A Primer of Sötö Zen

A Primer of Sötö Zen

A Translation of Dogen's
Shöbögenzö Zuimonki
by Reihö Masunaga

University of Hawaii Press

Honolulu
Copyright © 1971 by East-West Center Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 76-126044
ISBN-13:978-0-8248-0357-5
ISBN-10:0-8248-0357-4
Printed in the United States of America

First edition 1971

Paperback edition
11 10 09 08 07 06 15 14 13 12 11

University of Hawai'i Press books are printed on acid-

free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Council on Library Resources.

wvwv.uhpress.hawaii.edu
Contents

Introduction page 1

| page 5

| | page 27

III page 49

IV page 61

V page 77

VI page 99

Notes page 113

 Introduction

The Shobogenzo Zuimonki consists largely of brief talks,

hortatory remarks, and instructional and cautionary
comments by the Japanese Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253).
These were recorded by his disciple, Ejo (1198-1280), and
later edited by the latter's disciples after his death.
The Shobogenzo Zuimonki, according to the colophon of
the popular edition of the Tokugawa period, was compiled
during the years 1235-1237, apparently a short time after
Dogen had established his temple, the Koshoji, at Uji, south
of Kyoto. It remained in manuscript form for over four hundred
years and was first printed, in a very small edition, in 1651.
Later a revised version by Menzan Zuiho (1683-1769), who
worked on the text intermittently over a fifty-year period, was
published in 1769, although its preface dates to 1758. This
edition has become the so-called rufubon, the popular text,
which is accepted as the standard version of the Shobogenzo
Zuimonki. In 1941 a manuscript copy made in 1644 of an
original manuscript of 1380 was discovered at the Choonji,
in Aichi Prefecture. This version, which contains many
textual problems, differs considerably from the popular
edition in the arrangement of the text, in the items contained,
and in the wording; and it may well be much closer in form
to the original text. It has recently been published, with a
detailed textual study and translation, by Mizuno Mieko in the
Koten Nihon Bungaku Zenshu series, published by the
Chikuma Shobo.
The popular text has seen several modern editions by
various scholars. Watsuji Tetsuro (Iwanami), Okubo Doshu
(Sankibo), Tamamuro Taijo (Yuzankaku), Tachibana Shundo
(Daito Shuppansha), and Furuta Shokin (Kadokawa) have all
published editions. All of these are based on the popular

1
edition, as revised and edited by Menzan. The present
translation is based on Professor Watsuji's version; the
division of the six chapters into sections is based also on the
method used by Professor Watsuji.
Historically, Dogen may be called the s e c o n d priest to have
introduced Zen to Japan. Meditation practices had played an
important role in the older sects of J a p a n e s e Buddhism, and
Zen priests had c o m e to J a p a n in earlier periods, but they
had established no temples and started no schools. Eisai
(1131-1215) had brought the Rinzai Zen teachings to J a p a n
and was the first to establish a Zen temple in that country, but
he met with much opposition from the traditional schools,
who were not sympathetic to the establishment of a rival
s c h o o l of Buddhism. Dogen studied for many years in C h i n a
under a Soto Zen Master, J u - c h i n g (1163-1228), and it was his
teaching that Dogen brought back, although he himself made
no attempt to establish a sect of Zen. After Dogen, many
J a p a n e s e priests visited the C h i n a of the S u n g and Yuan
dynasties, and C h i n e s e priests came to Japan, bringing with
them the teachings of a variety of C h i n e s e Zen Masters.
The Shobogenzo Zuimonki d o e s not give the full s c o p e of
Dogen's thought. For this, one must look to his monumental
Shobogenzo. This work, as well as the Shobogenzo Zuimonki,
was unusual in terms of the times in which it was written, in
that it was c o m p o s e d in the J a p a n e s e language rather than
in Chinese. Up to this time, J a p a n e s e Buddhists had all
written in Chinese, and the collected records of the many Zen
Masters who followed Dogen continued to be written in this
language until the T o k u g a w a period. The Shobogenzo is a
difficult work, involving many textual and doctrinal problems
that are yet to be resolved, but there is no room here to
examine the complexities of this work.
The Shobogenzo Zuimonki does not c o n c e r n itself with any
great philosophical subtleties, and yet it gives an insight into
the type of Buddhism that Dogen sought to propagate as well
as the essential requirements that Dogen found imperative
for a s u c c e s s f u l conduct of the monastic life. Very often
Dogen's comments are directed towards the beginner in Zen
and towards lay followers. They are designed to point out to
the d i s c i p l e s under him the emotional and physical climate

2
necessary to the successful pursuit of their efforts. He
described the perils of the transient world and the degenerate
age in which his disciples lived. He urged them to develop the
mind that seeks the Way, to forsake all worldly commitments,
and to practice Buddhism for the sake of Buddhism alone.
Very often the work is repetitive. We can imagine that
Dogen dwelt often on the same subjects to insure that his
lessons were impressed on his hearers' minds. Such
repetitions are inevitable in a work that is recorded by a
disciple and is not a document written consciously for
publication and distribution. Often there are inconsistencies.
At times the followers are exhorted to follow the conduct of
their predecessors in Zen; at times they are cautioned to
ignore them. Such inconsistencies develop in part, perhaps,
from the different levels from which Dogen talks: at times he
is the mentor to virtual beginners, and his approach is the
simple one that explains the requisites for study; occasionally,
he is the accomplished Zen Master, who has transcended all
dualisms, and he speaks from the level of that
accomplishment. Although this problem is not met with to any
great degree in the Shobogenzo Zuimonki, it is often a trap for
the unwary reader that is to be found in most Zen writings,
since the standpoint from which the Master speaks is
frequently difficult to ascertain.
The Shobogenzo Zuimonki, since its publication in its
revised form by Menzan, has gained considerable popularity,
especially in modern times, when scholars and religious
leaders have, in a manner of speaking, "taken up" Dogen
and have published numerous editions of his works. Dogen's
writings require further study, but the Shobogenzo Zuimonki
remains as a first-hand, non-sectarian introduction to the
prerequisites for the study of Zen, as seen by a great Zen
Master, who studied long and successfully under the strict
but compassionate tutelage of a Chinese teacher of Zen.

3
 I

1
One day Dogen instructed:
In the Hsu kao-seng chuanS there is a story about a monk
in the assembly of a certain Zen Master. The monk always
carried around with great reverence a golden image of the
Buddha and other relics. Even when in the dormitory, he
constantly burned incense to them and showed his respect
with salutations and offerings.
One day the Zen Master said: "The Buddha image and
relics that you are worshipping will be of no use to you later."
The monk disagreed with him, but the Master continued:
"This is the handiwork of demons. Throw them away." The
monk grew indignant and started to leave, but the Zen Master
called after him. "Open your box and look inside." When the
enraged monk complied, he is said to have found a poisonous
snake coiled within.
As I see it, relics should be reverenced, since they
represent the Tathagata's image and his remaining bones.
It is wrong, however, to expect enlightenment just by
worshipping them. This is an error that delivers you into the
hands of demons and poisonous snakes. The Buddha's
teaching has established the merit of practicing reverence so
that the image and relics offer the same blessings to men and
devas as does the living Buddha. It is quite true that, if you
revere and make offerings to the World of the Three
Treasures,2 you eradicate your crimes, gain merit, remove
the karma that leads to rebirth in the evil realms,3 and are
rewarded with birth as man or deva. But it is a mistake to
think that you can gain enlightenment in this way.
Since the true disciple follows the Buddha's teaching and
seeks to attain the Buddha's rank directly, you must devote

5
all your efforts to practice in accordance with these teachings
The true practice that accords with these teachings is
concentrated zazen, the most essential element in the Zen
monastery today. Think this over well.

2
Dogen also said:
Although the precepts and the eating regulations should be
maintained, you must not make the mistake of establishing
them as of primary importance and of basing your practice
on them; nor should they be considered a means to
enlightenment. Since they suit the conduct of the Zen monk
and the style of the true disciple, they are observed. To say
that they are good, however, does not make them the most
essential teaching. This does not mean that you should break
the precepts and become dissolute, but, if you attach to them,
your view is wrong and you depart from the Way.
The precepts and eating regulations are maintained
because they follow Buddhist ritual and represent a monastery
style. At the time I lived in the monasteries in China, they did
not seem to play the major role in the daily lives of the monks.
To attain the True Way, you must practice the zazen and koan
meditation as handed down by the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs. Gogembo, 4 a fellow student at Kenninji and a
disciple of the late Abbot Eisai,5 when he was at a Zen temple
in China, adhered strictly to the eating regulations and
recited the Precept Sutra6 day and night. I instructed him
concerning the above, and he gave up this practice.
Ejo asked: "Should the regulations established by
Po-chang 7 be followed in the Zen monastery? In the beginning
of these regulations, one reads: 'To receive and guard the
precepts is of primary importance.' The precepts handed
down today seem to teach the basic precepts transmitted
from the Buddhas and the Patriarchs. In the oral transmission
from teacher to disciple of Zen, the precepts transmitted
from the West 8 are taught to the students. These are the
Bodhisattva precepts of today, and in the Precept Sutra one
reads that they must be chanted night and day. Why then do
you want us to stop chanting them?"
Dogen said: "What you say is right. Students should guard

6
with special care the regulations laid down by Po-chang.
These rules call for receiving and obeying the precepts and
for practicing zazen. Chanting the Precept Sutra day and
night and strictly obeying the precepts is simply to practice
concentrated zazen, as did the Zen Masters of old. When
doing zazen, what precepts are not upheld, what merits not
produced? The actions of the ancient Zen Masters all have a
most profound meaning. Without holding personal views,
just go along with the assembly and practice, trusting in the
actions of the old Masters."

3
Once Dogen instructed:9
A monk studying with Fo-chao ch'an-shih 10 became ill and
decided he wanted some meat to eat. Fo-chao granted him
permission. One night Fo-chao went to the infirmary and
watched the sick monk eating meat in the dim light. A demon,
perched on his head, was eating the meat, although the monk
thought he was putting it into his own mouth. From that time
on the Zen Master knew that, when the convalescent monk
wanted to eat meat, it would be taken away from him by a
demon; so he allowed him to have meat.
In a matter such as this you should exercise judgment
whether meat eating should be allowed or not. A similar
problem arose among the followers of Wu-tsu Fa-yen." How
this matter was settled depended on the inclination of the
Zen Master concerned.

4
One day Dogen instructed:
You should understand that a man who is born into a
certain household and wants to enter the family occupation
must first train himself in the family specialty. It is a mistake
to strive for knowledge and training in an area outside your
own specialty and competence.
Now, as men who have left your homes, if you are to enter
the Buddha's house and become priests, you must learn
thoroughly what you are supposed to do. To learn these
things and to maintain the regulations mean to cast aside
attachments to the Self and to conform to the teachings of the

7
Zen Masters. The essential requisite is to abandon avarice.
To do this, you must first free yourselves from egoism. To be
free from egoism is to have a deep understanding of
transiency. This is the primary consideration.
Most people in the world like to regard themselves as good
and to have others think the same of them, but such a thing
seldom happens. If, however, you gradually forsake
attachment to the Self and follow the advice of your teacher,
you will progress. You may say that you understand but still
cannot give up certain things; and practice zazen while
holding on to various attachments. If you take this attitude,
you sink into delusion.
For a Zen monk the primary prerequisite for improvement
is the practice of concentrated zazen. Without arguing about
who is clever and who inept, who is wise and who foolish,
just do zazen. You will then naturally improve.

5
Dogen instructed:
Nothing can be gained by extensive study and wide
reading. Give them up immediately. Just focus your mind on
one thing, absorb the old examples, study the actions of
former Zen Masters, and penetrate deeply into a single form
of practice. Do not think of yourself as someone's teacher or
as someone's predecessor.

6
Once Ejo asked: "What is meant by the expression: 'Cause
and effect are not clouded'?"' 2
Dogen said: "Cause and effect are immovable."
Ejo asked: "If this is so, how can we escape?"
Dogen replied: "Cause and effect emerge clearly at the
same time."
Ejo asked: "If this is so, does cause prompt the next effect,
or does effect bring about the next cause?"
Dogen said: "If everything were like that, it would be like
Nan-ch'iian cutting the cat.13 Because the assembly was
unable to say anything, Nan-ch'iian cut the cat in two. Later,
when Nan-ch'uan told this story to Chao-chou,'4 the latter put
his straw sandal on his head and went out, an excellent

8
performance. If I had been Nan-ch'uan, I would have said:
'Even if you can speak, I will cut the cat, and even if you
cannot speak, I will still cut it. Who is arguing about the cat?
Who can save the cat?' Or else I would have said for the
assembly: 'We cannot say, Master. Please cut the cat.' Then
again I might have said: 'You know how to cut the cat in two
with one sword, but you don't know how to cut the cat in one
with one sword.' "
Ejo asked: "What is cutting the cat in one with one sword?"
Dogen replied: "The cat itself. When the assembly could
not reply and if I had been Nan-ch'uan, I would have released
the cat, since the assemblage had already said they could
not answer.15 An old Master has said: 'In expressing full
function, there are no fixed methods.' "™
Dogen continued: "This 'cutting of the cat' is an expression
of full function in Buddhism. It is a pivot word.'7 If it were not,
mountains, rivers, and the great sea could not be said to be
mind, unexcelled, pure, and clear. Nor could one then say:
This very mind is Buddha.' Immediately upon hearing this
pivot word, see the cat itself as the Buddha body. Upon
hearing this word, students should suddenly gain
enlightenment."
Dogen said: "Cutting the cat is an action of a Buddha."
Ejo asked: "What should we call this action?"
Dogen said: "Call it cutting the cat."
Ejo asked: "Would this be a crime?"
Dogen said: "It would."
Ejo asked: "Then how can we escape from this crime?"
Dogen said: "The action of the Buddha and the crime are
separate, but they both occur at once in one action.'8
Ejo asked: "Is this what is meant by the pratimoksa
precepts?""
Dogen said: "Yes, but while such a view20 is all right, it
would be better not to hold it."
Ejo asked: "Does the phrase 'violating the precepts' refer
to crimes committed after receiving the precepts, or can it
refer to crimes committed before receiving them?"
Dogen replied: "The phrase 'violating the precepts' applies
to crimes committed after receiving the precepts. Crimes
committed before receiving the precepts can be called

9
'sinful' or 'evil actions,' but not 'violating the precepts.' "
Ejo asked: "Within the forty-eight minor precepts, 2 ' the
term 'violation' is applied to crimes committed before
receiving the precepts. Why is this?"
Dogen replied: "This is not so. It applies to a person who
has not yet received the precepts but is about to receive them
and repents the crimes he has committed up to then. To
receive the ten precepts," he says 'violated' for each instance
that his actions in the past have run counter to the forty-eight
precepts. Crimes committed beforehand are not considered
to have 'violated the precepts.' "
Ejo asked: "The Sutra states that, when someone seeks to
receive the precepts and repents the sins he has committed
before, he be taught to recite the ten major precepts and the
forty-eight minor precepts. In a later passage, however, the
Sutra states that the precepts should not be explained to
those who have not received them. What is the difference
between the t w o ? "
Dogen replied: "Receiving the precepts and reciting the
precepts differ. For repentance, reciting the Precept Sutra is
like concentrating the mind on the sutras. Therefore, even
one who has not received the precepts wants to recite the
Precept Sutra. There can be no objection to explaining
the Precept Sutra to him. A later passage forbids teaching it
for profit to those who have as yet not received the precepts.
It should be taught particularly to those who have received
the precepts in order to help them to repent."
Ejo asked: "In receiving the precepts, they are not
supposed to be given to anyone who has committed the seven
grave sins,23 yet in the Sutra it is written that even grave sins
should be repented. Why is this?"
Dogen replied: "They should indeed be repented. The
proscription against such people receiving the precepts is in
the sense of a temporary check. 24 The previous passage in
the text states that even a person who violates the precepts,
should he repent and then receive the precepts again,
becomes pure. If he repents, he becomes pure. This is
different from not yet having received the precepts."
Ejo asked: "If repentance of the seven grave sins is
allowed, is it permissable to receive the precepts afterwards?"

