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Ian Coverdale-McCord 1
Dogen: the Everyday
Zen Master
Ian Coverdale-McCord
Prof. Pidhainy
4/16/2013
History 270
Ian Coverdale-McCord 2
Dogen is revered as one the great minds of Japanese Buddhism. In this
essay I will first explain how it was that Dogen became so knowledgeable,
what he accomplish throughout his life, and finally what his School focuses
on to this very day. Dogen traveled extensively and practiced at a vast
number of temples throughout Japan and China. This wide base of knowledge
and understanding allowed Dogen to found a school for Zen Buddhism that
embodied his dedication and deep understanding. The reason that Dogens
School not only flourished, but is still practiced in much the same way today
as it was hundreds of years ago, is because Dogen wanted nothing more
than to spread the Buddhist Dharma. His school attracts people to it because
he used his vast experience and knowledge to construct a strict and
encompassing guide to help other achieve enlightenment.
Dogen was born to a wealthy and noble family in Japan in the year
1200. Regretfully Dogen had already been exposed to the Buddhist ideal of
impermanence at the young age of seven years old with the death of both of
his parents. His parents had luckily belonged to one of the most powerful
clans in Japan before their untimely deaths. This meant the Dogen had
received the best education from an early age and could join the royal court
if he chose to. Dogen however, had other plans. This education is responsible
for crafting the astounding mind and honing the dedication that would be
necessary for Dogen to accomplish all that he did before his own untimely
death in 1253. After the death of his mother Dogen promised himself that he
would set forth and come to grips with the meaning and necessity of life and
Ian Coverdale-McCord 3
death. By the age of thirteen Dogen had joined the Buddhist temple at Mt.
Hiei, which was the center for the Tendai School of Buddhism in all of Japan,
and become a novice monk. This School presented Dogen with a problem
during his teaching. “Both exoteric and esoteric teachings explain that a
person in essence has true Dharma nature and is originally a body of
‘Buddha nature.’ If so, why do all Buddha’s in the past, present, and future
arouse the wish for and seek enlightenment?” The Buddha’s teachings
according to the Tendai School explain that all beings are inherently
enlightened; to Dogen this meant that all of the things that Buddhist monks
dedicate their entire lives to is essentially a waste of time. The entire point of
meditation and the right way of living is to move closer to, and eventually
achieve, enlightenment. But everyone is born enlightened! This contradiction
leads Dogen to study under the Zen master, Eisia and the disciple who took
over after his death, Myozen. This teaching continued for a number of years
until Dogen and Myozen decided to travel to china and experience the
schools there in 1223 seaching for the answer to Dogens question.After
traveling to China and searching far and wide for a master who could help
him to answer his question and who he felt a personal connection, Dogen
discovered Ju-tsing. He studied under this great Zen master for a further two
years before Dogen finally achieved enlightenment by freeing himself from
his body and mind and thus discovered the answer to the question that he
had carried inside of himself since the very beginning of his Buddhist
journey. What was the answer? That comes later.
Ian Coverdale-McCord 4
After achieving this greatest of Buddhist goals, Dogen returned to
Japan to teach the same sort of Zen practices that had so helped him. The
practice is known as Zazen meditation. He spread Buddhist truth by training
Zen monks, and lecturing to not only the monks but also the lay community
at a few different monasteries. Shortly after Dogens arrival back in Japan he
found that the school he had previously studied at was in bad shape. The
monks were more concerned with themselves and their material possessions
than they were with spreading the word of Buddhism. He tried to teach there
but eventually a combination of politics and policies forced him to leave.
Dogen is responsible for founding the Soto School of Zen. This School
focuses on “just sitting” or Zazen meditation. There are no verses to recite
and no chants, simply sitting and freeing one’s self form mind and body.
Dogen originally set up shop in a smaller temple where the fundamentals of
Buddhism were still of the upmost importance. Dogens School was officially
dedicated in 1236 with the completion of his monastic hall. This School was
the first major school of its kind in Japan to practice Ch’an Buddhism in every
aspect of day to day life. Dogens School would be possibly the first in the
world and certainly in Japan to accept not only men but women as well right
from the start. Dogen believed that the desire to learn and embrace the
Dharma was not related in any way to the sex of the person. He believed
that there are good women and bad men in the world so both should be
given an equal shot at monastic life.
