[←1] The present translation is based primarily on Kawamura Kōdō’s edition of Dōgen’s complete works Dōgen Zenji Zenshū (Tokyo: Shunjūsha, 1993), in consultation with the editions by Tamaki Kōshirō, Dōgen Shū (Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 1969), by Ōkubo Dōshū, Kohon Kōtei Shōbōgenzō (Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 1971), by Terada Tōru and Mizunoya Oko, Dōgen (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1972), and by Masutani Fumio, Gendaigoshaku Shōbōgenzō (Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1975).

[←17] Fukan Zazengi. A translation of this work by Rev. Master P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett appears in Serene Reflection Meditation, 6th ed. revised (Mount Shasta, California: Shasta Abbey Press, 1996), pp. 1-3.

[←18] ‘The hundreds of individual sproutings’, an expression often used by Dōgen, refers to the manifold forms that arise or ‘sprout up’ because of a set of conditions, persist for a while, then disappear when the conditions that brought them about change.

[←28] Since making pilgrimages to spiritually call on other Zen Masters was still a widespread tradition among Chinese Zen trainees of his day, Dōgen is pointing out that this is not an essential practice, and that what is truly essential is for each trainee to find within himself the spiritual strength to be a Dharma heir of their Master.

[←32] A common Japanese term for one who has entered monastic life is unsui, ‘clouds and water’, a metaphor for one who asks for fixed abode and desires to live free of preconceptions and entanglements.

[←37] A standard practice for someone committing a light breach of monastic etiquette through carelessness, in which the monk is personally and/or financially responsible for seeing that the oil lamp in front of the Hall’s main statue is provided with sufficient fuel, so that it may keep burning over the next twenty-four hours.

[←39] A standard practice for someone committing a light breach of monastic etiquette through carelessness, in which the monk is personally and/or financially responsible for seeing that the oil lamp in front of the Hall’s main statue is provided with sufficient fuel, so that it may keep burning over the next twenty-four hours.

[←46] On some monastic robes, the sleeves are quite full, forming a bag-like appendage.

[←54] As used here, the word ‘dragon’ by itself refers to someone markedly brilliant. The term ‘dragon elephant’ is explained in the Glossary.

[←56] In Buddhism, ‘eighty-four thousand’ represents both the number of atoms in a human body and the number of forms of illumination assumed by Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Light.

[←75] ‘Cutting off one’s arm’ is being used metaphorically to refer to giving up one’s willfulness at all costs. Such a ‘severing’ is done by applying Manjushri’s Sword of Wise Discernment. Dōgen is not recommending self-mutilation.

[←97] Dōgen appears to understand Yakusan’s image of ‘a figure of a Buddha standing sixteen feet tall or sitting eight feet high’ as referring to one who has realized his or her Buddha Nature and lives accordingly at all times. It is likely that ‘standing’ and ‘sitting’ are references to the Four Bodily Postures: standing, walking, sitting, and reclining. The first two represent active modes, the latter two passive ones: that is, ‘whether one is inwardly or outwardly active, whether one is awake or sleeping’.

‘Being triple-headed and eight-armed’ is an allusion descriptive of several guardian beings who protect Buddhist temples and their trainees. The most likely candidates in the Zen tradition would be Achalanātha, the Steadfast Bodhisattva, and Rāgarāja, the Passionate

Bodhisattva. The former is sometimes associated with the firm commitment of trainees to train until they have overcome all hindrances to realizing enlightenment as they persist in helping others to realize Truth. The latter has associations with a passionate desire to help all sentient beings realize Buddhahood.

Please see the Glossary for the metaphorical meanings of a monk’s traveling staff, a ceremonial hossu, a temple pillar, and a stone lantern.

[←110] In this and the following paragraph, the images of ‘mountain’ and ‘ocean’ echo the opening couplet of Yakusan’s poem. Context suggests that ‘mountain’ is an allusion to training and practice, and ‘ocean’ to the realization of one’s innate state of ‘being enlightened’.

[←114] That is, trainees should not wait until they have completely finished all training (‘doing the donkey work of training’) before attempting to give voice to the Dharma (‘doing the horse work of teaching’).

