道元
Dogen
Zen Buddhism · personDogen (1200–1253), also known as Dogen Zenji or Eihei Dogen, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, philosopher, and founder of the Soto school of Zen. After traveling to China and awakening under Tiantong Rujing, he returned to Japan to teach 'just sitting' (shikantaza / 只管打坐) — the practice of zazen as not a means to enlightenment but its direct expression. His masterwork, the Shobogenzo (正法眼蔵, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye), is among the most profound works of Zen philosophy and Japanese literature.
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What Are the Key Facts About Dogen?
- Tradition: Zen Buddhism
- Chinese: 道元
- Category: Person
- Definition: Dogen (1200–1253), also known as Dogen Zenji or Eihei Dogen, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, philosopher, and founder of the Soto school of Zen.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Dogen
Who was Dogen?
Dogen (1200–1253) was the Japanese founder of Soto Zen, who brought Caodong practice to Japan and authored the Shobogenzo.
What is zazen for Dogen?
Dogen taught shikantaza ('just sitting') — objectless meditation as itself enlightenment, not a means to it; 'practice and realization are one.'
What is the Shobogenzo?
Dogen's major work, a vast collection of essays on Buddhist practice and awakening, including the famous 'Genjokoan' ('Actualizing the Fundamental Point').
What is 'being-time' (uji)?
Dogen's doctrine that time and being are inseparable — each moment of practice is the whole of existence, a distinctive reconception of temporality.