-and-Mind Study of the Way,” Dogen delivered “Within a Dream Expressing the Dream” to his monastic community.
Here, Dogen uses the word “dream” to describe the enlightenment of the Buddha, and the meditative experience of all practitioners. Counter to the common notion that dreams are unreal and actual phenomena are real, he asserts that the awakened ones’ profound wisdom is concrete, the source of all teaching, while actual phenomena are transient and unreliable.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery, Uji County, Yamashiro Province, on the twenty-first day, the ninth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and the Editor.
40. EXPRESSIONS (DŌTOKU)
Twelve days after the presentation of “Within a Dream Expressing the Dream,” Dogen shared this text, “Expressions,” with his assembly. The “expression” here means words, or expressions beyond words, that emerge from one’s genuine understanding of reality, unique to the person. In this text, Dogen offers examples of speaking and not speaking.
Colophon: “Written and presented to the assembly of Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the fifth day, the tenth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Peter Levitt and the Editor.
41. PAINTING OF A RICE CAKE (GABYŌ)
One month after “Expressions” was delivered, Dogen taught this text at his monastery in the middle of winter. Here, Dogen takes up Xiangyan’s famous words “A painting of a rice cake does not satisfy hunger,” meaning that descriptive scriptures are not a direct experience of reality. Dogen turns it around in an astounding way. He insists that a painted rice cake alone can satisfy hunger. Although it appears to be an impenetrable paradox, this may be a natural development from his discourse that Buddhist scripture is an entire expression of the Buddha’s teaching (as seen in the fascicle “The Buddhas’ Teaching”).
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the fifth day, the eleventh month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Dan Welch and the Editor.
42. UNDIVIDED ACTIVITY (ZENKI)
Two days after presenting his “Painting of a Rice Cake,” Dogen taught “The Buddhas’ Teaching” to his monastic community for the second time.
In the following month, close to the end of the year, Dogen was invited to give a dharma talk at the Kyoto residence of Lord Yoshishige Hatanao, who was going to be his primary supporter. Yoshishige was a high-ranking officer in the Kyoto office of Minamoto Clan Shogun, then ruler of Japan. This office was close to the Rokuharamitsu (Six Paramita) Monastery, in the Rokuhara area—east of the Kamo River, between Gojo Dori (Fifth Avenue) and Shichijo Dori (Seventh Avenue) in Kyoto.
Addressing an audience of mostly laypeople, in this brief discourse Dogen stresses that each individual should live fully and actively. Possibly this presentation was decisive in Yoshishige’s invitation to Dogen to move to Echizen and found a monastery. (Dogen moved most of his community to Echizen seven and a half months later.) Did Yoshishige already have a strong commitment to build a full-scale monastery and support the community? The monastery opened one and a half years later, and Dogen described practice period in a full-scale monastery in “Practice Period” three years later, in 1245.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly at the residence of the former governor of Izumo Province, next to the Rokuharamitsu Temple, Kyoto, on the seventeenth day, the twelfth month, the third year of the Ninji Era [1242].”
Translated by Edward Brown and the Editor.
Dogen gave twenty-six formal dharma talks in 1242.
1243 (IN KYOTO AREA)
43. THE MOON (TSUKI)
Back in Kosho Monastery, Dogen wrote a short piece, “The Moon,” soon after New Year’s Day, as the first of twenty-two fascicles to be completed this year.
Dogen spells the Japanese title, “Tsuki,” meaning “moon,” in a very unusual way, using two ideographs, tsu (entire) and ki (activity). (See “Moon, The” in the glossary for the ideographs.) Ki for “activity” also appears in the title of “Undivided Activity,” the preceding fascicle. The moon in Buddhism is a metaphor for enlightenment, often represented by a full moon. For Dogen, the moon represents meditation in each moment; the moon waxes and wanes, and yet it is always full. This is the dilemma Dogen explores in this text, which was not presented to the community.
Colophon: “Written at the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the sixth day, the first month, the fourth year of the Ninji Era [1243]. Monk Dogen.”
Translated by Mel Weitsman and the Editor.
44. FLOWERS IN THE SKY (KŪGE)
On the twenty-eighth day of the first month, Dogen delivered “Great Enlightenment” for the second time.
Although his writing was at its peak, he did not complete any other fascicles for two months. What was Dogen doing during this spring? What was more important and pressing than writing his life’s work? Was he possibly drawing plans for the construction of his new monastery?
“Flowers in the Sky,” meaning “illusion,” goes along with such previous fascicles as “Within a Dream Expressing the Dream” and “Painting of a Rice Cake,” turning negative images upside down and making them represent the realm of enlightenment.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery on the tenth day, the third month, the first year of the Kangen Era [1243].”
Translated by Dan Welch and the Editor.
45. OLD BUDDHA MIND (KOBUTSU SHIN)
As was customary, the summer practice period at Dogen’s monastery started in the middle of the fourth month. Unusually, he left the community for several days and presented “Old Buddha Mind” at a temple near Yoshishige Hatano’s residence, in the city of Kyoto. Perhaps this visit to the city of Kyoto was at the request of Yoshishige. They may well have discussed arrangements to move Dogen’s community to Echizen, and the construction of new monastery buildings. Perhaps speaking to his primary supporter, Yoshishige, in this brief presentation Dogen summarizes the mind of ancient buddhas.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly at the Rokuharamitsu Temple [in Kyoto] on the twenty-ninth day, the fourth month of the Kangen Era [1243].”