Ian Coverdale-McCord 5
As Dogen and his Schools popularity grew, so too did its list of
naysayers and enemies. Dogen was not the kind of person who would waste
his valuable time and energy fighting these people. It comes as no surprise
that Dogen accepted the offer of Lord Yoshishige Hatano when he offered
Dogen and his entire community a place in the region he ruled, far from the
bigger Schools, in the mountains of the Echizen Province. While his disciples
built a new monastic community in their new found home, Dogen continued
to teach and give speeches to the community. Dogen and his monastics
remained in this monastery from its completion in 1244 to well beyond
Dogens death in 1253. The only time that Dogen left his monetary was when
he was called to teach and spread his Dharma in Kamakura by the Japanese
government. Once he arrived however, Dogen quickly returned to his
mountain community because he felt that the wilderness and the small
community were more conducive to teaching and learning.
While Dogen was doing all of these amazing things he was also writing
Buddhist literature. In his lifetime Dogen is credited with having written
many major Buddhist works. The first of these was Fukanzazengi which is an
explanation and list of the rules of Zazen meditation. Dogen completed this
sometime around 1227 after he returned to Japan. The purpose was to help
the Japanese not only understand but accurately practice Zazen Buddhism.
The text explains that one’s mind should be entirely clear. No thoughts about
the Buddha, right and wrong, life and death, simply trying to free the mind
from these useless worries. Dogen does not devote meditation time to
Ian Coverdale-McCord 6
solving problems like many other Buddhist sects. In Soto Zen the Koan, or
question, is more often dealt with in daily life. Meditation is simply for freeing
the mind, not solving problems. Many of Dogens essays and speeches have
been brought together in his ninety five chapter master work entitled
Shōbōgenzō. This book covers a massive range of topics. There are essays
on the equality of women and men, the practices of the monastic
community, how to live day to day, Dogens thoughts on life and death, all
the topics that Dogen lectured on. Dogen wrote another work called Shinji
Shōbōgenzō. This was a collection of some three hundred koans, nothing
else, no commentary or explanations, just three hundred thought provoking
problems for the elder monks to ask the novices. These questions are meant
to inspire what basically amounts to creative thinking. Throughout the day or
possibly even weeks a young monk would just think about the question and
all of the potential answers in order to clear their minds and find new
answers to old questions. Another work by Dogen is Eihei Kōroku which was
compiled after Dogens death. Eihei Kōroku consists of a collection of many of
Dogens speeches and some of his poetry which he wrote throughout his life.
It consists of ten volumes spanning the last nineteen years of Dogens life.
Dogen is also known to have written many of the conversations that he had
with his different masters throughout his life. These are organized into many
different volumes. Many of Dogens poems were also organized into different
volumes.
Ian Coverdale-McCord 7
The reason that Dogen is still a recognized name to this day in
Japan is because he brought the Zazen practice from China to Japan. Zazen
is a very specific form of meditation. There are many rules to be followed. It
takes place in a building where nothing else happens, that one building is
only for meditation, you may only enter if your intention is meditation. This
building is called a senbutsu-jō in Japanese which translates to basically a
meditation hall. The position of meditation is also very important, normally
done in the lotus position which requires three separate points on your body
to be touching the ground. The standard lotus position involves the action of
pulling both feet into the lap so that the knees both touch the ground as the
disciple is sitting. The person must also sit with their spine as straight as
possible and their head situated directly above their spine, no slouching. It is
also important to clasp hands together in the mudra position to keep the
center of gravity low and near the chest to help with breathing. The eyes
should be half open so that the meditator in not distracted by outside
stimulus but also not completely closed so that they don’t fall asleep. In
order to remain relatively comfortable through meditations that may last for
many many hours, and happen more than once every single day of the year,
the normal set up is to sit on a cushioned mat with a special cushion on top
of the mat know as a zafu. Zazen is normally preformed with other monks in
a group setting. It is not impossible to do so alone but formal meditations are
normally with a group. Before and after meditation each member bows to
show respect to the enlightened ones and the Buddha and then again to
Ian Coverdale-McCord 8
each member of the congregation. Dogen practices just sitting meditation
which means that there is no problem to concentrate on and no chanting,
the meditator is simply supposed to remain in the moment and try their best
to free their mind. Dogens School teaches that Buddhism is about first
awakening our own bodies and minds thoroughly before we can possibly fully
understand and experience them. This is not a mere intellectual pursuit; it is
living the life of the Buddha without worry, strain, and just relaxed mind. In
Buddhist teachings there are references to many different Buddha’s such as
Amitayus, Mahavairocana, and others who appear throughout the years and
many different stories. However, the modern understanding and what Dogen
believed is that these are all parts of the one true Buddha. As Buddhist
practices became more popular many people achieved enlightenment.