[←115] To help simplify this difficult and profound passage: One’s arriving at realizing the Truth is hindered by any notion of ‘having to arrive’, but is not hindered by the fact that one has not yet arrived. One’s state of having not arrived is hindered by a notion of ‘not having arrived’, but is not hindered by arriving. So, when it comes to intending to train, we look at our intention as just an intention; when it comes to expressing the Truth, we look at our expression as just an expression; when it comes to hindrances, we look at what is hindering us as just a hindrance. Similarly, it is a matter of our notions of ‘obstructions’ getting in the way of our seeing our obstructions (all of which, too, are just for the time being).

[←130] That is, ‘mountains’ and ‘water’ are not only terms used by previous Masters but also, as metaphors, can embody the way in which these Masters functioned.

[←140] That is, ‘mountains’ are able to move about freely in their daily training.

[←149] This phrase translates Dōgen’s highly truncated technical term for the direct experiencing of the fulfillment of Shakyamuni Buddha’s promise that all sentient beings, without exception, will—as He did—ultimately become Buddha.

[←150] The term ‘stones’ is often used to describe the dull, hard minds of those who have not yet awakened to Truth, whereas ‘jewels’ would be descriptive of the bright, clear minds of those who have awakened. In the present context, this would imply that what Buddha after Buddha has inherited is not the same as what people in ordinary, everyday society culturally inherit.

[←151] From context, it is likely that ‘the mutual inheriting by chrysanthemums’ refers to the horizontal relationship of Master and disciple, wherein both are equal in their Buddha Nature. ‘The giving of the seal of certification by pines’ refers to the vertical relationship of senior Master and junior disciple. The Master-disciple relationship contains both of these aspects at the same time.

[←159] This is a reference to “The Parable of the Herbs” in the Lotus Scripture, where ordinary, conventional human beings are likened to small grasses, the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas who follow the Lesser Course to various shrubbery, and the bodhisattvas who follow the Greater Course to three types of vegetation: tall grasses (such as bamboo), small trees, and large trees. In the parable, the rain is likened to the rain of Dharma which the Buddha showers down upon them so that they may all come to their spiritual fruition.

[←218] The nickname for a Zen monastery in which the monks are doing outstanding training.

[←230] That is, upon one’s spiritually awakening to Buddha Nature, the distinction of ‘self and other’ disappears.

[←283] Dōgen is alluding to lines from the poem “That Which Is Engraved upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal” by Kanchi Sōsan:

The Way to the Ultimate is not hard;
Simply give up being picky and choosey...

Let but a hair’s breadth of discriminatory thought arise

And you have made Heaven and Earth strangers to each other.

One translation of the full poem can be found in Buddhist Writings on Meditation and Daily Practice, (Shasta Abbey Press, 1994), pp. 213-221.

[←294] ‘The One Whole Mind’ (isshin) is an alternate term for Buddha Mind and Buddha Nature.

[←301] The Thirty-six Paramitas derive from the manifesting of each of the Six Paramitas within the practice of each one of the Six Paramitas. The Six Paramitas are like six traps for snaring the Truth, each of which produces another six traps, that is, the Thirty-six Paramitas.

[←332] Nangaku’s remark and Dōgen’s commentary on it are clearly not intended to be taken on a literal level, but to be viewed within the context of Buddhist training in meditation. One possible interpretation would equate the ox with the trainee’s will to train, the cart to his vehicle of training—namely, serene reflection meditation—and the water with what appears to be going on spiritually within his training.

[←343] Dōgen’s community was staying at Kippō-ji Temple while they were building Eihei-ji Temple.

[←354] ‘Something from Sindh’ is a metaphor for asking for the very best someone can offer that is appropriate to the situation; here, the reference is to not asking for anything from another. Dōgen will take up this metaphor in Discourse 79: On ‘The King Requests Something from Sindh’ (Ō Saku Sendaba).

[←355] In some Zen Buddhist contexts, such as the present one, acharya is simply a polite form of address for any monk, since in a monastery a monk may learn from any of his fellow trainees.