10
 Dogen answered: "Yes. This is a custom established by the
late Abbot Eisai. Once a person's repentance has been
accepted, he must receive the precepts again. Even in the
case of the grave sins, anyone who repents should be
permitted to receive the precepts again if he so desires.
Should even a Bodhisattva himself violate the precepts, he
must be given the precepts again, since he has done this for
the sake of others."

7
In an evening talk Dogen said:
Monks must not be scolded and castigated with harsh
words; nor should they be held up to scorn by having their
faults pointed out. Even if they are evil men, they must not be
despised and abused. No matter how bad they may seem at
first, when more than four persons gather together for
practice, they constitute a sangha, which enriches the country.
They are deserving of the utmost respect. If your disciples
are in error, whether they be temple priests or senior priests,
Masters, or teachers, you should instruct and guide them with
compassion and kindness. Strike those who have to be
struck, scold those who have to be scolded, but do not allow
yourself to utter words of slander and detraction. My former
teacher Ju-ching, 25 when he was priest of the temple at
Mount T'ien-t'ung, would strike the monks with his slipper to
keep them from dozing during zazen sessions in the
meditation hall and would revile and scold them. Yet the
assembled monks were glad to be hit, and praised him for it.
Once, after having delivered a lecture, he said: "I have
grown old, retired from the assembly, and now live in a small
temple and nourish this old body of mine. Yet, being the
teacher to the assembly, I serve as the head priest of this
small temple so that I may destroy the delusions of each one
of you and teach you the Way. That's why I sometimes use
words of rebuke; and I sometimes strike you with my bamboo
rod. But I really have no heart for It. Nevertheless, I use
these instruction methods standing in the place of the
Buddha. Monks, permit this with compassion." When
Ju-ching finished, the assembled monks all wept.
All of you should teach and guide in this manner. Just

11
because you hold the rank of head of a temple or senior
priest, you have no right to insult the assembled monks,
rashly ordering them around as though they were your own
belongings. How much more of an error is it then to pick on
somebody's weak point and criticize him for it when you
yourself hold no such high position! Be very careful about
this.
If you see the weaknesses of others and consider these bad
and if you wish to guide such people with compassion, you
must do so without speaking directly of their errors so that
you do not arouse their anger.

8
Dógen once told this story:
When the late General of the Left of Kamakura (Minamoto
Yoritomo)26 was a youth known as Hyoenosuke, he attended
a special banquet one day near the Imperial Palace. As he
took his place near the Chief State Councillor, a guest
became disorderly, and the Councillor ordered Yoritomo to
arrest the man.
Yoritomo refused: "Give your order to Rokuhara,"27 he
said. "He is the general of the Taira family."
The State Councillor said: "But you are here right now."
Yoritomo replied, "I am not qualified to arrest the man."
These words of Yoritomo are admirable, indeed. It was with
this attitude that he later ruled the country. Students today
should emulate him. Don't rebuke others if you are not in a
position to do so.

9
In an evening talk Dogen said:
There was once a general named Lu Chung-lien,28 who
served P'ing-yüan Chün29 and subdued the enemies of the
Court. When P'ing-yüan praised his skill and sought to reward
him with much gold and silver, Lu declined, saying: "A
general's duty is to subdue the enemy; it is not to gain praise
and possessions." Lu Chung-lien's selflessness and integrity
are well known.
Thus, even among laymen, the wise are aware of their
responsibilities and perform their functions to the fullest.

12
They seek no special rewards. Students should be careful
to do the same. Upon entering Buddhism they should work
for Buddhism without thought of gain. The various teachings,
both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, all admonish against
acquiring possessions.

10
Once, after a discussion of the doctrine, Dogen instructed:
It is not good to overwhelm another person with argument
even when he is wrong and you are right. Yet it is also not
right to give up too easily, saying, "I am wrong," when you
have every reason to believe that you yourself are right. The
best way is to drop the argument naturally, without pressing
the other person or falsely admitting that you yourself are
wrong. If you don't listen to his arguments and don't let them
bother you, he will do the same and not become angry. This
is something to watch carefully.

11
Dogen instructed:
In the swift march of transiency, birth and death are vital
matters. During this short life, if you want to practice and
study, just practice and study Buddhism. Writing prose and
poetry is, in the long run, useless; thus, it should be given up.
When studying and practicing Buddhism, do not take up too
many outside things. Be sure to keep away from the scriptural
teachings of the sects of esoteric and exoteric Buddhism.
Even the Records of the Zen Patriarchs should not be studied
on too wide a scale. The dull and inferior person finds it hard
to concentrate even on one thing. How much more difficult
is it for him to do many things at the same time and still keep
his mind and thoughts in harmony!

12
Dogen instructed:
There is a story about how the Zen Master Chih-hsueh,30
some centuries ago, conceived the desire to seek the Way
and become a Zen monk. Originally a government official,
he was gifted with great intelligence and had a reputation for
honesty and wisdom. Once, while he was serving as a

13
provincial governor, he appropriated public money and gave
it to the people. One of his associates reported this to the
Throne. When the Emperor heard the story, he was
astounded; and his ministers were similarly puzzled by
Chih-hsueh's action. However, his crime was a serious one,
and the death penalty was pronounced.
The Emperor discussed the problem with his ministers,
saying: "Here is a talented and wise official. He must have
had some special motive for committing this crime. Perhaps
he acted from some deep inner reason. If he looks regretful
when his neck is about to be cut, cut it off quickly. If he has
no such look on his face, he must certainly have some deeper
motive. In that case, don't let him die."
When the Imperial Messenger brought out Chih-hsueh and
his neck was about to be cut, he had indeed no look of reg ret
but instead wore an expression of joy on his face. Chih-hsueh
said: "I dedicate my life in this birth to all living beings."
The Imperial Messenger was amazed and reported this to
the Emperor. "It is just as I thought," said the Emperor. "He
must have had a deeper motive. I thought so from the
beginning." The Emperor then requested an explanation.
Chih-hsueh said: "I've been thinking of retiring from my
government post, abandoning my life, giving alms, and of
associating myself with sentient beings everywhere. I intend
to be reborn as a monk and single-mindedly practice
Buddhism." The Emperor was impressed and permitted him
to become a monk. He gave him the name Yen-shou
(Prolonged Life) to celebrate his reprieve from execution.
Monks today should arouse a similar attitude at least
once. They should be ready to sacrifice their lives, deepen
the feeling of compassion for all living beings, and give rise
to the desire to entrust their bodies to the Buddha Way. If
they have even a trace of such a feeling, they should protect
it against loss. Unless they can arouse such feelings at least
once, it will be Impossible to awaken to Buddhism.

13
In an evening talk Dogen said:
The purpose of awakening to the old stories of the
Patriarchs of Zen is to modify gradually what you have

14
understood and thought up to now, under the guidance of a
Z e n Master. Even if the Buddha you have known up to now
is endowed with the distinguishing marks, 3 ' radiates light,
and has, like Sakyamuni and Amita Buddha, the virtue of
preaching sermons and bringing benefit to the people, you
must believe it if the Z e n Master tells you that the Buddha is
a toad or an earthworm. You will have to give up the beliefs
you have held up to now. But if you seek the Buddha's marks,
his radiance, and the various virtues associated with him on
the earthworm, you still have not modified your arbitrary views
of the Buddha. Just recognize as the Buddha w h a t you see
now before your eyes. If you follow the words of the Z e n
Master and turn from deluded views and attachments, you
will accord naturally with the Buddha Way.
Yet students today cling to their deluded views and hold
on to their personal ideas, thinking that the Buddha is this
thing or that thing. If these things differ from what they
imagine, they deny that this can be and w a n d e r lost,
looking for something similar to w h a t their deluded ideas
are. T h e y make scarcely any progress along the Buddha
Way.
W h e n told to let go of both hands and feet, after climbing
to the top of a hundred-foot pole, and then to advance one
step further without regard for their own bodies, 32 they say:
"It is only because I am alive today that I have the chance to
study Buddhism." They are not really following their teacher.
This must be understood thoroughly.

14
In an evening talk Dogen said:
People in this world often try to study many things at the
s a m e time and, as a result, do nothing well. They should
instead learn one thing so well that they can do it even in
front of a crowd. Buddhism, which transcends the ordinary
world, is a doctrine that from the beginningless beginning
has never been easily learned. 33 This is still so today. Our
capacity for study is also limited. In the endlessly high and
wide sphere of Buddhism, if w e try to learn many aspects, w e
cannot master even one. Even if he devotes himself to one
thing only, a person with inferior capacity finds it difficult to

15
get much done in one lifetime. Students must concentrate on
one thing alone.
Ejo asked: "If this is so, what kind of practice should be
undertaken? What aspect among the Buddhist teachings
should we concentrate our practice on?"
Dogen replied: "It depends upon the student's talent and
capability, but in Zen the practice that has been handed down
by the Patriarchs is essentially zazen. Zazen is suitable for all
people, whether their capacities be superior, mediocre, or
inferior.
"When I was in China in the assembly under Ju-ching,
I became aware of this truth and thereafter practiced zazen
day and night. Many monks gave up when it was very cold or
very hot, fearing that they would get sick. But at these times
I thought to myself: 'Even if I get sick and die, I must just
practice zazen. If I do not train while I am healthy, what use
is this body of mine? If I get sick and die, then that will be my
fate. What more can I ask than to study under a Zen Master
in the great Sung China, die here, and have the good monks
bury me? If I were to die in Japan, such superior priests
would not attend my funeral. If I practice but die before
gaining enlightenment, I am sure that my next life will be that
of a Buddhist follower. A long life without practice seems
pointless. Of what use would it be? After so much concern
for protecting my body against illness, what a pity it would
be if I were to drown accidentally at sea or encounter some
other unexpected death.' These were the thoughts that
passed through my mind as I sat day and night in earnest
effort. As it was, I never once became sick.
"Each of you should practice with utmost diligence.
Out of ten of you, all ten should gain enlightenment. My
late Zen Master, Ju-ching, encouraged his monks in this
way."

15
Dogen instructed:
It is easy enough to give up one's life or to slice off one's
flesh, hands, or feet if one feels so inclined. Similarly, in
worldly affairs the same thing can be done because of an
attachment to fame and profit. But it is difficult to harmonize

16
the mind as it comes into contact with events and things.
When students conceive the desire to discard their lives, they
should calm their minds for a while. They should consider
whether what they have to say or do conforms to the truth;
if it does, then they should say and do it.

16
Dogen instructed:
Students of the W a y must not worry about clothing or food.
They must merely follow the Buddhist rules and not concern
themselves with worldly things. T h e Buddha said: "For
clothing, use tattered cast-aside garments; for food, use w h a t
can be begged." In any kind of world these two things will
not be exhausted. Don't forget the swiftness of change, nor
let yourself be needlessly troubled by worldly affairs. While
in this brief dewlike existence, think only of Buddhism, and
don't concern yourself with any other problems.
Somebody asked: "Although fame and profit are said to be
hard to cast aside, they are great obstacles to practice and
thus must be given up. For this reason I have done so.
Although clothing and food are small things, they are
important to the practicer. To w e a r a tattered robe and beg
for food are the marks of a superior monk. This was the
custom in India. In the temples of China the monks share
utensils and belongings in common so that they have no need
to worry about them. In the temples of Japan there are no
such belongings, and the custom of begging for food has, for
the most part, not been transmitted. Under these conditions,
what can an inferior and w e a k person do? If someone like
me seeks offerings from believers, he is guilty of receiving
donations that he is not entitled to receive. It is improper for
us to eat food gained by doing the work of farmers,
merchants, warriors, or craftsmen. Yet if everything is left to
fate, w e seem to get the most meager share. W h e n hunger
and cold come, w e worry and find our practice impeded.
Somebody gave me the following advice: 'Your w a y of doing
things is all wrong. You seem totally unaware of the times and
circumstances in which w e life. W e are born inferior and live
in a degenerate age. Your type of training will lead only to
retrogression. M a k e arrangements with a parishioner, or

17
obtain a pledge from a patron; and then you can retire in
security to a quiet place where you can peacefully practice
Buddhism without worrying about food and clothing. This
is not coveting wealth and property. You can then practice
with your means of livelihood assured for a while.' I listened
to what he said but don't believe him. Just what attitude
should one take?"
Dogen answered: "The conduct of the Zen monk is only to
study the style of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Although India,
China, and Japan differ, true students of the Way have never
behaved in the manner you describe. Just don't let your mind
cling to worldly affairs but study the Way with single-
mindedness. The Buddha has said: 'Possess nothing except
your robes and bowl and give to starving people the leftovers
from what you have begged.' If not a scrap is to be saved
from what you receive, how much more so should one avoid
rushing about searching for things.
"In a non-Buddhist work it is said: 'In the morning hear the
Way, in the evening die content.'34 Even if you should die from
hunger and cold, follow the Buddhist teaching if even for one
day or for just one moment. In ten thousand Kalpas and one
thousand lives, how many times are we born and how many
times do we die! All this comes from our deluded clinging to
the world. If just once in this life, we have followed the
Buddhist teachings and then starved to death, we have truly
attained to eternal peace.
"In fact, I have not read in all the Buddhist scriptures of a
single Buddha or Patriarch in India or China or Japan who
died of hunger or cold. In this world there is an allotted share
of clothing and food for each person while he is alive. It is
not obtained by seeking, nor does one fail to obtain it even if
one does not seek it. Just leave it to fate and do not let it
trouble you. If you say that this is a degenerate age and do not
arouse the mind that seeks the Way in this life, in what life
do you expect to gain it? Even if you are not a person such as
Subhuti or Mahakasyapa,35 you should study the Way in
accordance with your capacity.
"A non-Buddhist text says: Those who like beautiful
women will like a woman even though she is not as beautiful
as Hsi Shih or Mao Ch'iang.36 Those who like fine horses will

18
like a horse even if it is not as fine as Fei-t'u or Lu-erh.37
Those who like fine flavors will enjoy the taste even if it is not
dragon's liver or phoenix marrow.' 38 It is just a matter of each
expressing his own inclination. This is so among laymen and
applies to the followers of Buddhism as well.
"Did not even the Buddha offer twenty years of his life for
our benefit in this degenerate age!39 Because of this, offerings
by men and devas are still being made to Zen monasteries.
Even though the Tathagata possessed supernatural powers
of the greatest merit, he had to eat grain meant for horses40
to get through one rainy season. 4 ' How can disciples in this
degenerate age want things easier?"
Someone asked: "Instead of violating the precepts, vainly
receiving donations from men and deva, wasting the
Tathagata's legacy without arousing the mind that seeks the
Way, would it not be better to be like laymen, do the kind of
work they do, and practice the Way while we are alive?"
Dogen said: "Who said to break the precepts and be
without the mind that seeks the Way? All you should do is to
arouse this mind and practice Buddhism with diligence. It is
said that the Tathagata's blessings are received equally
whether the precepts are observed or violated, whether a
person is just starting in the Way or has practiced it a long
time. Nothing says that, if you violate the precepts, you
should return to lay life; or that, if you are without the mind
that seeks the Way, you should not practice. Who has this
mind in the beginning? It is just that if what is hard to arouse is
aroused, if what is hard to practice is practiced, you will
undoubtedly make progress. Every man possesses the
Buddha-nature. Do not demean yourselves.
"The Wen-hsuan says: 'A nation prospers because of one
man. The way of the ancient sages is destroyed by the fools
that follow.' 42 These words mean that, if one sage comes forth
in a nation, that nation prospers; if one fool comes forth, the
way of the sages declines. Consider this well."