Translated by Joan Halifax and the Editor.
46. BODHISATTVA’S FOUR METHODS OF GUIDANCE (BODAISATTA SHI SHŌHŌ)
Dogen wrote this text five days after his discourse, “Ancient Buddha Mind.” The colophon does not say where he wrote it. He may still have been in Kyoto. The fact that Dogen included a description of himself (“Monk Dogen, who transmitted dharma from China”), suggests that he gave the text to Yoshishige. The style is easy and straightforward, explaining the virtues common to lay and ordained practitioners in all Buddhist schools.
Colophon: “Written on the fifth day, the fifth month, the fourth year of Ninji [1243] by Monk Dogen, who transmitted dharma from China.”
Translated by Lewis Richmond and the Editor.
47. TWINING VINES (KATTŌ)
Back in his monastery eight days before the end of the practice period, Dogen gave this talk, “Twining Vines.” This was his last known dharma presentation in the vicinity of Kyoto.
Again in this text, Dogen takes up a negative phrase, “twining vines,” which normally means “entanglement of words and concepts,” and brilliantly turns it around, indicating an intimate and dynamic transmission of dharma.
Colophon: “Presented at the assembly of the Kannondori Kosho Horin Monastery, Uji County, Yamashiro Province, on the seventh day, the seventh month, the first year of the Kangen Era [1243].”
Translated by Mel Weitsman and the Editor.
As customary, the practice period at the Kosho Monastery ended on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Several days later, Dogen and most of his community moved to Echizen Province on the Japan Sea.
MONASTERY CONSTRUCTION PERIOD
1243 (IN ECHIZEN)
Leaving Sen’e in charge of the Kosho Monastery, Dogen walked with his students from Fukakusa (south of Kyoto) north, then east to Echizen Province, in early autumn, near the end of the seventh month.
On the seventeenth day of the same month, Yoshishige Hatano and Layman Sakingo, also known as Zen Practitioner Kakunen, found land suitable for Dogen’s monastery.
48. THREE REALMS ARE INSEPARABLE FROM MIND (SANGAI YUISHIN)
In the lunar calendar, sometimes an extra day is added to a month, and occasionally an extra month is added to a year. An intercalary seventh month was added in 1243. While Dogen and his community were settling in to a temporary practice place—most probably an ancient temple at the foot of Mount Yoshimine in Echizen—Dogen presented “Three Realms Are Inseparable from Mind” to his faithful students, at the beginning of the month.
The term “three realms” (sangai) is a Buddhist technical term, roughly meaning the entire world of phenomena and beyond. The last part of the original title, “Yuishin,” is often translated as “mind only.” This phrase refers to the teaching of the Avatamsaka Sutra that all things are expression of mind and there is nothing outside of mind. As shown in “Actualizing the Fundamental Point” and “Mind-and-Body Study of the Way,” Dogen did not stress “mind only,” but spoke of the inseparableness of body and mind, as well as that of mind and all phenomena.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly on Mount Yoshimine on the first day, the intercalary seventh month, the first year of the Kangen Era [1243].”
Translated by Josho Pat Phelan and the Editor.
49. SPEAKING OF MIND, SPEAKING OF ESSENCE (SESSHIN SESSHŌ)
Dogen inscribed the place and year of presentation but did not put down a date, which was unusual, since he was a meticulous record keeper. Ejo copied this text on the eleventh day, the first month of the following year. Later, Dogen placed it between “Three Realms Are Inseparable from Mind” and “The Reality of All Things” in his seventy-five-fascicle version, which implies a chronological order. (And yet, no one knows exactly when this fascicle was presented.)
The phrase “speaking of mind, speaking of essence” was at times criticized in the Zen tradition as too theoretical. In fact, Dogen himself had said, “Turning circumstances and turning mind is rejected by the great sage. Speaking of mind and speaking of essence is not agreeable to
buddha ancestors” (“Mountains and Waters Sutra”). Here, to the contrary, Dogen emphasizes the importance of expressions of mind and essence. He no longer would merely admire ancient Chinese Zen masters like Linji and Yunmen; he offers harsh criticisms of them. Dogen seems to have developed full confidence as the leader of a monastic community.
Colophon: “Presented to the assembly of the Yoshimine Temple, Yoshida County, Echizen Province, in the first year of the Kangen Era [1243].”
Translated by Peter Levitt and the Editor.
50. THE BUDDHA WAY (BUTSUDŌ)
Dogen had some mature Zen students in the Kosho Zen Monastery (as it was called by Sen’e in 1236; see above), who had moved to Echizen with him. Some of them, especially former followers of the Daruma School, such as Ejo and Giun, must have identified themselves as “Zen” practitioners. Dogen needed to say that his teaching did not belong to the “Zen School” or any other sect. He simply taught the “buddha way.” He intended to be a genuine disciple of the Buddha, not confined by sectarian limitations. This is a clear departure from his earlier view, presented in “On the Endeavor of the Way,” of the Five Schools of Zen as something fixed and authoritative.
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Page 8