[←419] That is, Eka had been cleansing himself of any self-serving motives or hidden agendas.

[←420] While the account of Eka’s cutting off his arm has often been taken literally, and so depicted in paintings, there is a deeper, non-literal interpretation of what took place, one that does not support the notion that self-mutilation is somehow proof of one’s willingness to do ceaseless practice. This interpretation states that Eka used Manjushri’s Keen-edged Sword of Wise Discernment to cut himself free of dualistic thinking, and, though this act was not visible to the naked eye, Bodhidharma was able to discern what was going on within Eka’s heart and mind. For instance, Eka did not ask Bodhidharma to open the Gate to the Sweet Dew for his own sake but for the sake of all sentient beings, and by this Bodhidharma knew that Eka was a True Vessel for the Dharma. The original text does not state what Eka actually placed before Bodhidharma. It may well not have been a physical arm that he offered to the Master, but rather his willingness to commit himself to the ceaseless practice that Bodhidharma had just been instructing him in.

[←441] ‘Hands and eyes’ is an allusion to the myriad ways in which Avalokiteshvara, who is the embodiment of the innate compassion of one’s Buddha Nature, sees and offers aid to those who cry out for help.

[←442] In this context, ‘alive’ refers to the time when we believed in the delusion of a separate self, and ‘dead’ refers to the time when we have relinquished that self because we have realized our True Nature.

[←443] The phrase ‘our thoughts and things’ refers to whatever arises, persists for a while, disintegrates, and vanishes, be it the thoughts that we perceive as being within our mind or the things that we consider to occur in the physical world.

[←444] This sentence has a double meaning: First, by recognizing the impermanence of all thoughts and things, we dedicate our temporal being to expressing compassion. Second, by dropping off body and mind (the vanishing of a concern with self), all that remains is the dedication of oneself to expressing compassion for all beings. This double meaning of ‘vanishing’ as ‘recognizing impermanence’ and ‘dropping off a concern with self’ carries through the rest of this paragraph.

[←445] This saying by Meditation Master Sōzan Honjaku can be paraphrased as, “Officially, the Teaching is above any personal considerations, but on an individual level, It permits of broad provisional applications.”

[←499] That is, a disciple who is a genuine vessel for the Dharma will persist in making mistakes through misunderstanding what the Master is pointing to until he sees where he is wrong, which he can only do by being willing to make mistakes in the first place.

[←512] Bōshū Pavilion and Useki Peak are two scenic places on Mount Seppō that were used as meditation sites.

[←537] To paraphrase this complex passage, in the same way that people do not understand the spiritual meaning of the phrase ‘placing a Head upon a head’, they also misunderstand the nature of their everyday experience. Rather than seeing the Buddha Nature within all the myriad things that exist, they only see the insubstantiality of all things. By viewing things in this one-sided way, they sadly miss the joy of meeting Buddha, until and unless they encounter ‘such a one’ who can explain the deeper spiritual significance of all that exists.

[←544] ‘Doing one’s practice amidst sentient beings” is a Zen Buddhist phrase referring to helping sentient beings reach the Other Shore, particularly those sentient beings whose perception of things is alien to the Buddhist Way.

[←545] Throughout this text, the word ‘monastery’ can be understood literally as referring to the physical place where trainees come in order to train together and figuratively as one’s place of training, which is wherever one does the practice.

In the present context, the Zen Buddhist term ‘akan’, translated here as ‘a mute’, refers to a thoroughly inexperienced trainee who is unable to say even a word in response to a Master’s question.

[←548] That is, the Precepts (refraining from evil, etc.) will alleviate suffering (hunger), but only so long as one is living by them and not just mouthing them.

[←561] Such as the opinion that the manifestation of one’s True Nature is a one-time thing.

[←562] The governor, Yoshishige Hatano, was one of Dōgen’s principle supporters.

[←563] The seeming contradiction that both the third and the fourth years of the Ninji era occurred in 1243 is due to the fact that, in the lunar calendar, the last day of the third year fell on January 21, 1243, according to the Western solar calendar. The new lunar year, by our reckoning, then began on January 22.