17
During a talk on a variety of subjects Dogen said:
When ordinary men and women get together, whether
young or old, they very often chat about things of a most

19
improper nature. This diverts their minds and makes for lively
conversation. It gives them enjoyment and serves to alleviate
boredom, but this kind of talk is expressly forbidden for
monks. Even among laymen, it rarely occurs when good,
sober, and courteous people gather to discuss serious
problems. Usually it is associated with drunkenness and
dissipation. Monks must concentrate on Buddhism alone.
Indecent talk is indulged in only by a few confused and
eccentric monks.
In the temples of China there is no such problem, since the
monks do not engage in trivial talk. Even in Japan, while
Eisai, the Abbot of Kenninji, was still alive, such talk was
never engaged in. Even after his death, while a few of his
disciples were still at the temple, there was virtually no idle
conversation. In the past seven or eight years, however, some
of the younger people have started to engage in small talk. A
most regrettable affair.
Within the Buddhist teachings, it is written that violent
words sometimes lead people to enlightenment but that
worthless conversation obstructs the True Way. When even
words that come spontaneously to the lips and useless
theories are obstacles to the Way, how much more likely is it
that indecent talk will incite the mind. You must be very
careful about this. Not only must you consciously refrain from
talk of this sort, but, knowing that something is bad, you
must also gradually learn to cast it aside.

18
In an evening talk Dogen said:
Most laymen like to publicize their good deeds and hide
the bad ones. Since such an attitude is repugnant to the
guardian deities,43 good acts go unrewarded, and bad acts,
done in secret, are punished. This gives the impression that
there is no reward for good deeds and that Buddhism has
little benefit to offer. This view is wrong, of course, and must
be corrected by all means.
You should secretly do good when no one is watching, and,
if you do wrong, you should confess and repent. In this way
good acts done in secret will be rewarded. Open confession

20
of wrongdoing removes the crime so that benefits naturally
accrue in this present world and in future worlds as well.
A layman in the audience came up and asked: "Nowadays,
when laymen give offerings to monks and take refuge in
Buddhism, much misfortune is apt to result. They become
prejudiced and do not wish to rely on the Three Treasures.
What about this?"
Dogen answered: "This isn't the fault of the monks or of
Buddhism, but it is the laymen themselves who are in error.
This is why: you may respectfully make offerings to monks
who seem to uphold the precepts, follow the eating regula-
tions, and practice strict discipline; yet you do not give to
monks who brazenly violate the precepts, drink wine, and eat
meat because you consider them unworthy. A mind that
discriminates in this way clearly violates the principles of
Buddhism. Therefore, even if you take refuge in Buddhism,
there is no merit and no response. The precepts contain
several passages that caution against just this attitude. When
you meet a monk, make offerings to him, regardless of his
virtue or lack of it. By all means, avoid trying to judge his
inner virtue by his outward appearance.
"In these degenerate times, there are indeed monks whose
appearance is scarcely presentable, but there are other
monks whose thoughts and actions are infinitely worse. Do
not differentiate between good and bad, but render respect
to anyone if he is a disciple of the Buddha. If you make
offerings and show reverence impartially, you will always be
following the Buddha's will and will at once gain benefits.
"Remember the four phrases: 'Action unseen, reward
unseen; action unseen, reward seen; action seen, reward
unseen; and action seen, reward seen.' Reward for what you
do in this life can be gained in this life, the next life, or in
some future life. Study this principle well."

19
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
Supposing someone comes to you to talk about his affairs
and asks you to write a letter soliciting a favor or aiding him
in a lawsuit. Do you refuse him to his face, saying: "I am now

21
a monk who has retired from the world and have no business
concerning myself with mundane affairs?" This must be
considered carefully in terms of the time and the occasion.
While this may seem to be the proper attitude for a monk to
take, if you think about it, what you are really saying is: " I am
a monk who has retired from the world, and if I say something
that I have no business saying, I will probably be thought ill
of." This shows an attachment to the Self and a concern about
one's own fame. At a time like this, think the matter over
thoroughly, and if you can help the man even slightly, do so
without worrying about what others will think of you. If the
friend who receives the letter is offended, feeling that you
have behaved in a way unbecoming a monk, is it so bad to
lose the friendship of someone who understands so little?
Your primary concern inwardly is to free yourself from
egoistic attachments and thoughts of your own name, even
though outwardly you are doing something quite unbecoming
your position.
When someone asks a Buddha or a Bodhisattva for help,
they are willing to offer their own flesh and limbs. Why then
turn away someone who comes to ask you to write one letter
just because you are afraid of what people will say? This just
shows how deep your attachment to the Self is. Even if
people criticize your actions as unbecoming a monk, if you
help others even a little bit and have no desire yourself for
fame or profit, you are following the True Way. There are
many examples of this sort of behavior among the sages of
old. I have done the same myself. It's a simple thing to do a
small favor by writing a letter for someone who requests it,
even though it might upset your parishioners and friends.
Ejo said: "What you say is quite true. It's all right to ask for
something good that will benefit others. But what would you
say if the request might cause another person to have his
belongings taken away or have something bad happen to
him? Should such a request be transmitted?"
Dogen replied: "It's not for us to decide whether the
request is good or bad. It's a good idea, though, to tell the
person who asks for the letter and to add in the letter itself
that you are writing on that person's request and that you

22
yourself have no knowledge of the merits of his case. The
person who gets the letter should be able to judge for himself.
These are things we know nothing about, and there is no
point in our distorting things by talking to him about them.
Supposing you are asked to make a request that you know to
be bad of a friend who thinks highly of you and has the utmost
faith in your judgment. In that event, write the unpleasant
things with which you do not agree exactly in the way that
you heard them from the other person. And add that the
person to whom the letter is addressed should use his own
discretion and handle things as he sees fit. If it Is done In this
way, no one will have cause for regret. These are things that
occur when you meet people or when special circumstances
arise; hence, they must be thought over thoroughly. The main
point is that, whatever the situation, you must discard
attachments to fame and the Self."

20
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
In this world, both laymen and monks tend to publicize
their good deeds and hide the bad ones. Because of this,
their Inner and outer lives do not correspond. They should try
somehow to bring together their inner and outer selves,
repent their mistakes, hide their true inner virtues, refrain
from adorning their outward appearance, credit others with
the good things they have done, and take the blame for bad
things others have done.
Someone said: "As you say, we should try to hide ourtrue
inner virtue and refrain from outward show. It is basic that the
Buddha and Bodhisattvas show a great compassion for the
sake of all living things. If ignorant monks and laymen see a
nondescript priest, they may be insulting or critical and thus
Invite the retribution due for slandering a priest. Without
knowing the true inner virtue of a priest, laymen sometimes
reverently make donations because of the outward
appearance and think that this will bring them blessings.
What do you think about this?"
Dogen answered: "To say that one will refrain from outward
show and then just act arbitrarily is also against reason.

23
To say that one will not outwardly show his true virtue and
then to behave badly in front of laymen is clearly a serious
violation of the precepts. There are those who try to create
the impression that they themselves are Buddhists possessed
of seldom-seen accomplishments or who try to conceal their
defects, but the eyes of the guardian deities and the Three
Treasures penetrate everywhere. You are cautioned not to
possess a mind that shamelessly seeks for the veneration of
others. Whatever events occur, consider things solely In
terms of how to make Buddhism flourish and how to bring
benefit to all beings. There is a saying: 'Know before
speaking, consider before acting.' Always be prudent.
Consider the true meaning of whatever comes before you.
"Right before your eyes you can see that the moments
pass without stopping, that the days flow in ever-changing
progression, and that all is swiftly transient. Don't wait for
the instruction of a teacher or for the sutras. Use each fleeting
moment, and do not count on tomorrow. Think only of this day
and this hour, fortomorrow is an uncertain thing; and no one
knows what the future will bring. Make up your mind to follow
Buddhism as if you had only this day to live. To follow
Buddhism means, on all occasions and at the risk of your life,
to make it flourish and bring benefit to all beings."
Someone asked: "Must one beg in order to promote
Buddhism?"
Dogen answered: "Yes, one must, but one must take into
account the customs of the country. In any event, It must be
done to spread benefit to all beings and to advance one's own
training. If you wander about wearing a robe along dirty
roads, the robe is bound to get dirty. Also, since the people in
Japan are poor, it is impossible to beg in the prescribed
manner.44 But does this mean that we have to go backwards
in our practice and limit the benefits we bring to others? If
you just observe the customs of the country and practice
Buddhism for all to see, people of all classes will of
themselves make offerings. When this happens, you can
continue your own practice and bring benefit to others at the
same time. Even begging must be thoroughly thought about,
taking Into consideration the time and the circumstances.

24
Without concerning yourself with what people think and
forgetting personal gain, you should just plan to do whatever
you can to advance Buddhism and benefit all living beings."

21
Dogen instructed:
Students, there is an important point to watch when you
cast aside worldly concerns. You must give up the world you
have known, your family, your body, and your mind. Consider
this well.
Although they have escaped from the world and concealed
themselves deep in mountain forests, there are some who
cannot break with a family that has continued over many
generations; nor can they keep from thinking of the members
of their family and their relatives. There are others who have
broken free from world, family, and the influence of relatives,
yet concern themselves with their own bodies and avoid
anything that brings pain. They are reluctant to undertake any
Buddhist training that might endanger their health. Such
people have yet to cast aside their bodies. Then there are
those who undergo hard training without regard for their own
bodies, yet withhold their minds from Buddhism. They reject
any aspect of Buddhism that does not match their
preconceptions. Such people have yet to cast aside their
minds.

25
 II

1
Dogen instructed:
Practicers, if you just harmonize your minds at first, it will
be easy to cast aside both your bodies and the world. If you
worry about how others will react to your words and
deportment, if you refrain from doing certain things because
others will consider them bad, or if you do good thinking that
others will admire you for it as a Buddhist, you still cling to
the conditioned world. On the other hand, those who
deliberately act with ill will are really bad men. Just forget evil
intentions, forget your body, and act only for Buddhism. Be
aware of each thing as it arises.
Those who are just starting out in Buddhism may
discriminate and think in secular terms. Their attempt to
refrain from evil and to practice good with their bodies
constitutes casting aside both body and mind.

2
Dogen instructed:
While the late Abbot Eisai was living at Kenninji, a poor
man from the neighborhood came and said: "My home is so
poor that my wife and I and our three children have had
nothing to eat for several days. Have pity and help us out."
This was at a time when the monastery was completely
without food, clothing, and money. Eisai racked his brains but
could think of no solution. Then it occurred to him that just at
this time a statue of Yakushi 1 was being built at the temple and
that there was a bit of copper that had been hammered out to
make the halo. Eisai broke it up with his own hands, made it
into a ball, and gave it to the poor man. "Exchange this for

27
food and save your family from starvation," he said. The poor
man left overjoyed.
His disciples were critical: "You've given the halo of a
Buddhist statue to a layman. Isn't it a crime to make personal
use of what belongs to the Buddha?"
"You are right," the Abbot replied, "but think of the will of
the Buddha. He cut off his own flesh and limbs for the sake of
all sentient beings. Certainly he would have sacrificed his
entire body to save starving people. Even though I should fall
into the evil realms for this crime, I will still have saved
people from starvation." Students today would do well to
reflect on the excellence of Eisai's attitude. Do not forget this.
On another occasion, his disciples remarked: "The
buildings of the Kenninji are close to the river. In the future
they may well be damaged by floods."
Eisai said: "Don't worry about what happens to our temple
in years to come. After all, all that is left of the temple at
Jetavana 2 are its stone foundations. This doesn't mean that
the merit of establishing the temple has been lost. At any rate,
the merit of practicing for six months or a year at the time
that the Kenninji was being founded is certainly enormous.
As I think about this now, establishing a temple is one of
the most important things a person can do in his life. It is only
natural to wish that it will survive the future without damage.
But the nobleness of purpose and profundity of Eisai must
certainly be remembered.

3
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
In China during the reign of Emperor T'ai-tsung 3 of the
T'ang, Wei Cheng 4 remarked to the Emperor: "Your subjects
are criticizing you."
The Emperor said: "If I am benevolent and draw criticism,
I need not worry. But if I am not benevolent and am praised,
then I should worry."
If even laymen have this attitude, how much more so
should a monk. If you have compassion and a mind that seeks
the Way, you need not concern yourself with the criticism of
fools. If you don't have this mind, but people think you do,
this is really a cause for concern.

28
On another occasion Dogen instructed:
Emperor Wen-ti5 of the Sui Dynasty once advised: "Pile up
virtue in secret and wait for it to accumulate fully." What he
way saying is to practice virtue thoroughly, wait for it to pile
up fully, and then to guide people to rectitude. A monk who is
not equal to this must be particularly careful. Virtue practiced
inwardly manifests itself on the outside. If you just follow
Buddhism and the Way of the Patriarchs without hoping for
public recognition, the people will naturally seek refuge in
Buddhist virtue. Many students make the mistake of thinking
that virtue appears when people show them respect and
make rich offerings. Others, seeing this, also come to the
same conclusion. This sort of attitude is indeed the work of
demons and must be guarded against with particular care. In
the teachings, it is spoken of as the action of demons. I have
yet to hear of any occasion in India, China, or Japan where a
person has become virtuous by gaining riches and the
respect of fools. From ancient times in these countries the
true practicer of Buddhism has been poor, endured physical
hardships, and wasted nothing. He has been motivated by
compassion and the Way. Virtue is not expressed in abundant
treasures and pride in the offerings received from others.
Virtue shows itself in three stages: first, a person becomes
known for practicing the Way; then, others so inclined come
to him; and finally, they also study the Way and act in accord
with it. This is called expressing virtue.

4
In an evening talk Dogen said:
Students must cast aside worldly craving. To cast it aside
is to practice according to Buddhism. Most people take the
HTnayana attitude: discriminating between good and evil, and
right and wrong, they accept the good and reject the evil.
This is the HTnayana view. The first thing you must do,
however, is to abandon secular views and to enter into the
Buddha Way. To enter the Buddha Way is to stop
discriminating between good and evil and to cast aside the
mind that says this is good and that is bad. You must forget
thoughts about what is good for your own body or what suits
your own mind and follow the words and actions of the

29
Buddhas and Patriarchs, whether they seem good or bad.
What you in your own mind consider good or what people
in the world think is good is by no means necessarily good.
Therefore, forget what other people say, cast aside your own
mind, and just follow the teachings of Buddhism. Even if you
know that your body will suffer and your mind will be
tormented and are convinced that you must completely
forsake your body and mind, you must still follow what the
Buddhas and Patriarchs have done. On the other hand, even
though you want to do something that you think is good and
accords with Buddhism, do not do so unless it agrees with
the conduct of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. It is they who
fully understand the Buddhist teachings.
Throw away ideas you have in your mind and concepts of
the doctrine acquired in the past. Just turn your mind to the
words and actions of the Zen Master that you see before you
now. If you do this, your wisdom will increase, and
enlightenment will unfold. You must think in terms of the
meaning before you now and abandon any knowledge gained
from the scriptural writings you have studied before, as well as
any principles that need to be discarded. Study of the
teachings is, from the outset, for the purpose of leaving the
world and gaining the Way. Some of you probably wonder
how merits acquired over many years of study can be given
up so easily, but a mind such as this is still in bondage to the
deluded world of birth and death. Think about this well.

