Tag: Shobogenzo

In many instances, Dogen expresses deep criticism with other teachers.  He often expresses his anger about this and even, might go so low as to call teachers names.  When I … Continue reading Dogen’s Anger #21 of 21

The answer to the last question in Shitou’s koan is extremely poignant and beautiful to me. Daowu asked again, “Can you say anything further?” Shitou answered, “The expansive sky does … Continue reading Great Sky and White Clouds #20 of 21

The pivotal point is the second part of the koan of Shitou’s. Daowu said, “Going beyond, is there a further pivotal expression?” Dogen answers: “This means that when a pivotal … Continue reading The Pivotal Point #19 of 21

The last three blogs on the fascicle “Going Beyond Buddha” will be working with this koan from Great Teacher Shitou: In the assembly of Great Master Shitou Wuji, Zen Master … Continue reading Not gaining, Not knowing #18 of 21

Dogen writes in the fascicle “Going Beyond Buddha”: Zen Master Panshan Baoji said, “The single path of ‘going beyond’ is never transmitted by any one of the thousands of ancestors.”  … Continue reading The Sun and Moon #17 of 21

The next section in the text is about naming.  What happens when we name something?  What happens when language tries to describe experience?  Is the name the thing?  Most of … Continue reading What Is Your Name? #16 of 21

Monks should be like this child whose 7th consciousness or Manas consciousness doesn’t fully function.  Monks should be interrupting at every moment the instinctual tendency to circulate experience around a … Continue reading A Bubble in a Stream #15 of 21

“‘This child is not fully endowed with the six-sense organs’ means that her eyeballs have been replaced with soapberries by someone, her nostrils have been replaced with bamboo tubes, and … Continue reading Eyeballs, Nostrils, Skull Replacements #14 of 21

“Zen Master Jingyin Kumu in Dongjing, who is a Dharma heir of Furong, and whose Dharma name was Facheng, said to his assembly, “If you know the matter of going … Continue reading A Child of a Certain Family #13 of 21

I wanted to share an experience I had that helped me understand the simultaneity of inside and outside or in and out or talking and listening.  Unfortunately I have to … Continue reading In and Out, Talking and Listening #12 of 21

The entire network of co-origination is talking and listening all the time.  Lately, when I am giving a lecture, I don’t feel like “I’m” giving the lecture.  I feel like … Continue reading Twining Vines #11 of 21

It’s very interesting to me that Dogen began this fascicle of “Going Beyond Buddha” with a koan and discussion of “what is talking and hearing?”  One would think that “Going … Continue reading When I’m not talking I can hear it. #7 of 21

Dogen can be very difficult to read or understand. That’s why we often need a commentary or teacher to introduce his way of writing and the underlying teaching. I often … Continue reading Dogen and Nagarjuna’s Tetralemma #6 of 21

In the classical Buddhist teaching, there are 52 stages in the development of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. That’s a lot of stages! Dogen in his subtle analysis however isn’t … Continue reading 52 stages to Buddhahood #5 of 21

Dogen has a famous phrase: shinjin datsuraku, which is translated “dropping off body and mind.” This famous phrase needs to be understood in order to appreciate Dogen’s writing. There is … Continue reading Dropping off Body and Mind #4 of 21

This fascicle Going beyond Buddha explores and refines our idea of what a Buddha is. It explains that in order to understand a Buddha, we have to understand what going … Continue reading The Three Simultaneous Buddhas #3 of 21

Is there such a thing as a “buddha” or a “self”? Our teaching says, and the physicists concur, that there is nothing solid, neither a person, nor a thing. We … Continue reading Buddhas and non-buddhas #2 of 21