[←565] Daie was in the Rinzai Zen tradition, and is credited with having instituted the practice of focusing on deliberate penetration into classic kōan stories, rather than keeping to themeless meditation. Dōgen, in a rare criticism of specific monks, held Daie responsible for what he considered a perversion and betrayal of the pre-Daie Rinzai tradition.

[←566] The particular silken thread that is mentioned here was used to bind Scriptural texts together and, as a metaphor, refers to the ‘thread of Transmission’ that runs through, and binds together, the Buddhas and Ancestors.

[←567] A monk’s traveling staff and the shaft of a bamboo arrow are common metaphors for what a Zen Master uses to point a disciple to the truth.

[←576] One of the first everyday tasks for an Abbot’s Assistant was to bring the Abbot a towel and a pitcher of warm water for him to use in performing his morning ablutions.

[←577] The marvelous spiritual ability is spontaneously doing our everyday activities whilst remaining free of a false self; it is our anticipating what needs to be done and then just doing it. Dōgen discusses this ability in Discourse 24: On the Marvelous Spiritual Abilities (Jinzū).

[←578] It was customary for an Abbot’s Assistant to anticipate the Master’s needs whilst waiting in the assistant’s room, which adjoined that of the Master.

[←597] What the translation does not make clear is that Dōgen is analyzing the word jinen in Bodhidharma’s poem (rendered as ‘naturally’) as being comprised of two words: ji meaning ‘self’ and nen meaning ‘being as it is’.

[←598] The blue lotus refers to the blossoming of the spiritual flower of one’s training and enlightenment, not to an actual plant.

[←610] Dōgen goes only as far as the Sixth Chinese Ancestor, Daikan Enō, because he was the first to have two Dharma heirs, Seigen Gyōshi and Nangaku Ejō. Dōgen’s Sōtō lineage derives from Seigen, whereas the other Zen lineages, such as the Rinzai, trace their ancestry back to Nangaku.

[←611] That is, it goes beyond a matter of choosing between the pairs by thinking that one is right and the other wrong, or of not choosing between them by not committing oneself to one of the two traditions.

[←621] That is, to explore it as your ‘self’ is simply a matter of the intellect exploring the concept of a self, a concept which the intellect has created in the first place.

[←622] This temple is in Kyōto near the government office of one of Dōgen’s chief supporters.

[←625] A paramita is a practice that Buddhas and bodhisattvas employ to help sentient beings reach the Other Shore. The six are almsgiving, observance of the Precepts, patient forbearance, diligence, being well-seated in one’s meditation, and wise discernment.

[←644] In the Chinese and Japanese lunar calendar, there are twelve months of either twenty-eight or thirty days. Since this creates a discrepancy with the 365-day solar calendar, every two or three years a thirteenth lunar month is inserted (intercalated) in the calendar at some point. In the present instance, it was inserted between the seventh and eighth lunar months. This is technically known as an intercalary lunar month. An analogy can be found with our inserting the day of February 29 every four years to even out the annual solar calendar, and that day is technically called an intercalary day.

[←668] This is a reference to Shakyamuni Buddha’s Transmitting the Dharma to His smiling disciple Makakashō by holding an udumbara flower aloft.

[←669] The reference to cutting off one’s arm is to the Second Chinese Ancestor, Taiso Eka, who is said to have cut off his arm in order to find the Truth. This ‘severing’ may refer to giving up one’s attachments rather than to a literal, physical act. Dōgen fully explores the reference to respectful bowing in Discourse 10: On ‘Respectful Bowing Will Secure for You the Very Marrow of the Way’ (Raihai Tokuzui).

[←675] This view, which Dōgen considered to be erroneous, derives from a misinterpretation of a poem attributed to Bodhidharma, which has been interpreted by some as a rejection of Scriptural texts. Dōgen’s view is that the Scriptural texts and the pointing to the heart are two aspects of what is Transmitted. Bodhidharma’s poem is as follows:

The separate Transmission that is outside the Teachings

Does not depend on the written word;

It directly points us to our human heart,

So that we may see our True Nature and thereby become Buddha.