5
In an evening talk Dogen said:
The biography of Eisai, the late Abbot of Kenninji, was
written by Akikane Chunagon,' who became a Buddhist monk.
At first, he declined the assignment, saying: "This biography
should be written by a Confucian; a Confucian forgets his
body and, from childhood to maturity, concentrates on study.
There are no errors in what he writes. Ordinarily, people
concentrate on their own work and social activities and
engage in study as a sideline only. They may be talented
writers, but they do make errors in their writing." It would
seem that in olden days even people who studied non-
Buddhist texts learned to forget the body.

30
 The late Abbot Koin7 said: "The mind that seeks the Way
is one that studies, takes to itself, and holds the teaching of
the three thousand worlds in an instant of thought.8 To tie a
rain hood around one's neck and wander about in delusion
is the conduct of someone seduced by the fengu."9

6
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
The late Abbot Eisai always used to tell us: "Don't think
that I'm the one who gives you the clothing and food that you
use. These are all offered by the many devas. I only get them
and pass them on to you. Each person receives an allotted
portion during his life. Don't rush about looking for more,
and don't feel obligated to me for them." These, I think, are
the most splendid of words.
In the assembly at T'ien-t'ung of which Hung-chih10 was
Master, provisions were kept to provide for one thousand
persons a day. Some seven hundred of these were practicing
meditation, and three hundred worked in the temple
compound. Because of Hung-chih's great reputation as a
teacher, monks gathered from all over, until there were a
thousand practicing monks and some five or six hundred
engaged in temple work. Finally, one of the monks charged
with administration appealed to Hung-chih: "We have
provisions for only a thousand people, but so many have
gathered here that we don't have sufficient supplies. Please
send the extra people away."
Hung-chih replied: "Every one has a mouth to feed. It's not
your worry, so don't complain."
When one thinks about it, everyone has his allotted share of
food and clothing while he is alive. It does not come from
thinking about it; nor does one fail to get it because one does
not seek for it. Laymen leave such matters to fate, while they
concern themselves with loyalty and develop their filial piety.
How much less then should monks be governed by worldly
concerns! Sakyamuni left the remaining portion of his life"
to his descendants, and the many devas give food and
clothing in offering. Each person naturally receives his
allotted share in his life. He need not think of it, he need not
search for it; the allotted portion is there. Even if you rush

31
about in search of riches, what happens when death suddenly
comes? Students should clear their minds of these non-
essential things and concentrate on studying the Way.
Someone once said: "For Buddhism to flourish in this age,
one must live in a quiet place where there is no need to worry
about food and clothing. If one practices Buddhism with these
necessities provided for, the benefits would be great." This
does not strike me as true. If a group of people who are
attached to form and the self gather together for study, there
won't be one among them whose mind will be stirred to follow
the Way. As long as they seek profit and gain, even if ten
million people assembled together, there would not be a
single one who would seek the Way. All they would do would
be to accumulate the karma leading to the evil realms, and
they would have no inclination for Buddhism.
But if someone comes to you and wants to study, after
hearing that monks live in extreme austerity, subsist on
begging, make do with fruits and grain, and practice hard
even while hungry, then that person is a true seeker of the
Way, and Buddhism will prosper. To have no one at all
practicing amidst difficult and spotless poverty and to have
many people assembled amidst an abundance of food and
clothing, but without true Buddhism, is six of one thing and
half a dozen of another.

On another occasion Dogen said:

Many people today think that the making of statues and
building of pagodas cause Buddhism to prosper. This, too, is
not so. No one gained the Way by erecting lofty buildings that
have gleaming jewels and gold adornments. This merely is a
good action that gives blessings by bringing lay treasures into
the Buddhist world. Although small causes can have large
effects, Buddhism does not prosper if monks engage in such
activities. If you learn one phrase of the Buddha's teaching
or practice zazen even for a moment in a thatched hut or even
under a tree, Buddhism will truly flourish.
I am now trying to build a monastery12 and am asking
people for contributions. While this requires much effort on
my part, I cannot believe that it necessarily stimulates

32
Buddhism. It is just that nowadays there is no one who wants
to study Buddhism, and I have much time on my hands. Since
there is no place now for them to study, I want to provide a
place for students to practice zazen, should any deluded
followers appear who might wish to establish a connection
with Buddhism. If my plans do not work out, I will have no
regrets. If I can put up just one pillar, I won't care if people
see it later and think that I had a plan but was unable to carry
it out.

7
Once someone advised Dogen to go to Eastern Japan if he
wanted to see Buddhism prosper.
Dogen said: " I don't agree. If anyone really wants to study
Buddhism, he will come here, even if he has to cross
mountains, rivers, and seas. If I take my teaching to people
who do not have the desire to study, I don't know whether they
will listen to me. Might I not just be leading people astray for
the sake of my own livelihood or because I want material
wealth? This would just wear me out. I can't see the point in
going."

8
On another occasion Dogen instructed:
Students of the Way should neither read the scriptures of
other Buddhist teachings nor study non-Buddhist texts. If
you do read, examine the writings of Zen. Other works should
be put aside for a while.
Zen monks are fond of literature these days, finding it an
aid to writing verses and tracts. This is a mistake. Even if you
cannot compose verse, just write what is in your heart.
Grammatical niceties do not matter if you just express the
teachings of the Buddha. Those who lack the mind that seeks
the Way may complain that someone's writing is bad. Yet no
matter how elegant their prose or how exquisite their poetry
might be, they are merely toying with words and cannot gain
the Truth. I have loved literature since I was young and even
now recall beautiful phrases from non-Buddhist works. I have
been tempted to take up such books as the Wen-hsuan, but I

33
have come to feel that it would be a waste of time and am
inclined to think that such reading should be cast aside
completely.

9
One day Dogen instructed:
When I was at a Zen monastery in China reading the
sayings of the old Zen Masters, a monk from Szechuan asked
me: "What's the use of reading these Zen sayings?"
I replied: "To understand the actions of the old Masters."
The monk said: "What's the use of this?"
I replied: " I want to be able to guide people when I return
to Japan."
The monk asked: "What's the use of that?"
"To benefit all beings," I said.
The monk then asked: "But what's the use in the long run?"
I thought about this later. Reading Zen sayings and koans
and understanding the actions of the Zen Masters of old to
preach them to deluded people are all ultimately useless,
either for one's own practice or for guiding others. If you
clarify the Vital Principle in concentrated zazen, you have
unlimited ways to guide others, even though you may not
know a single word. This is why that monk spoke of "use in
the long run." Accepting that his was the true principle, I later
stopped reading the Zen sayings and other writings. I was
thus able to gain awakening to the Vital Principle.

10
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
You do not deserve the respect of others unless you have
true virtue within yourself. Because the people of Japan
respect others for their outward appearance, without knowing
the true inner virtues, students without the mind that seeks
the Way fall into evil paths and become the followers of
demons. It is easy to be respected by others. One need
merely give the impression of having forsaken the body and
of being separated from the world by the external appearance
one adopts. The true seeker of the Way harmonizes his mind
and yet lives humbly like any other ordinary person in the
world.

34
 Therefore, an ancient sage has said: "Inwardly empty
yourself, and outwardly follow the world." This means that
you must rid yourself of inner attachments yet outwardly
conform to the ways of the world. If you forget entirely your
body and mind, enter into Buddhism, and practice according
to the Buddhist teachings, you become good inwardly and
outwardly both now and in the future.
Although Buddhism says to discard the body and abandon
the world, it is wrong to cast aside things that should not be
cast aside. In this country, among those who try to pass
themselves off as Buddhists and seekers of the Way are some
who say that, since they have forsaken their bodies, it does
not matter what others think; and they act with unreasonable
rudeness. Or else, saying that they are no longer attached to
the world, they walk about heedlessly in the rain and get
soaking wet. These actions serve no purpose either inwardly
or outwardly, yet ordinary people have the impression that
this type of person should be respected, because he seems
to be detached from the world. On the other hand, the monk
who upholds the Buddhist tenets, knows the precepts, and
follows the Buddhist Way, in that he practices for himself and
guides others, is likely to be ignored by people who feel that
he is looking for fame and profit. To me the second type of
monk is following the Buddhist teachings and has a better
chance of developing both inner and outer virtues.

11
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
Students, it is useless to be known by the world as a man
of knowledge. If there is even one person who sincerely
wants to learn Buddhism, you must not withhold from him
whatever teachings of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs you
possess. Even if he comes intending to kill you, if he should
ask about the True Way with sincerity, forget your resentment
and teach him. It is completely worthless to pretend to have
a knowledge of the esoteric and exoteric teachings and to
seem conversant with Buddhist and non-Buddhist works. If
someone comes and asks about them, there is absolutely
nothing wrong in saying that you don't know. It is a terrible
mistake to study the scriptures of Buddhism and other

35
teachings in an attempt to widen your knowledge either
because others think it is bad not to know things or because
you yourself feel stupid. Some even go as far as to study
secular affairs in order to give the impression that they have
a love of learning. For studying the Way, these things are of
no use whatsoever. Yet to know and pretend you don't is
unnatural and creates a bad impression. It is best not to know
from the beginning.
When I was young, I enjoyed studying ordinary books.
Later I went to China, and until the time I returned to Japan, I
read both Buddhist and lay works and even became proficient
in the native dialect. Because of various duties and my
associations with the secular world, I gained a knowledge of
a great variety of things. As I look back on it now, all this was
a hindrance to my practice, although I did learn many things
that laymen find difficult. While reading the sacred scriptures,
one can gradually come to understand the Buddhist truth as
it is revealed in the text. It is a mistake, though, to first look
at the sentences, to concern oneself with the alignment of
phrases and their rhymes, to evaluate them as good or bad,
and then try to grasp the truth. Instead, it is better to disregard
literary considerations and to grasp the truth of the text from
the outset. In writing popular sermons and other works, if
you attempt to compose good sentences and to avoid
infelicities in rhyme, you err because of the knowledge you
have. You should steadily set down the truth as it comes to
mind, without regard to vocabulary and style. Even though
the sentences may seem ragged afterwards, you contribute
to Buddhism if the truth is there. This applies to other studies
as well.
There is a story about the late Ku Amidabutsu of Mount
Koya.'3 He was originally a famous scholar of exoteric and
esoteric Buddhism. After abandoning the world, he turned to
the study of Nembutsu.14 When later a Shingon priest came
to ask him about the teachings of esoteric Buddhism, he
replied: "I have forgotten everything. I don't remember a
single word."
This is a good example of the mind that seeks the Way.
With such a background, he certainly should have
remembered something. But what he said is much to the point,

36
for from the day he entered into the Nembutsu teachings,
such an attitude was appropriate. Zen students today must
have the same attitude. Even though they may know the
scriptures of other teachings, they must forget them all; not
only that, but they must not consider even for an instant about
learning them now. The true practicing Zen monk should not
even read the Records of the old Masters and other writings.
This applies to other works as well.

12
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
In this country today, many students worry about the good
and evil, and right and wrong, of their own speech and
actions and wonder how others will react to what they see and
hear. They are concerned about whether something they do
will draw censure or bring praise now or in the future. This is
a very bad state of affairs. What the world considers good is
not necessarily good. It does not matter what other people
think; let them call you a madman. If you spend your life with
your mind in harmony with Buddhism and do nothing to
offend against it, the views of other people do not matter in
the least.
To escape from the world means that one's mind is not
concerned with the opinions of the world. Just study and
practice the actions of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs and the
compassion of the Bodhisattvas, reflect on yourself as if
heavenly deities were illuminating your faults, and act in
accord with the Buddhist rules; then nothing will trouble you.
On the other hand, it is an error to blithely ignore what
others consider bad and arbitrarily do evil things in complete
disregard of the criticism of others. Without concerning
yourself with what others think, act only in accordance with
Buddhism. In Buddhism arbitrary actions and shameless
conduct are forbidden.

13
On another occasion Dogen said:
Even by the standards of ordinary society, lack of
propriety—such as changing your clothing improperly, even
when you are where people cannot see you or are in a

37
darkened room; or sitting or lying indecently so that parts
that should be hidden are exposed—is an insult to heaven and
to ghosts. Hide what should be hidden, and be ashamed of
what is shameful, just as if you were always in the presence of
others. This reflects the intent of the precepts. Those versed
in the Way must not make distinctions about whether they are
inside a room or outside it, or whether it is light or dark, and
do bad things just because they are out of sight of people who
know the Buddhist regulations.

14
One day a student asked: "I have spent months and years in
earnest study, but I have yet to gain enlightenment. Many of
the old Masters say that the Way does not depend on
Intelligence and cleverness and that there is no need for
knowledge and talent. As I understand It, even though my
capacity is inferior, I need not feel badly of myself. Are there
any old sayings or cautionary words that I should know
about?"
Dogen replied: "Yes, there are. True study of the Way does
not rely on knowledge and genius or cleverness and brilliance.
But it Is a mistake to encourage people to be like blind men,
deaf mutes, or imbeciles. Because study has no use for wide
learning and high intelligence, even those with Inferior
capacities can participate. True study of the Way is an easy
thing.
But even in the monasteries of China, only one or two out of
several hundred, or even a thousand, disciples under a great
Zen Master actually gained true enlightenment. Therefore,
old sayings and cautionary words are needed. As I see it now,
it is a matter of gaining the desire to practice. A person who
gives rise to a real desire and puts his utmost efforts into study
under a teacher will surely gain enlightenment. Essentially,
one must devote all attention to this effort and enter into
practice with all due speed. More specifically, the following
points must be kept in mind:
"In the first place, there must be a keen and sincere desire
to seek the Way. For example, someone who wishes to steal
a precious jewel, to attack a formidable enemy, or to make
the acquaintance of a beautiful woman must, at all times,

38
watch intently for the opportunity, adjusting to changing
events and shifting circumstances. Anything sought for with
such intensity will surely be gained. If the desire to search for
the Way becomes as intense as this, whether you concentrate
on doing zazen alone, investigate a koan by an old Master,
interview a Zen teacher, or practice with sincere devotion, you
will succeed no matter how high you must shoot or no
matter how deep you must plumb. Without arousing this
wholehearted will for the Buddha Way, how can anyone
succeed in this most important task of cutting the endless
round of birth and death? Those who have this drive, even if
they have little knowledge or are of inferior capacity, even if
they are stupid or evil, will without fail gain enlightenment.
"Next, to arouse such a mind, one must be deeply aware of
the impermanence of the world. This realization is not
achieved by some temporary method of contemplation. It is
not creating something out of nothing and then thinking about
it. Impermanence Is a fact before our eyes. Do not wait for the
teachings from others, the words of the scriptures, and for the
principles of enlightenment. We are born in the morning and
die in the evening; the man we saw yesterday is no longer
with us today. These are facts we see with our own eyes and
hear with our own ears. You see and hear impermanence in
terms of another person, but try weighing it with your own
body. Even though you live to be seventy or eighty, you die in
accordance with the inevitability of death. How will you ever
come to terms with the worries, joys, intimacies, and conflicts
that concern you in this life? With faith in Buddhism, seek the
true happiness of Nirvana. How can those who are old or who
have passed the halfway mark in their lives relax in their
studies when there is no way of telling how many years are
left?
"Even this is putting it too simply. Think of what might
happen today, this very moment, in the ordinary world and the
Buddhist world as well. Perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow,
you will fall seriously ill; find your body racked with
unendurable pain; die suddenly, cursed by some unknown
demons; meet misfortune at the hands of robbers; or be slain
by someone seeking vengeance. Life is indeed an uncertain
thing. In this hateful world where death may come at any

39
moment, it is absurd to plan your life, intrigue maliciously
against others, and spend your time in fruitless pursuits.
"Because impermanence is a fact of life, the Buddha spoke
of It for the sake of all beings, and the Patriarchs preached of
this alone. Even now in the lecture hall and in their
instructions, Zen Masters dwell on the swiftness of
impermanence and the vital matter of birth and death. I
repeat, don't forget this truth. Think only of this very moment,
and waste no time in turning your minds to the study of the
Way. After this it is easy. It has nothing to do with the quality
of your nature or the dullness or keenness of your capacity."