Dogen believed that Buddhism started with the enlightenment of the Buddha
and that is why enlightenment is so special and necessary. That is why
Dogen strove for enlightenment for so many years and through such
hardship, instead of giving in when he was unable to find someone to answer
his questions to his own satisfaction. This dedication is another reason that
Dogen was so revered as a teacher. He was not some mythological figure
that no one had ever seen or met. Dogen was an actual person who people
could travel to meet and learn under, knowing that he was living what he
preached day in and day out. One his long travels what Dogen was really
looking far was not why monks were inherently enlightened but still strove
for it. No the real question was how did the Buddha find the way to
Ian Coverdale-McCord 9
enlightenment and the right way? What Dogen discovered was though
zazen. Many people have many different ideas about achieving
enlightenment but it was Dogen’s belief that Zazen was the true way.
Beginning with the original Buddha, all the masters have achieved
enlightenment through Zazen. When he finally achieved enlightenment, the
Buddha is said to have said “Together with me the Great Earth and all beings
have become enlightened. The grass, the trees, the very soil have achieved
Buddhahood. Mankind was saved by the enlightenment of the Buddha”. This
is why, in Dogen's view there is absolutely no purpose to practice many of
the chants and other things that he believes are useless. In one of his
speeches to the people of his community, Dogen declared that “Those who
practice the way of the Buddha must first have faith in the way of the
Buddha”. This means that every being is already enlightened but they
cannot experience this enlightenment unless they are able to follow in the
Buddha’s footsteps and free themselves from body and mind. Everyone is
already on the path to enlightenment and have the potential to reach it and
experience true wisdom. Dogen knew that people’s true nature only reveals
itself only once they have completely understood the doctrine of the
impermanence, no self, and no ego.
He understood that a beings true nature is known as the Buddha Mind
or Buddha-nature. Dogen taught his disciples to believe that every single
person on earth is endowed with this nature inherently. In the Soto School of
Zen the acceptance of this nature is called honsho no anjin which means
Ian Coverdale-McCord 10
tranquil mind. Since all beings are enlightened form the beginning of their
lives Zazen is not a way to achieve enlightenment necessarily. It is basically
getting the mind out of the way so that you can experience enlightenment.
In Soto School of Zen, Zazen is not a precursor of enlightenment, but more
accurately a practice carried out before during and after the person has
experienced enlightenment. This is where Dogen’s school of Zazen actually
differs from the meditation practiced by the Buddha before his
enlightenment. It is closer to the Buddha’s meditation post enlightenment
when he just sat and meditated. Dogen’s Zazen is more focused on what
happens afterward.
The true practice of Zazen itself is very close to Buddhahood. This is
because Zazen is “the practice of the Buddha” so that means people
practicing Zazen are Buddha’s! Zazen is based upon the peaceful state of
mind that can only be achieved after being freed of the worries of the body
and mind. Dogen believed that true Zazen and enlightenment are the same
thing, Buddhism training and enlightenment are the same. This is all a little
bit confusing and philosophical because it means that as soon as someone
begins to meditate, they are enlightened. The training right from the very
beginning IS enlightenment.
Dogen combined both the everyday practice of Buddhism and the right
way of living. This is one of the main reasons that his school was too great.
He did not cater to outside needs, wants, or beliefs.
Ian Coverdale-McCord 11
What sets Dogens School apart from the teaching of many others at
the time is his belief and discipline in the correct transmission of what he
believes is the true Buddhist way and working towards a united Buddhism in
Japan and the world. Dogen strongly disagreed with the one sided sects of
Buddhism that ignore the basic facts and cling to trivial useless details. He
thought a fully integrated Buddhism which existed before the division into
Hinayana or Mahayana. He believed that no sect should be biased and that
sects splintered the religion, making it less accessible and much more
difficult to understand. This is why Dogen never accepted the name "Zen
sect". This would indicate that his School was separate from other sects.
Dogen believed that the Schools that did call themselves a specific Zen set
must have been mastered by an individual who had not yet achieved
enlightenment or seen the way of the Buddha. Dogen basically saw sects as
breaking the metaphorical straw on the camel’s back. The more sects there
are the more broken up Buddhism become. If Buddhism becomes to broken
up it will fail altogether and the practice could come to a complete halt.