[←678] In this context, ‘mountains and rivers’ can be seen as aspects of movement and stillness within meditation practice. It can also describe obstructions that are encountered in our daily experience, and hence to the Scriptures’ Teachings on how to overcome those obstructions.

[←707] That is, grasping the significance of what the Great Master is pointing to goes far beyond having a purely intellectual or speculative understanding.

[←717] This refers to the Transmission of the Dharma from Shakyamuni Buddha to His disciple Makakashō. This occurred when the Buddha held a flower aloft and Makakashō, recognizing its significance, smiled in response.

[←725] A technical term for one who is about to realize Buddhahood. It is synonymous with a nonreturner, which is the third of the four stages of arhathood. A brief explanation of these four stages can be found in the Glossary.

[←741] ‘The Flower’ is an allusion to the multi-petaled lotus that opens upon the crown of the Tathagata’s head, in the center of which sits Vairochana Buddha, that is, the Cosmic Buddha.

[←742] The reference here is to the Second Chinese Ancestor Eka, who stood all night in the deepening snow outside Bodhidharma’s quarters while seeking to be Bodhidharma’s disciple.

[←744] ‘The five eyes’ refers to Gautama’s two physical eyes, which are the non-worldly eyes of someone who is in meditation, plus the Eye of wise discernment, the Eye of the Dharma, and the Eye of a Buddha.

[←745] ‘The Thousand-eyed One’ refers to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara of the Thousand Eyes and the Thousand Hands, who is the embodiment of the compassion of Vairochana Buddha.

[←758] In this discourse, the various forms of the word ‘appearance’ carry the meaning of ‘the form that something takes’.

[←763] That is, one’s voracious eyes are replaced by eyes that have a cleansing effect on self and others.

[←764] Uneaten rice refers to someone passing up the opportunity to ingest the Dharma; an unworn robe refers to someone who passes up the opportunity to adhere to the Precepts.

[←765] That is, only those who have awakened share the same insight as to the nature of things.

[←798] An allusion to Shibi’s meeting up with his own True Self while he was living on a fishing boat.

[←799] That is, their awakening to their True Self was fully sufficient and, at the same time, it was insufficient in that there is always the ever going on, ever becoming Buddha.

[←806] This is a ‘recipe’ for taking the fruits of one’s training and using them to help others see with the Eye of a Buddha. It relates to a story about his Master, which Dōgen later presents.

[←824] That is, the Here and Now is not an intellectual concept, nor is it a reference to Jōshū’s own Original Nature, nor is it a personal reference to Jōshū himself.

[←825] That is, Jōshū had fully realized the Truth (his having arrived at the Here and Now) and at the same time, his training and practice continued with his ‘always going on, always becoming Buddha’ (his not yet having arrived at the Here).

[←839] It is said that when the reiyō (C. ling-yang), a type of antelope, sleeps at night, it uses its horns to hoist itself up onto a tree branch. By keeping its legs above the ground, it leaves no trace of its whereabouts, so that hunting dogs cannot find it. This metaphor is used in Chinese Zen to describe someone who has dropped off body and mind, and thereby leaves no trace of an egocentric self for ‘hunting dogs’ to attack.

[←840] ‘Dangling hands’ refers to an ancient Chinese practice of raising children without using physical coercion. In Zen, it was used to refer to a Master’s approach to training a disciple. Despite the seeming gentleness, it ultimately leads to the disciple ending up at the top of a high cliff, from which he needs to take responsibility for his actions and to step off in full faith. When taking such an action, he is no longer in the position of guest looking up to the Master (host position), but has assumed the host position (acting as a Master acts). This resembles the shift in the Five Positions from the perspective of the transitory to that of the Absolute. This is possible because the positioning of Master and disciple is not absolutely fixed.