15
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
Many people do not escape from this world because, while
seeming to treasure the body, they actually do not give it
adequate consideration. Their thinking is not deep enough
because they have yet to meet a good teacher. Considered in
terms of profit, they stand to gain the blessings of unlimited
joy and may seek offerings from dragons and devas. Looked
at in terms of fame, they have a chance to gain the respect of
future sages by attaining to the renown of the Buddhas and
Patriarchs and the ancient men of virtue.

16
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
According to Confucius, one should: "In the morning hear
the Way, in the evening die content." Students today should
emulate this attitude. Over long eons we have on innumerable
occasions gone through the process of being born and dying,
yet rarely have we had the chance of obtaining a human body
and becoming acquainted with Buddhism. If we do not save
ourselves now, in what world can we expect to do so? It is
impossible to retain this body no matter how we treasure it.
Since in the end we all must die, if we dedicate our bodies to
Buddhism for a day or even for a moment, we lay the basis for
eternal peace.
It is a sorry thing to spend your days and nights in vain,
thinking about things that might be, planning for tomorrow's
livelihood, and hesitating to forsake what should be forsaken

40
and to practice what should be practiced. At the outset, arouse
the determination to hear the W a y and follow the Buddha
mind for just this one day, even if you should die. What if you
starve or freeze to death because you have no means of
livelihood tomorrow? If you do this, you will not err in
practicing and gaining the Way.
Those who cannot rouse this determination, even though
they seem to have escaped from the world to study the Way,
worry about their clothing in summer and winter and about
what means of livelihood they will have tomorrow or the next
year. Those w h o approach Buddhism in this manner will not
be able to understand it, even if they study for endless kalpas.
T h e r e are indeed people like this, but this certainly does not
represent the teachings of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs
that I know.

17
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
Students must thoroughly consider the fact that they will
eventually die. While you may not think about death directly,
you must make sure not to waste time. Instead of spending
time fruitlessly, use it for meaningful activities. If you wonder
what the most important of all things is, it is to know the w a y
in which the Buddhas and the Patriarchs conducted
themselves. All else is of no use whatsoever.

18
O n c e Ejo asked: "If a Zen monk refuses to throw away an
old, mended robe, it looks as though he is coveting it. If he
throws away an old robe and acquires a new one, he seems
to be attached to the new. Both views are wrong. What
attitude should one take?"
Dogen answered: " I f y o u can free yourself from both
covetousness and attachment, neither will be wrong. Wouldn't
it be better, though, to mend a torn robe and use it for a long
time rather than long for a new o n e ? "

19
Following an evening talk, Ejo asked: "Must w e fulfill our
obligations to our parents?"

41
 Dogen instructed: "Filial piety is most important, but there
is a difference between laymen and monks. Laymen, relying
on such works as the Book of Filial Piety, take care of their
parents during their lifetimes and hold services for them after
their deaths. Monks, on the other hand, have severed their ties
with the world and live in the religious realm. Thus their
obligations are not limited to parents alone, but, feeling these
obligations to all beings, they fill the world with good deeds.
If they were merely to limit their obligations to their parents,
they would be turning against the religious way. True filial
piety consists In following Buddhism in everyday practice and
in each moment of study under a Zen Master. Offering services
on the anniversary of a parent's death and doing good for
forty-nine days15 belong to the activities of the lay world. Zen
monks must understand the deep obligations they bear their
parents in the above terms. So must they in the same way
know all other obligations. Does selecting just one day for
doing good and holding services16 for just one person really
reflect the spirit of Buddhism? Is the passage in the Precept
Sutra, which deals with the day when parents and brothers
die, primarily for laymen? In the monasteries of China, monks
hold a ceremony upon the anniversary of the death of the Zen
Master but do not seem to do so on the date of their parents'
death."

20
One day Dogen instructed:
If you talk about a person's cleverness or stupidity, it shows
that you have yet to arouse the determination to study
Buddhism. When an ordinary person falls off a horse, many
things rush through his mind before he even hits the ground.
In the same way, when any great threat to life and limb occurs,
everybody devotes his full thought and knowledge in an effort
to escape from harm. At such times, nobody, whether he be
clever or stupid, thinks any differently from anybody else.
Therefore, if you can spur and arouse your determination with
the thought that you might die tonight or tomorrow or that at
any time you might meet with some terrible misfortune, you
can expect to gain enlightenment. A dull person, if he
earnestly gives rise to the determination, will gain

42
enlightenment faster than someone who is merely intelligent
and eloquent. During the Buddha's lifetime, Ksudrapanthaka'7
had trouble reading even a single line of verse, yet since he
sought the Way intently, he gained enlightenment during one
period of retreat. You are alive only right now. Anyone can
gain enlightenment if he studies Buddhism earnestly, vowing
that he must awaken before death cuts off his fleeting life.

21
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
At a Zen monastery in China, the monks were in the habit
of sorting the wheat and rice, separating the good from the
bad and making their meals from the good alone.
A Zen Master warned against this practice in verse: "Even
if my head were split into seven pieces, I would not sort the
rice." What he meant was that monks should not concern
themselves with what they have to eat. Just take what is there.
If it is good, enjoy it; if it is bad, eat it without distaste. Just
practice, eating enough to avoid starving, and maintain your
life with the food provided by the faithful donors and with the
unstained food stored in the monastery. This means that you
are not to pass judgment on the food on the basis of how it
tastes. You students studying under me now should bear this
in mind.

22
Once someone asked: "Supposing a student, hearing it
taught that he himself is the Buddhadharma and that one must
not seek it outside, should acquire great faith in these words,
abandon the practice, study under a teacher that had
occupied him until then, and spend his life, doing both good
and bad in accordance with his own inclinations. What would
you think of this?"
Dogen instructed: "This view fails to match the words with
their meaning. To say, 'Do not seek the Buddhadharma
outside,' and then to cast aside practice and study, implies
that one is seeking by the very act of casting aside. This is not
true to the fact that practice and study are both inherently the
Buddhadharma. If, without seeking anything, you detach
yourself from worldly affairs and evil actions, even though

43
they may attract you; if, even though you may not feel like
practice and study, you carry it out anyway; if you practice
wholeheartedly with this attitude and still gain the good
rewards—then the very fact that you have practiced seeking
nothing for yourself accords with the principle of 'not seeking
the Buddhadharma on the outside.'
"When Nan-yiieh'8 made his remark about not trying to
polish a piece of tile to make a mirror, he was warning his
disciple Ma-tsu19 against striving to become a Buddha by
practicing zazen. He was not trying to proscribe zazen itself.
Zazen is the practice of the Buddha. Zazen is the ultimate
practice. This is indeed the True Self. The Buddhadharma is
not to be sought outside of this."

23
One day Dogen gave the following reply to a question from a
disciple:
Many monks these days say that they must follow the ways
of the world. This I do not believe. Even among laymen the
wise know that, if one follows the ways of the world, one is
defiled by them. For example, Ch'u Yuan20 said: "Everybody
in the world is drunk. Only I am sober!" He refused to follow
the ways of the world until he ended his life in the waters of
the Ts'ang-lang River.
Buddhism differs completely from the usual ways of the
world. Ordinary people adorn their hair; monks shave it off.
Ordinary people eat several times a day; monks, just once.
They differ in everything. Yet later the monks become men
who have gained the great tranquility. For monks, then, the
ways of the world should be shunned.

24
One day Dogen instructed:
The laws that control the world provide that each person,
from Emperor to commoner, does the work that his position
demands. When a person occupies a position he is not
qualified to hold, it is known as disturbing the Will of Heaven.
When the government accords with the Will of Heaven, the
world is calm and the people at peace. Thus the Emperor
arises early2' In the morning to perform his duties; this is not

44
easy work. The laws of the Buddha differ only so far as the
occupation and type of work is concerned. When the Emperor
governs on the basis of his own thinking, takes into account
the precedents of the past, and seeks out virtuous ministers
and when his government accords with the Will of Heaven,
then good government prevails throughout the land. When
these things are neglected, there is conflict with heaven,
disturbances fill the world, and the common people suffer.
From the Emperor on down—all officials, functionaries,
warriors, and commoners—have the particular work that they
must do. Those who follow their calling are true men. Because
those who do not perform their duties disturb the affairs of
heaven, they receive its punishment.
Therefore, students of Buddhism, in that they abandon both
the world and their homes, must not think of bodily comfort
even for a moment. Although this comfort may seem useful
at first, later it can cause only great harm. Monks must train
themselves to perform their duties fully and to do their work
in the way expected. Governing a country requires an
understanding of past rules and laws, but, when no examples
have been transmitted from the former sages and wise men,
one must follow what seems the proper thing to do at the
time. The Buddhist, however, has clear precedents and
teachings to follow. Masters who have received the teachings
handed down directly from the past are living today.
Once you realize that for each of the four dignified
attitudes22 there are established precedents and that you must
just practice in the manner of your predecessors, then you
cannot help but gain the Way. Ordinary people think of
conforming to the Will of Heaven; Zen monks think of
conforming to the will of the Buddha. While each must
approach his labors in the same way, what is gained differs,
for the monk gains something far better, something that once
attained lasts forever. For the sake of this great tranquility,
the practicer must only determine in his own heart to undergo
the temporary hardships that befall this illusory body during
one lifetime and to follow the will of the Buddha.
Yet Buddhism does not teach that your body must suffer
pain or that you must do the impossible. If you observe the
rules and precepts, your body naturally feels at ease, your

45
actions take on grace, and your appearance attracts o
Consider this and abandon the egoistic view of bodily
tranquility you now hold and follow wholeheartedly the
regulations of Buddhism.

25
On another occasion Dogen said:
When I stayed at the T'ien-t'ung monastery in China, the
Abbot Ju-ching practiced zazen until about eleven o'clock at
night, then got up at two-thirty or three, and started in again.
He sat in the meditation hall with the elder monks, without
missing a single night. In the meantime, many of the other
monks in the assembly would fall asleep. Ju-ching made the
rounds striking the sleeping monks with his fist or slipper,
shaming them and demanding that they wake up. If some of
the monks still persisted in sleeping, he would go to the small
building to the rear of the meditation hall, strike a bell, and
summon an attendant. By candlelight, he would deliver a
lecture to the whole assembly.
"What's the use of gathering in the meditation hall and then
wasting your time sleeping? Is this what you left your homes
and entered the monastery for? Do you see the Emperor,
government officials, or anybody, for that matter, living a life
of ease? The Emperor has to carry out the functions of a ruler,
the ministers must serve with loyalty, commoners must clear
land and till the soil; who can spend his time in a life of ease?
What's the point of leaving the ordinary world and entering a
Zen monastery if your are only going to waste time? Birth
and death are vital matters; intransiency is always upon us.
Zen and the teaching schools all agree in this. Death or some
dread disease may strike tonight or tomorrow morning. With
time so short, how foolish it is to fail to practice the
Buddhadharma and to waste one's time in sleep. This is what
makes the Law of the Buddha decline. When Buddhism
flourished everywhere, monks in all Zen monasteries
concentrated solely on zazen. Because zazen is not vigorously
encouraged these days, Buddhism is declining."
With these words, the Master encouraged his followers to
practice zazen. This is something I saw with my own eyes.
Students today should give careful thought to this style of Zen.

46
 On another occasion, an attendant said to Ju-ching: "Some
of the monks here are exhausted from lack of sleep, some are
ill, and others have lost their desire to seek the Way. Perhaps
the meditation periods are too long and should be shortened."
The Master was infuriated: "Absolutely not. Those who
don't have the mind that seeks the Way would fall asleep in
the meditation hall even if the sitting period were shortened.
For those who practice with determination, the longer the
sitting period, the more they enjoy their sitting. When I was
young, I used to visit Zen Masters all overthe country. One
of them once told me:23 'If a monk was sleeping, I used to
strike him until my fist almost broke. But now, I have grown
old and weak and cannot hit so hard. That is why good monks
are hard to produce. Because Zen Masters everywhere have
an easy-going attitude towards zazen, Buddhism is declining.
We must begin again to hit them harder.' "

26
On another occasion Dogen said:
Is the Way attained through the mind or through the body?
The teaching schools say that, since body and mind are
identical, it is attained through the body. Yet since they say
that body and mind are identical, it is not explicitly stated
that the Way is attained by the body. In Zen the Way is attained
with both body and mind. If you contemplate Buddhism with
the mind alone, not for ten thousand kalpas or a thousand lives
can you attain the Way. But if you let go the mind and cast
aside knowledge and intellectual understanding, you will gain
the Way. Those who gained enlightenment by seeing blossoms
or hearing sounds24 achieved it through the body. Therefore,
if you cast aside completely the thoughts and concepts of the
mind and concentrate on zazen alone, you attain to an
intimacy with the Way. The attainment of the Way is truly
accomplished with the body. For this reason, I urge you to
concentrate on zazen.

47
 Ill

1
Dogen instructed:
Students, cast aside your bodies and minds and enter fully
into Buddhism.
An old Master has said: "You've climbed to the top of a
hundred-foot pole. Now keep on going."' Most people, when
they reach the top, are afraid they will lose their footing and
fall to their deaths. Thus they hang on all the more tightly. To
advance another step means to discard all thoughts of
everything, from your functions as a savior of other beings to
the means of your own livelihood, even if it requires casting
away your own life. If you do not do this and even if you study
the Way as earnestly as though you were trying to put out
flames In your own hair, you will not be able to attain the Way.
Resolve to cast aside both body and mind.