Dogen did not want this. Dogen considered sects to only be popular among
shallow thinkers. Dogen was trying to preserve the balance of Zen in Japan
and keep it close to its initial Chinese roots. He wanted to hold to the
Buddhist way and believed that Japanese Buddhism was starting to stray
toward the governments and publics interests.
Buddhism changed a great deal throughout the ages. Dogen believed
that he lived in the period of decline and that it was his job to put in the
Ian Coverdale-McCord 12
effort to bring it back to the main essence of Buddhism. Dogen was intensely
resistant to religious beliefs that held the monks aloof of the lay people. His
personal view was that if someone wanted to have access to the Buddhist
truth, no matter who they were, they should have that access. Dogen strived
to embody the Buddha by serving as a teacher for the masses and helping
them to escape the cycle of reincarnation. Many Buddhist monks of the time
embraced this because it allowed them to profit. However Dogen had freed
himself from his ego and felt no desire for money, material possessions, or
fame. He rejected the Buddhism of his time and felt that it was imperfect. He
felt that Buddhism was meant to be as close to perfect as could be. It is
important to note that Dogen was trying to attract people to his School of
Buddhism so that the religion would again being to flourish. There are many
things that Dogen had to consider such as who would be hearing about his
School, what the common beliefs of the time were, how hard his school was
to reach, everything was important.
Dogen is to this day held in very high regard because his ideas,
religion, and personal characteristics are very similar to the ideals held by
many people throughout history. His ideas are universal meaning that people
from all culture and all times in human history share the same general ideas
and beliefs as Dogen. Dogen's great religious power comes from three main
points. These are his deep thoughts, his very practical nature, and his
Ian Coverdale-McCord 13
nobility. As stated earlier, Dogens master work is the Shōbōgenzō and
through this he clearly illustrates not only his thought but also his faith.
Dogen used Japanese so that everyone, including the lay community, would
be able to read it easily, instead of Chinese which was the more popular form
at that time. His style is short and to the point with very few extra or wasted
words. His thought is noble and profound. His whip fast logic and deep
introspective thoughts not only helped him to gain a foothold at the front of
Japanese culture, but also help him to remain important today in modern
philosophy. His writings and teachings help to understand the world and the
Buddhist religion from his time because they are easy to understand even in
the westernized world of today. Dogen's writings teach help people to find
the right practice, knowledge and action together in one place. The detailed
Zen regulations found Fukanzazengi established all the rules very clearly.
Drawing to a close, Dogen was an astounding Buddhist monk. He
traveled the Asian world in a time when the trip from Japan to China could
easily take a month or more. Why did he undertake this potentially
dangerous journey? He had questions that no one in Japan was qualified to
answer and he refused to accept that. He traveled to many different schools
until he finally found what he was looking for and achieved enlightenment.
After that however he returned to his home land to help as many others as
he could to also reach this goal. Although his School was plagued by
adversity and disdain, he continued to expand it and set up more than one
monetary to spread his beliefs about true Buddhist enlightenment. Dogen
Ian Coverdale-McCord 14
spent a lifetime writing poetry and spreading Zazen Buddhism throughout
Japan. He allowed all who wanted to learn into his School without worrying
about the person’s sex. Dogens School still lives on today and is one of the
more popular ones in many parts of Japan.
Ian Coverdale-McCord 15
Citations
Bielefeldt, Carl. Dōgen's Manuals of Zen Meditation. Berkeley: University of California, 1988. Print.
Dōgen, Norman Waddell, and Masao Abe. The Heart of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō. Albany: State University
of New York, 2002. 2005. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
Dōgen, and Thomas F. Cleary. Shōbōgenzō, Zen Essays. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1986.
Print.Digitalized 2007
Kim, Hee-Jin, and Taigen Daniel. Leighton. Eihei Dōgen: Mystical Realist. Boston: Wisdom
Publications, 2004. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
Loori, John Daido. " Dogen and Koans." Dogen and Koans. Mro.org, 2007. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
Maguire, Jack H. "A Life of Dogen." A Life of Dogen by Jack Hosho Maguire, MRO. Sky Light Paths,
Jan. 2001. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
Masunaga, Reiho. Zen beyond Zen. Tokyo: Komazawa University, 1960. Print.
Raud, Rein. "The Existential Moment: Rereading Dōgen's Theory Of Time." Philosophy East & West
62.2 (2012): 153-173. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Tepper, Inbal. "Zen in Daily Life." Zen in Daily Life / Introduction. Ofer Cohen, May 2010. Web. 18 Apr.
2013.
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