Until this shift takes place, the disciple is like a kanro (C. han-lu), a type of black hunting dog associated with a small state in China named Han that flourished during the era of the Warring States (440-221 BCE). This highly intelligent dog was used to hunt down rabbits. In the present poem, the last two lines could be paraphrased as the following: When Buddha Nature shines forth like the full moon, It illumines all transitory things. A disciple, one who is as keen as a hunting dog, may attempt to pursue the Buddha Nature, but becomes confused and mistakes the illumined palace of lapis lazuli (the transitory) for what is Real (the Absolute, represented by the Moon) and vainly chases after that.

[←843] It is said that when the reiyō (C. ling-yang), a type of antelope, sleeps at night, it uses its horns to hoist itself up onto a tree branch. By keeping its legs above the ground, it leaves no trace of its whereabouts, so that hunting dogs cannot find it. This metaphor is used in Chinese Zen to describe someone who has dropped off body and mind, and thereby leaves no trace of an egocentric self for ‘hunting dogs’ to attack.

[←844] It is said that when the reiyō (C. ling-yang), a type of antelope, sleeps at night, it uses its horns to hoist itself up onto a tree branch. By keeping its legs above the ground, it leaves no trace of its whereabouts, so that hunting dogs cannot find it. This metaphor is used in Chinese Zen to describe someone who has dropped off body and mind, and thereby leaves no trace of an egocentric self for ‘hunting dogs’ to attack.

[←849] That is, even though the trainee may not yet have awakened fully, he may still be able to give expression to the Truth.

Thirty years I sought for Him, the Good Friend with His Sword of Wisdom:

For so many rounds have the leaves fallen and the branches burst anew with blooms!

But just one glance at those peach blossoms

And straightaway—at that very moment—I arrived, never again to be in doubt.

[←857] Being satisfied with the grass and water describes a domesticated water buffalo, a metaphor for the contentment experienced by a well-trained and awakened trainee.

[←862] A relic (J. shāri; Skt. śarīra) customarily consisted of some physical part of a deceased Buddha or Ancestor, such as ashes, bones, or hair.

[←869] ‘Yellowed scrolls with their red scroll rods’ is a Buddhist reference to the Scriptures. It describes the form in which Scriptures were originally preserved.

[←904] The monk in question was Enō’s Dharma heir, Nangaku Ejō. Enō’s question was in response to Ejō’s statement, “Were I to try to put the One Matter into words, they would miss the mark.”

[←959] There are fifty-one Transmissions counting from Makakashō through Dōgen.

[←1003] Traditionally, only two meals are served to the monastic community, one in the morning and another before noon. Because monks, particularly those who are ill or are engaged in heavy physical labor, may need more nourishment than these two meals provide, an evening meal may be offered as a form of ‘medicine’ to provide additional nourishment for the body.

[←1007] The laity in the Theravadin tradition customarily take five Precepts. In the Mahayana tradition, the laity take those five plus five more. Monastics in both traditions take Precepts that number in the hundreds.

[←1062] The eight states where it is difficult to encounter a Buddha or hear His Teaching are: 1) being born in one of the hells; 2) being born as a hungry ghost; 3) being born as an animal; 4) being born in the Northern Continent of Uttarakuru where all is pleasant; 5) being born in one of the heavens where life is long and easy; 6) being deaf, dumb, and blind; 7) being an erudite scholar; 8) being born in the intermediate period between a Buddha and His successor.

[←1063] These time measurements may seem to be of inordinately long duration, but they are simply of indeterminate length: it takes just as long as it takes.

[←1093] The three evil paths are the worlds of beasts, hungry ghosts, and those in hellish states.

[←1166] Gomyō Bodhisattva was in the Tushita Heaven, prior to His rebirth as Shakyamuni Buddha.

[←1180] Because those ideas did not produce an awakening when you first had them.

[←1189] One translation of this is found in Buddhist Writings on Meditation and Daily Practice, (Shasta Abbey Press, 1994), pp. 247-260.

[←1193] Gien began his training under Dōgen. Upon the latter’s death, he trained with Kōun Ejō, ultimately becoming one of his Dharma heirs and the Fourth Abbot of Eihei-ji.

[←1194] As distinct from his collection of three hundred kōan stories, which were written in Chinese and are without any commentary. That collection is called Dōgen’s Chinese Shinji Shōbōgenzō.