2
A nun once asked Dogen: "Even ordinary women engage
in the study of Buddhism. Is there any reason then why a nun,
despite the few small faults she may have, should be unfit for
Buddhism?"
Dogen replied: "You are wrong. Although ordinary women
can study Buddhism and gain enlightenment as members of
the lay community, those who have left their homes cannot
gain the Way unless they have attained the necessary
determination. It is not that Buddhism discriminates between
people but that people do not enter into Buddhism. Monks and
laymen have different motivations. A layman who thinks like a
monk can free himself from delusion, but a monk who thinks
like a layman compounds his error. The two approaches differ.
It is not the doing that is difficult, but rather the doing it well

49
that is hard. T h e practice of leaving the world and gaining the
W a y attracts many people, but there are few who do it well.
Birth and death are vital matters; the changes of transiency
are swift. Don't relax in your determination. If you are
forsaking the world, then really forsake It. Provisional
designations, such as layman or priest, seem of little
significance.

3
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
In looking at the world, I notice that the people who are
richly rewarded and bring prosperity to their homes are those
with consideration for others. They maintain comfortable
homes, and their descendants prosper. Those with warped
minds and ill feeling towards others usually meet misfortune,
even though for a while they may seem to be well-rewarded
and in comfortable circumstances. They may prosper for a
while, but their descendants will without fail decline.
To do good for others in anticipation of their gratitude and
happiness would appear to be better than doing evil, but this
is not true goodness because you are still thinking of your own
self. T h e truly good man does things for others, even if now
or in the future they are in no way aware of it. How much better
must the attitude of the Zen monk be! In considering people,
do not differentiate between the intimate and the distant.
Resolve to help all equally. Determine in your mind to benefit
others, whether lay or clerical, without self-interest or profit,
and without caring whether people know or appreciate your
actions. Furthermore, do not let others know that you are
acting from this standpoint.
From the outset, the essential has always been to abandon
the world and cast aside your body. If you can truly discard
your own body, the mind that seeks the appreciation of others
disappears. On the other hand, if you don't care what people
think, practice evil, and behave arbitrarily, you violate the will
of the Buddha. Just practice good, do good for others, without
thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain
reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for
yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of
attachments to the Self.

50
 To establish such an attitude, you must first understand
impermanence. Our life is like a dream, and time passes
swiftly. This dewlike existence easily fades away. Because
time waits for no one, you should, during this short lifetime,
vow to follow the Buddha's will and help others in every way
possible, no matter how small.

4
In a talk one evening Dogen said:
Students of the Way should be the poorest of all. One
notices that people in this world who have wealth are
inevitably plagued by two difficulties, anger and shame. If a
person is rich, others try to rob him; and when he tries to
prevent this, he suddenly gets angry. Or else a dispute arises,
and there is a legal confrontation, which inevitably involves
conflict. From such events, anger and shame arise. A person
who is poor and without greed, however, will avoid such
difficulty from the start and will be free and at ease. You can
see the proof of this right before your eyes. You do not have to
wait for textual confirmation, for even the sages and the wise
men of the past condemned anger and shame, as did the
devas, the Buddhas, and the Patriarchs. Yet the foolish
accumulate wealth and nurse anger. This is a shame among
shames. One who is poor and concentrates on the Way has
the respect of the old sages and the men of wisdom and brings
joy to the Buddhas and the Patriarchs.
Nowadays, the decline of Buddhism is evident. What I saw
when I first entered the Kenninji was quite different from what
I saw seven or eight years later. A gradual change had taken
place. Now the dormitories have plaster-walled closets. Each
monk has his own utensils, fine clothing, and other treasures.
The monks like idle chatter, and the formal greetings and
salutations are neglected. I assume that the same conditions
prevail at other temples. Monks should have no possessions
other than their robes and bowl. What are the plaster-walled
closets for? There is no need for anything that has to be
hidden from others. The more things stored, the greater is the
fear of robbers. With no possessions, monks would be much
more at ease. When one worries about killing someone and at
the same time not being killed himself, he is tense and on

51
guard. But someone who has no desire for revenge, even if he
should be killed, finds no need for caution and has no need to
worry about robbers. There is no time when he is not at ease.

5
One day Dogen instructed:
When the Zen Master Hai-wen2 was abbot of the monastery
at Mt. T'ien-t'ung, there was a monk by the name of Yuan3 in
his assembly. Yuan was an enlightened man, and his
attainments transcended even those of the Abbot.
One night he entered the Abbot's room, burned incense,
made his obeisances, and said: "Please make me the
supervisor of the monks in the rear meditation hall."4
With tears in his eyes, the Zen Master said: "From the day
I entered this temple as a young monk until now, this is the
first time I have ever heard a request of this sort. It is a serious
mistake for a Zen monk like you to seek the position of
supervisor or abbot. Your enlightenment already exceeds my
own. Are you trying to advance yourself by seeking this
position? If I were to agree to this, I might as well let you
become supervisor of the front hall or even abbot. Your
attitude is despicable. If even you are like this, I can just
imagine what the attitude of the other monks who have yet to
gain enlightenment must be. It certainly shows how far
Buddhism has declined." Yuan withdrew in shame, but later
he was appointed to be supervisor. Afterwards he recorded
what the Master had said and made public his own shame in
the fine words of the Master.
When one considers this, it is clear how the old Masters
looked down on those who sought advancement, wanted to be
in charge of things, or aimed at becoming abbot. Just
concentrate on awakening to the Way and on nothing else.

6
During a talk one evening Dogen said:
When Emperor T'ai-tsung of the T'ang Dynasty ascended
the throne, he lived in the old palace buildings. The palace
was damp and badly in need of repair, and wind and fog
chilled the Emperor's body. When his ministers proposed that
he build a new palace, the Emperor said: "It is now the harvest

52
season. The people would be greatly Inconvenienced. Let's
wait to build until the season is over. Dampness plagues us
because we do not accept the earth; wind and rain attack us
because we do not harmonize with heaven. If we go against
heaven and earth, we won't be able to preserve our bodies. If
we do not bring trouble to the people, we will naturally be in
harmony with heaven and earth. If we are in harmony with
heaven and earth, our bodies will not be harmed." He finally
decided not to build a new palace and continued to live in
the old one.
When even a layman feels this way about the people, he has
transcended his own body. How much more compassionate
should the disciples of the Buddha, who follow in the style of
the Tathagata, be! Their compassion for all the people should
be like that towards an only son. Don't scold and make trouble
for your attendants and followers merely because they serve
you. The precepts clearly state that you must respect your
fellow students and the elder priests as you would the
Tathagata.
Therefore, students today should, without showing it, devote
themselves to the good of others, without distinguishing
between high and low, intimate or distant. Don't trouble others
or hurt their feelings over matters, either trivial or important.
While the Tathagata was alive, there were many who scorned
him as a heretic and hated him. A disciple once asked him:
"You are by nature gentle and compassionate, and all beings
venerate you equally. Why are there some who do not follow
you?"
The Buddha replied: "In a former life, when I had charge of
an assembly, I cautioned my disciples in a loud and scolding
manner. In retribution things are what they are today." This
story appears In a Vinaya text.
Therefore, even though you may have charge of an
assembly as an abbot or senior priest, you must not use
scolding words when you admonish your disciples and correct
their errors. They will follow what should be followed if you
admonish and encourage with gentle words. By all means
stop using harsh words to scold others, whether they be
students of the Way, relatives, or anyone else. Think this
over well.

53
 7
On another occasion Dogen said:
Monks should take care to follow the conduct of the Buddha
and the Patriarchs. Above all, do not covet wealth. It is
impossible to put into words the depth of the Tathagata's
compassion. Everything he did was for the sake of all sentient
beings. There was nothing that he did, no matter how small,
that was not done for others. The Buddha was the son of a
king and might have ascended the throne, had he so wished.
Had he wanted, he could have bestowed treasures on his
followers and furnished them with land. Why then did he give
up his claims to the throne and become a beggar? It was to
benefit people in the ages when the Law had declined and to
encourage the practice of the Way that he set an example, by
refusing to accumulate wealth and by becoming a beggar
himself. Ever since, all the Patriarchs of India and China and
all those who were known to the world as fine Buddhists have
been poor and begged for their food. In our school all the
Masters warn against the accumulation of wealth. When other
sects speak well of Zen, the first thing that they praise is its
poverty. In works that record the transmission, poverty is
frequently mentioned and highly praised. I have yet to hear of
a wealthy person who is engaged in the practice of Buddhism.
Those who are recognized as good Buddhists wear coarse
robes and beg. The fine reputation of Zen and the unique
standing of its monks stem from the early days when they still
lived in the temples of the Vinaya and other sects. From this
early time Zen monks renounced their bodies and lived in
poverty. This is recognized as an outstanding characteristic
of the Zen school. Do not wait for the teachings and principles
of the sacred scriptures. There was a time when I owned
private lands and possessed wealth, but when I compare the
state of my body and mind at that time to the way it is now,
with only my robes and bowl, I realize how superior my present
state is. In this lies the proof.

8
On another occasion Dogen said:
A man of old has said: "Don't talk about the conduct of
others if you don't resemble them." This means that, without

54
knowing or studying a person's virtues, one should not, upon
seeing his weaknesses, conclude that he is a good person but
suffers certain defects and does bad things. Look just at his
virtues, not his shortcomings. This is the meaning of the
saying: "A superior man sees the virtues but not the
shortcomings of others."

9
One day Dogen instructed:
A person should always practice hidden virtue. If he does
so, he will gain the benefits of unseen blessings. Even though
it may be a crude statue made of sticks and mud, as an image
of the Buddha, reverence it. Even though it may be a poorly
written scroll with yellow paper and red holders, as a sacred
scripture, venerate it. Even though a monk breaks the precepts
and knows no shame, respect him as a member of the sangha.
If you pay him respect with a believing mind, blessings will
without fail appear. If the precept-breaking, the shameless
monk, the crude image of the Buddha, and the shoddy
scripture cause you to lose faith and withhold respect, you
will without fail be punished. In the laws left behind by the
Tathagata, we find that Buddhist images, the sacred texts, and
the priesthood bring blessings to men and devas. Therefore,
if you venerate them, benefits will always accrue. If you have
no faith in them, you will be punished. No matter how absurdly
crude it may be, anything in the form of the Three Treasures
must be respected. It is a grave error for Zen monks to prefer
evil acts, saying that there is no need to practice good or to
accumulate merits. I have never heard of any preference for
evil acts in the Zen traditions of the past.
The Zen Master Tan-hsia T'ien-jan 5 burned a wooden image
of the Buddha. Although this appears to be an evil act, it was
meant to emphasize a point in his teaching. From the records
of his life we learn that he always observed the proprieties,
whether sitting or standing; when a guest was present, he
always made sure to face him. Whenever he sat down, if only
for a little while, he always assumed the full lotus position;
when he stood, he held his hands folded lightly on his chest.
He cared for the communal property of the monastery with
utmost respect and was always ready with praise for a diligent

55
monk. He esteemed highly even the slightest good, and his
daily conduct was truly fine. A description of his life remains
and, to this day, serves as a model for Zen monasteries.
Furthermore, from what I have seen and heard, all the other
enlightened Masters and the Patriarchs who attained the Way
observed the precepts and the proprieties and esteemed
highly even the slightest good. I have never heard of an
enlightened Zen Master who made light of good capacities.
Therefore, students who aspire to follow the Patriarchal
Way should never take good capacities lightly. Above all they
must have complete faith in the Buddha's teaching. Where
the Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs is practiced, there all
kinds of good accumulate. Once we have thoroughly realized
that all things are the Buddhadharma, then we know that evil
is always evil and is far from the Way of the Buddha and the
Patriarchs and that good is always good, and is linked with the
Buddha Way. If this Is so, how can we not render homage to
anything representative of the realm of the Three Treasures?

10
On another occasion Dogen said:
If you wish to practice the Way of the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs, you should follow without thought of profit the Way
of the former sages and the conduct of the Patriarchs,
expecting nothing, seeking nothing, and gaining nothing. Cut
off the mind that seeks and do not cherish a desire to gain the
fruits of Buddhahood. If you stop your practice and remain
obsessed with your former evil actions, you fall prey even
more strongly to the seeking mind and cannot climb out of the
hole into which you have fallen.' If you expect nothing
whatsoever and try only to bring benefit to men and devas,
conduct yourself with the dignity of a monk, concern yourself
with saving and benefitting others, practice various forms of
good, discard the evil actions of the past, and do not rest
content with the present good but continue your practice
throughout your life; then you will be, in the words of the
old Masters, one who has "broken the lacquered bucket." 7
This is what we call the conduct of the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs.

56
 11
One day a monk came up and asked about the essentials
of the Way. Dogen instructed: "Students must first of all be
poor. If they have much wealth, they will certainly lose the
desire for study. Those among the laity who study the Way, if
they concern themselves with wealth and are attached to their
dwellings and maintain close contact with their relatives, will
find many obstructions to gaining the Way, even though they
say that they have the determination to study. Since ancient
times, many laymen have undertaken study under a Zen
Master, but even the best of them rarely equaled the monks.
Monks have no possessions other than their robes and bowl.
They do not care where they live; they do not crave for
clothing and food, but, concentrating on the study of the Way,
each benefits according to his capacity. For this reason, the
poverty of the monks is highly compatible with the Buddha
Way.
"P'ang,8 although a layman, was not inferior to the monks.
His name is remembered in Zen because, when he first began
to study under a Master, he took all the possessions from his
house with the aim of throwing them into the sea. Someone
advised him: 'You should give them to the people or use them
for the cause of Buddhism.'
"P'ang replied: 'I'm throwing them away because I consider
them an enemy. How can I give such things to others! Wealth
is an adversary that brings only grief to body and mind.' In the
end, he threw his treasures into the sea and afterwards earned
his living by making and selling baskets. Though a layman, he
is known as a good man because he discarded his wealth in
this way. How much more necessary is it then for a monk to
discard his treasures!"

12
A monk said: "In China the temples where Zen monks
stayed were fixed, and provisions for the temple monks, as
well as those for other monks who might chance to visit, were
set aside. These provisions provided for the maintenance of
practicing monks so that they did not have to worry about
their livelihood. In this country, however, there is no such

57
custom, and, if we cast aside completely all our belongings, it
serves to disrupt the practice of the Way. It would seem a
good idea if our clothing and food could be provided for. What
do you think?"
D5gen said: "This is not so. People in this country give more
wholehearted support to their monks than the Chinese do to
theirs. Sometimes they even give beyond their means. I don't
know about others, but I myself have had experience in this
respect and know what I am talking about. Without depending
on a single thing or even thinking of obtaining anything, I have
managed to survive for more than ten years. Problems arise
when one starts to think about accumulating possessions.
During this brief life span of ours, even if we do not consider
accumulating things, we will find that they are supplied
naturally. Each person receives his allotted share, bestowed
by heaven and earth. It is there even if we don't rush about in
search of it. The disciples of the Buddha have a share of the
legacy left by the Tathagata and, in the course of things,
obtain without seeking. If we cast aside our possessions and
practice the Way with utmost effort, these things are naturally
ours. The proof is before your very eyes."

13
On another occasion Dogen said:
Students of the Way often ask: "If we do this, won't people
criticize us?" This is a grave mistake. No matter how people
may criticize, if your actions are in accord with the conduct of
the Buddhas, the Patriarchs, and the principles of the sacred
teachings, you should continue with them. Similarly, even
though people praise your actions, if they do not conform to
the principles of the sacred teachings and if they conflict with
the practice of the Patriarchs, you should not go through with
them.
If you base your actions on the praise and censure of
friends or strangers, when you die and fall into the evil realms
because of your own wrong doings, these people will not be
able to save you. Even though you are criticized and hated by
people, if you practice the Way of the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs, you will truly be saved. Don't stop practicing the

58
Way just because you are criticized by others. People who
criticize and praise in this manner have never penetrated to
the conduct of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs; nor have they
gained enlightenment. How can you judge the Way of the
Buddhas and the Patriarchs on the basis of worldly standards
of good and evil? Therefore, do not be moved by the emotions
of other people. Just concentrate on following and practicing
the truth of Buddhism.

14
On another occasion a monk said: "I am an only child, and
my aged mother is still alive. She lives on what I am able to
send her. We are deeply attached to each other, and my filial
loyalties are strong. So, by compromising slightly with the
world and its people, I can provide food and clothing for my
mother through the support of others. If I were to renounce the
world and live alone, my mother would have difficulty living
even for one day. Thus, while participating in the ordinary
world, I am distressed that I cannot enter wholeheartedly into
Buddhism. If there is a principle that would make it possible
for me to abandon the world and enter Buddhism, would you
explain it to me?"
DSgen instructed: "This is a difficult problem, not for others
to decide. If, after serious consideration, you still have the
earnest desire to enter into Buddhism fully and can work out
some means to assure the comfort and livelihood of your
mother, then it would be a good thing to enter Buddhism, both
for your mother and for yourself. Something you want badly
enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the
enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully
guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for
the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of
heaven and earth assure fulfillment.
"The Sixth Patriarch of Ts'ao-ch'i' was a commoner in
Hsin-chou and sold firewood to support his mother. One day
his mind was stimulated to seek the Way when he heard
someone reciting the Diamond Sutra in the market place.
When he left his mother to go to Huang-p'o," 1 he managed to
obtain ten pieces of silver for his mother's food and clothing.

59
This can be considered a gift from heaven, arising from his
earnest desire to enter the Way. Consider this seriously; it is
the highest truth.
"If he had waited until his mother's death and then entered
Buddhism with no worldly obstacles, it would have conformed
to his original intent; and all would have worked out well.
But then again, since death is an unpredictable thing, your
mother may live a long life, while you may die first. In that
case, your plans would have gone awry. You yourself would
regret not having entered Buddhism, your mother would be
guilty of not having allowed you to do so, and both of you
would gather sins rather than benefits. What then?
"If you renounce this life and enter Buddhism, your aged
mother might starve to death. But would not the merit of
having permitted a son to enter into Buddhism establish a
good cause for gaining the Way in the future? If you cast aside
the filial love and duty you have not discarded over numerous
kalpas and many lives in this life when you have been born in
the body of a man and have had the rare opportunity to
encounter Buddhism, this would be the mark of one who is
truly grateful. How can this not accord with the Buddha's will?
It is said that if one son leaves his home to become a monk,
seven generations of parents will gain the Way. How can you
afford to waste an opportunity for eternal peace because of
concern for the body in this present fleeting life? Think this
over well for yourselves."

60
 IV

1
One day following the interviews with his students, Dogen
instructed:
Students of the Way, you must not cling to your own
personal views. Even though you may understand, you should
search widely for a good teacher and examine the sayings of
the old Masters if you feel that there is something lacking or
that there is some understanding superior to your own. Yet
you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they,
too, may not be right. Even if you believe them, you should be
alert so that, in the event that something superior comes
along, you may follow that.

2
On another occasion Dogen said:
The National Teacher Nan-yang Hui-chung' once asked the
attendant priest Lin; 2 "Where do you come from?"
T h e attendant priest replied: "I come from Ch'eng-nan."
Nan-yang asked: "What is the color of the grass at
Ch'eng-nan?"
"It is yellow," the attendant priest replied.
The teacher then summoned an acolyte and asked him the
same question. The acolyte replied: "It is yellow."
T h e Master said: "This acolyte, too, deserves to be awarded
a purple robe in front of the bamboo screen and is qualified to
discuss Buddhism with the Emperor. As the teacher of the
Emperor, the acolyte can name the true color of the grass.
Your view does not transcend ordinary common sense."
Shortly thereafter, someone challenged the Master's words,
saying: "The attendant's answer d id not transcend common
sense, but what was wrong with that? Just as did the boy, he

61
named the true color of the grass. He is the one who is the
true teacher."
From this we can see the importance of discerning the truth
and of not always accepting the words of the ancient Masters.
Although it is not good to take a suspicious attitude, it is also
a mistake to cling to something that does not deserve faith
and not to question a meaning that should be explored.

3
On another occasion Dogen instructed:
The student must above all separate himself from concepts
of the Self. To separate from views of the Self means not to
cling to this body. Even though you study deeply the sayings
of the old Masters and practice zazen, remaining as immobile
as stone or iron, you will never gain the Way of the Buddhas
and the Patriarchs, even if you try for endless eons, unless you
can free yourself from attachment to the body.
No matter how well you say you know the true and
provisional teachings or the esoteric and exoteric doctrines,
as long as you possess a mind that clings to the body, you will
be vainly counting others' treasures, without gaining even half
a cent for yourself.
I ask only that you students sit quietly and examine with true
insight the beginnings and end of this human body. The body,
hair, and skin are the products of the union of our parents.
When the breathing stops, the body is scattered amid
mountains and fields and finally turns to earth and mud. Why
then do you attach to this body?
Viewed from the Buddhist standpoint, the body is no more
than the accumulation and dispersal of the eighteen realms of
sense.3 Which realm should we pick out and identify as our
body? While differences exist between Zen and other
teachings, they agree in that, in the practice of the Way,
emphasis is placed on the impermanence of the human body.
Once you penetrate this truth, true Buddhism manifests itself
clearly.

4
One day Dogen instructed:
According to an old Master: "If you develop a close
relationship with a good man, it is like walking in the fog or

62
dew. Although you do not actually wet your garment, it
gradually becomes damp." What he Is saying is that if you are
close to a good person, you unconsciously become good
yourself. This was the case many years ago of the boy who
attended Master Chu-chih. 4 There was no way of telling when
he studied and practiced, and he himself was unaware of it,
but because of the long association with the Master, he gained
enlightenment.
If you practice zazen as a matter of course for many years,
you will suddenly see the vital point of enlightenment and
know that zazen is the true gate from which to enter.

5
In the second year of Katei, on the evening of the last day
of the twelfth month,5 Dogen for the first time invited Ejo to
take the head seat' at Koshoji. Following an informal sermon,
Dogen had Ejo take up the whisk and lecture to the assembly.
This was the first time that the position of meditation director
had been filled at Koshoji.
Dogen's sermon that day concerned the transmission of
Zen:
"The First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, 7 came from the West
and stayed at the Shao-lin Temple, awaiting an opportunity
to propagate the teaching. He sat gazing patiently at a wall,
until Hui-k'o 8 appeared in the last month of the year.
Bodhidharma knew that here was a vessel of the Supreme
Vehicle,' guided him, and later transmitted to him both the
robe and the teaching. His descendants spread throughout the
world, and the True Law has been handed down to this day.
"For the first time at this monastery, I have today appointed
a meditation director and have asked him to take up the whisk
and lecture. Don't let the smallness of this assembly or the
fact that this is his first lecture bother you. The group around
Fen-yang 10 amounted to only six or seven persons;
Yao-shan 1 ' had less than ten disciples under him; yet they all
practiced the Way of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs. A time
like this, they say, is when a monastery flourishes. Think of
those who gained enlightenment upon hearing the sound of
bamboo when struck by a tile or on seeing blossoms in
bloom.12 Does the bamboo distinguish the clever or dull, the

63
deluded or enlightened; does the flower differentiate between
the shallow and deep, the wise and stupid? Though flowers
bloom year after year, not everyone who sees them gains
enlightenment. Bamboos always give off sounds, but not all
who hear them become enlightened. It Is only by the virtue of
long study under a teacher and much practice that we gain
an affinity with what we have labored for and gain
enlightenment and clarity of mind. This does not mean that
the sound of bamboo itself has a penetrating effectiveness or
that the color of flowers Is surpassingly beautiful. Although
the sound of bamboo may be wondrous, It does not sound of
itself but must wait for the tile that causes the sound to arise;
although the color of flowers may be beautiful, they do not
bloom of themselves but must wait for the spring wind that
opens them.
"In the same way, the study of the Way must have a cause.
Although each individual inherently possesses the Way, the
gaining of It depends on all the monks studying together.
Although an individual may have a brilliant mind, the practice
of the Way depends upon the strength of many. Therefore,
unifying your minds and concentrating your determination,
study under a teacher and seek the Way. Jewels become
objects of beauty by polishing; man becomes a true man by
training. What jewel is lustrous from the beginning; what
person is superior from the outset? You must always keep
polishing and always keep training. Do not deprecate
yourselves and relax in your study of the Way.
"An old Master has said: 'Do not spend your time
wastefully.' I ask you: Is time something that will stop if you
value it? Or is it something that cannot be stopped no matter
how you value it? This you must understand: It is not time that
passes In vain, but people that pass their time in vain. Neither
time nor people should be wasted; devote yourselves to the
study of the Way.
"In this way, you must all study with the same mind.
Although it is not easy to teach Buddhism by myself, if we
work together with the same determination, then we will be
practicing the Way in the manner of the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs. Although most gained enlightenment by following
the Tathagata, there were also those who were enlightened

64
by Ananda. New meditation director, do not underestimate
your ability! Give the assembly a sermon on T'ung-shan _
three kin of flax."13
Dogen got down from his seat, and as the drum was struck,
Ejo took up the whisk and began his sermon. This was Ejo's
first sermon at Koshoji. He was thirty-nine years of age atthe
time.

6
One day Dogen instructed:
A layman has remarked: "Is there anyone who does not
want fine clothes or who does not hunger for delicious food?
Yet those who seek the Way enter distant mountains, sleep
amongst the clouds, and endure hunger and cold. Our
predecessors certainly suffered, but enduring hardships, they
protected the Way. Those who came later heard of their
suffering, revered their merits, and longed for the Way."
If even among laymen there are wise men of this sort, then
certainly Buddhists must take a similar attitude. Not all the
old sages had bones made of metal. Even while Sakyamuni
was still alive, his disciples were not all men of superior
attainments. If you look at the elaborate regulations of both the
Mahayana and the HTnayana precepts, it is obvious that the
monks of the time were moved to perpetrate incredible
indiscretions. Yet later they all gained the Way and became
Arhats. Although you may be base and inept now, if you
arouse the determination to seek the Way and practice, you
will succeed. Knowing this, you should immediately give rise
to this determination.
The wise men of old all endured hardship and cold, and yet,
amidst suffering, they practiced. Students today should force
themselves to study the Way, despite the physical hardships
and mental anguish they may undergo.

7
Dogen instructed:
Students cannot gain enlightenment simply because they
retain their preconceptions. Without knowing who taught them
these things, they consider the mind to be thought and
perceptions and do not believe it when they are told that the

65
mind is plants and trees. They think of the Buddha as having
marvelous distinguishing marks, with radiance shining from
his body, and are shocked when they are told that he is tile
and pebble. Such preconceptions were not taught them by
their parents, but students come to believe them for no other
reason than that they have heard about them from others over
a long period of time. Therefore, when the Buddhas and the
Patriarchs categorically state that the mind is plants and trees,
revise your preconceptions and understand plants and trees
as mind. If the Buddha is said to be tile and pebble, consider
tile and pebble as the Buddha. If you change your basic
preconceptions, you will be able to gain the Way.
An old sage has said: "Although the sun and moon are
shining brightly, the floating clouds cover them. Although the
clusters of orchids flourish, the autumn wind wilts them."14
This is quoted in the Chen-kuan cheng-yao™ to indicate a wise
king and his evil ministers. I would say that although the
floating clouds obscure the sun and moon, it is not for long;
although the autumn wind destroys them, the blossoms will
open again; although his ministers are evil, if the king is
strong in his wisdom, he cannot be overthrown. The same
thing applies to Buddhism today. No matter how much evil
arises, if we steadfastly protect Buddhism over many long
years, the floating clouds will disappear, and the autumn wind
will stop.

8
One day Dogen instructed:
When students are first moved to enter Buddhism, they
should read the scriptures and teachings and study them
thoroughly, whether they have the mind that seeks the Way
or not.
When I was quite young, the realization of the transiency
of this world stirred my mind towards seeking the Way." After
leaving Mt. Hiei, I visited many temples during my practice of
the Way, but until I arrived at Kenninji I had yet to meet a real
teacher or a good friend. I was deluded and filled with
erroneous thoughts.
The teachers I had seen had advised me first to study until
I could be as learned as those who had preceded me. I was

66
told to make myself known to the state and to gain fame in the
world. Therefore, even while studying the teachings, what was
uppermost in my mind was to become the equal of the ancient
wise men of Japan or of those who had gained the title of
Great Teacher. 17 But on opening the Kao-seng chuan and the
Hsu kao-seng chuan18 and on learning about the great priests
and Buddhists of China, I could see that their approach
differed from those of my teachers. I sensed that the aims with
which I had been inspired were looked down upon and
despised in all the scriptures and biographical works. By
even thinking about fame, I would be disgracing the old men
of wisdom and the men of good will to come, while earning a
fine name among inferior persons of this period. If I wanted to
emulate someone, it should be the former sages and eminent
priests of China and India, rather than those of Japan. Feeling
shame for the fact that I was not equal to them, I realized that,
indeed, I should try to be like the unseen gods of the many
heavens and like the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. After
coming to this understanding, I regarded the great teachers
of this country as so much dirt and broken tile. My physical
and mental makeup changed completely.
When we look at the actions of the Buddha in his lifetime,
we find that he went into the mountains and forests,
renouncing his noble rank. Even after his enlightenment, he
spent the rest of his life begging for food. The Vinaya says:
"Knowing his home was not the true one, he cast it aside and
became a monk."
A man of old has said: "Do not in your pride try to emulate
the wise men of the past; do not debase yourself and seek to
emulate inferior men." The implication here is that both are
forms of conceit. Don't forget that even though you may be in
a high position now, the time will come when you will fall.
Don't forget that, although you may be safe now, danger
always lurks. Don't believe that, just because you are alive
today, you will still be alive tomorrow. Until you die, imminent
death will always be right beneath your feet.

9
On another occasion Dogen said:
Foolish persons think and say pointless things. At this

67
temple, there was once an old nun who often talked about her
former high position, as though she were ashamed of what
she was then doing. Even though people today think of how
things used to be, it is of no use whatsoever. This sort of thing
seems completely wasteful.
Most people, however, seem to have an inclination towards
this type of thinking. It shows the lack of the mind that seeks
the Way. By changing this attitude, one may become
somewhat like a person who possesses this mind.
Supposing someone has entered the Way but has no trace
of the mind that seeks the Way. Because he is a close friend,
I want to tell him to pray to the Buddhas and gods to arouse
this mind, but I hesitate, thinking that this may make him
angry and antagonistic. Yet, unless he arouses this mind, our
friendship will be of no use to either of us.

10
Dogen instructed:
An ancient saying tells us to think about something three
times before saying it. This means, of course, that whenever
we are about to say or do something, we should think it over
three times before expressing it in speech or action. Most
Confucians of old understood this to mean to withhold speech
or action until a matter had been considered three times and
found worthy each time. To the sages of China, considering
something three times meant to consider it many times—to
think before you speak, to think before you act—and, if what
you think is good on each occasion, and only then, to say and
do it. Zen monks must take a similar view. What you think or
say can lead to unexpected evil. Therefore, you must consider
thoroughly whether what you are about to say or do will
accord with Buddhism and bring benefits to yourself and
others. If you determine it to be good, only then should you
speak and act. If the practicer guards this attitude, he will not
go against the Buddha mind throughout his lifetime.
When I first entered Kenninji, the monks assembled there
dutifully upheld the three conducts." They were careful not to
say or do anything that would harm Buddhism or fail to bring
benefits to all beings. Even after Eisai's death, while his

68
influence still remained, this practice survived, but now
nothing at all is left of it.
Students today must know that they should forget their own
bodies and say and do only those things that help Buddhism
and bring benefit to themselves and others. If something is of
no use, neither say nor do it. When elder monks say or do
something, those whose period of service as monks is short
should not interrupt. This is a Buddhist regulation and must be
considered carefully.
Even laymen have the desire to forget their bodies and seek
the Way. Long ago in the land of Chao, there was a person by
the name of Lin Hsiang-ju. 20 Though of low birth, he was a man
of great talent, and the King of Chao engaged his services to
help in the administration of his country.
Once, as an envoy of the King, he was delegated to carry a
precious gem, known as the Jewel of Chao, to the land of
Ch'in. The King of Ch'in had agreed to exchange fifteen cities
for the jewel that Lin Hsiang-ju was charged with carrying. At
this time, the other ministers discussed the matter: "To
entrust such a valuable jewel to a person of such low birth
would make it seem that we have no appropriate person for
this duty in our country. It would disgrace us and make us a
laughing stock for later generations." They planned to kill
Hsiang-ju while he was on his way and to take the jewel from
him.
Someone who was aware of the plot secretly advised that
Hsiang-ju abandon his mission and save his own life.
Hsiang-ju, however, refused: "I won't give up this mission. If
later generations hear that I was killed by evil ministers while
taking the jewel to Ch'in as an envoy of the King, it would give
me joy. While my body might die, my name as a man of
wisdom would remain." With these words, he set out on his
journey to Ch'in.
When the other ministers heard what he had said, they
abandoned their plot. "We cannot kill a man like this," they
agreed.
Hsiang-ju finally met the King of Ch'in and presented the
jewel to him. He noticed, however, that the King seemed
reluctant to exchange his fifteen cities for it. An idea came to

69
Hsiang-ju, and he said to the King: "There is a flaw in this
jewel. Let me show it to you." Taking back the jewel, he
continued: "I can tell from your expression that you regret
exchanging your fifteen cities for this jewel. Therefore, I shall
use my head to break open this jewel against that bronze
pillar." Looking at the King with angry eyes, he approached
the pillar as if he were really about to break open the jewel.
The King cried out: "Don't break the jewel. I will give the
fifteen cities. Keep the jewel until we are able to work out the
details." Hsiang-ju then had one of his men return the jewel
in secret to his own country.
Later the Kings of Chao and Ch'in met for a party at a place
called Min-ch'ih. The King of Chao was an expert on the lute,
and the King of Ch'in gave orders that he play it. The King of
Chao started at once to play, without first consulting with
Hsiang-ju. Enraged that his King had obeyed the orders of the
other, he determined to force the King of Ch'in to play the
flute. Turning to the King of Ch'in, he said: "You are an expert
on the flute and my King has asked to hear you play it." The
King of Ch'in refused.
Hsiang-ju then exclaimed: "If you don't play, I'll kill you,"
and he went towards the King. A Ch'in general grasped his
sword and rushed to the defense of his King, but Hsiang-ju
glared at him with such malevolence that the general retreated
in terror, without drawing his sword. The King of Ch'in agreed
to play the flute.
Later Hsiang-ju became a chief minister. In his
administration of the country he drew the envy of another
minister who did not have equal authority. This other minister
sought to kill him, and Hsiang-ju fled, staying in hiding in
various parts of the country. He failed to appear at Court when
he was due and acted as though he were In abject terror. One
of his retainers then said: "It is easy enough to kill that
minister. Why do you run away and hide in fear?"
Hsiang-ju replied: "I'm not afraid of him. With my eyes, I
forced a Ch'in general to retreat. I took back the jewel from
the King of Ch'in. It's not merely a matter of killing a minister.
Raising an army and mobilizing troops should be done to
defend against enemy attack. The function of the ministers is

70
to protect the country. If we two do not get along and quarrel
with each other and if one of us gets killed, then the other is
weakened. If this happens, the neighboring country will be
delighted to attack us. That is why both of us should keep
alive and concern ourselves with protecting the country.
Therefore I don't fight with him."
Upon hearing this, the other minister felt great shame.
Seeking out Hsiang-ju, he saluted him, and the two became
fast friends and cooperated in administering the country.
In this way Hsiang-ju forgot his own body and protected the
Way. In protecting Buddhism now, we must have an attitude
like his. There is a saying: "It is better to die protecting the
Way than to live without it."

11
Dogen instructed:
It is difficult to determine what is good and what is evil.
Laymen say it Is good to wear luxurious silks, embroidered
garments, and brocades; and bad to wear tattered and
discarded rags. But in Buddhism it is the opposite: tattered
robes are good and pure; richly embroidered garments are
evil and soiled. The same applies to all other things as well.
If someone like me writes a poem that reveals a certain
amount of skill in the use of rhyme or words, some laymen
may praise me for possessing more than common talents. On
the other hand, others may criticize me for having
accomplishments unbecoming a monk who has left his home.
How can we tell which is good and which is bad?
I have read somewhere: "Things praised and included
among pure things are called good; things scorned and
included among soiled things are called evil." Elsewhere it is
said: "To undergo suffering as recompense for past actions is
called bad; to invite comfort as a reward for past actions is
called good."
In this way, a detailed consideration must be made: what w e
find to be really good should be practiced; what we find to be
really bad should be discarded. Because monks come from
the midst of purity, they consider as good and pure what does
not arouse desire among other people.

71
 12
On another occasion Dogen said:
Most people in this world say: "I have the desire to study
Buddhism; yet the world is degenerate, and man, inferior.
The training Buddhism requires is too strenuous for me. I will
follow the easy way and merely strengthen my links with
Buddhism and put off enlightenment until another life."
The attitude these words express Is completely wrong. In
Buddhism, the setting-up of the three periods of the Law21 was
merely a temporary expedient.22 In the Buddha's time, the
monks were not necessarily all outstanding; there were some
who were extraordinarily depraved and of low character. It
was for such evil and inferior persons that the Buddha drew up
the precepts. All people inherently have the capacity to
awaken to Buddhism. Don't think that they do not possess it.
If you practice in accordance with the teachings, you will gain
enlightenment without fail.
As long as you have a mind, you can distinguish between
good and evil. As long as you have hands and feet, you have
the ability to join your palms together and to walk about.
Therefore, there is no such thing as not having the equipment
to practice Buddhism. All human beings are born with this
potential; this is not so of those born in the animal world.
Students of the Way, do not wait until tomorrow. This very day,
this very moment, practice in accordance with the teaching of
the Buddha.

13
Dogen instructed:
Among laymen there Is a saying: "A castle falls when
secrets are whispered within its walls." They also say: "A
household where two opinions conflict cannot buy even a pin;
a household without a conflict of opinion can buy even gold."
Even laymen say that to preserve a household or to defend
a castle, there must be unity of purpose if decay is not to set
in. How much more so then must monks unite under one
teacher, as though milk and water were blended together. We
have also the six modes of social harmony.23 Practicers should
not live in their own rooms, keep aloof from each other, and

72
study Buddhism themselves as they see fit. It is like crossing
the ocean aboard a single ship. With the same mind, they
must conduct themselves with a mutual dignity, correcting
mistakes and selecting the good, and practicing Buddhism in
the same way. This has been the method that has come down
to us from the Buddha's time.

14
Dogen Instructed:
When Zen Master Fang-hui of Mt. Yang-ch'i24 first became
the chief priest, the monastery was old and dilapidated, which
caused the monks many difficulties. At that time, the monk in
charge of temple affairs suggested that the buildings be
repaired.
Fang-hui said: "The buildings may be dilapidated, but it is
better than living on the bare ground or under a tree. If one
part needs repair and if the roof leaks, then do zazen
somewhere where the rain does not come in. If monks can
gain enlightenment by the construction of temple buildings,
then we should make them of gold and jewels. Enlightenment
does not depend on the quality of the place you stay in but
only on the degree to which your zazen is effective."
The next day Fang-hui preached to the assembly in the
lecture hall:
"On becoming the chief priest at Mt. Yang-ch'i, I find the
roof and walls crumbling. On all the floors, pearls of snow are
blowing. The monks pull in their necks from the cold and
sigh." After a pause he continued: "It reminds me of the old
sages who sat under the trees."
This attitude is not found in Buddhism alone; we find it in
the art of governing as well. Emperor T'ai-tsung of the T'ang
refused to build a new palace, preferring to live in the old one
instead.
The Zen Master Lung-ya2S said: "To study Buddhism, you
must first study poverty. Only after learning poverty and
becoming really poor can you become intimate with the Way."
From the ancient days of the Buddha until now, I have neither
seen nor heard of any student of the Way who possessed
wealth.

73
 15
One day a visiting priest said: "Recently, the method of
renouncing the world seems to be to prepare a supply of food
and other necessities in advance so that one does not have to
worry afterwards. This is a small thing, but it helps in the study
of the Way. If such items are lacking, practice is disrupted.
But, according to what you have said, there should be no such
preparation, and everything should be left to fate. If this is
really so, won't trouble arise later? What do you think?"
Dogen answered: "For this we have the precedents of all
the former Masters. This is not just my personal view; the
Buddhas and the Patriarchs in India and China all followed a
similar method. At no time is the blessing of the curl on the
Buddha's forehead 24 used up. Why should I plan my life? It is
not easy to determine and plan for tomorrow. What I do now
has all been done before by the Buddhas and the Patriarchs;
it is not something that I do because of personal concepts. If
food becomes scarce and there is nothing to eat, only then
look for a means to solve the situation. There is no need to
think about it in advance.

16
Dogen instructed:
I have heard it told but don't know whether it is true or not
that, when the late Chunagon, Jimyoin,27 became a priest, a
valuable sword of his was stolen. A warrior in his service
investigated, found the sword, and informed Chunagon that
the thief was another warrior in his retinue. Chunagon,
however, denied that the sword was his and had it returned.
Without a doubt, it was the stolen sword, but, thinking about
the disgrace to the warrior who had stolen It, Chunagon
denied that it was his. Although everybody knew the truth of
the situation, the matter ended without incident. Because of
this, the descendants of Chunagon flourished. If even a
layman has this attitude, how much more so then should
monks possess it!
Because monks have no personal property, they make
wisdom and virtue their treasures. If someone who is without
the mind that seeks the Way does something bad, do not let
your expression show your displeasure; nor condemn him for

74
doing evil. Just explain things to him in such a way that he
does not become angry. It is said that something that
encourages violence does not last long. Although you may be
correct in your censure of someone, your very correctness
does not last long if you use harsh words. A petty person
takes offense at the slightest criticism, thinking that he has
been insulted. This is not true of a superior person, for even
when he is struck, he does not think of retaliation. Today in
our country, there are numerous petty people. You must be
careful.

75
 V

1
One day Dogen instructed:
Do not be reluctant to give up your life for the sake of
Buddhism. With the Way in mind, even laymen have cast away
their lives, disregarded their families, and dedicated
themselves to loyalty. Such people are known as loyal
ministers and men of wisdom.
Long ago, when Kao-tsung 1 of the Han Dynasty went to war
with a neighboring country, the mother of one of his ministers
was in enemy territory. The military leaders suspected this
minister of having double loyalties, and Kao-tsung himself
also wondered whether this man, thinking of his mother, might
not go over to the enemy. Should such a thing happen, there
was the chance that the war might be lost. At the same time,
the mother, fearing that her son might return for her sake,
cautioned him: "Don't relax your loyalties because of me. If I
continue to live, you may have a divided mind," and she threw
herself upon a sword and died. It is said that her son, who
from the outset had no divided loyalties, deepened his
determination to dedicate himself to his duties in battle.
T h e Zen monk is truly in accord with Buddhism when he is
completely without a divided mind. In Buddhism there are
some who are endowed with compassion and wisdom from
the outset. Yet even though these qualities may not be present
from the beginning, they can be acquired by study. Don't
cling arbitrarily to your own views. Just cast aside both body
and mind, plunge into the great sea of Buddhism, and entrust
yourself to the Buddhist teachings.
During the reign of Kao-tsung of the Han Dynasty, a wise
minister said: "Remedying the disturbances of government is

77
like unraveling a knotted rope. Don't hurry, but first examine
the knot carefully and then undo it."
It is the same with Buddhism. Practice carefully and come
to understand the principles of Buddhism. Those who best
understand the Buddhist teachings are always those with the
mind that seeks the Way intensely. No matter how clever or
brilliant, those without this mind can neither free themselves
from egoistic desires nor forsake fame and profit. They cannot
b e c o m e true Buddhists; nor can they understand the T r u e
Law.

2
Dogen instructed:
Students of the W a y must not study Buddhism for the sake
of themselves. T h e y must study Buddhism only for the sake of
Buddhism. T h e key to this is to renounce both body and mind
without holding anything back and to offer them to the great
sea of Buddhism. Next you must vigorously undertake even
what is difficult to do and difficult to endure, without
concerning yourself at all with right and wrong and without
clinging to your own opinions. You must cast aside anything
that does not accord with the Buddhist truth, even though it
be something you most earnestly desire. Never attempt,
through the virtue of your practice of Buddhism, to gain
something good in recompense. O n c e you have committed
yourself to Buddhism, there is no need to reflect again on
yourself. Just practice in a c c o r d a n c e with the rules of
Buddhism and refrain from getting caught up in personal
views. This has all been proven in the past. If your mind does
not seek anything, then you will gain a great peace.
A m o n g the laity, there are those who never have associated
with others and have grown up only in their own homes. T h e y
behave arbitrarily as they please and give precedence to their
own opinions, not caring what others may see and think. Such
persons are always bad. In studying the Way, be careful of
things like these. You will b e c o m e a true Buddhist easily if you
work closely with others, follow your teacher, do not set up
your own views, and m a k e new your own mind.
In studying the Way, the first thing you must do is to
understand poverty. If you cast aside fame and profit, curry

78
favor with no one, and discard all things, you will certainly
become a good monk. In China those who were known as
good monks were all poor. Their robes were torn, and
everything about them was impoverished.
When I was at Mt. T'ien-t'ung, the recorder at the temple
was named Tao-ju. He was the son of the Prime Minister, but,
because he had separated from his family and did not covet
worldly profit, his robes were tattered, and people could
scarcely bear to look at him. But he was renowned for his
virtue and had become the recorder of a great temple.
Once I asked him: "You are the son of an official and a
member of a wealthy family. Why are the things you wear so
coarse and miserable?"
"Because I became a monk," he replied.

3
One day Dogen instructed:
A layman has said: "Treasures often become an enemy that
bring harm to the body. This was so in the past, and it is so
now."
The story that occasioned this remark was as follows: Once
there was a commoner who had a beautiful wife. A local lord
demanded the woman, but her husband refused to surrender
her. The lord then called up his troops and surrounded their
home. When the wife was about to be taken away, the husband
said: "Because of you, I am losing my life." The wife replied:
"Because of you, I shall cast aside my life," and she leaped
from the tall building and died. Later the husband managed to
escape, and he was able to tell the story.
Once there was a wise man who administered a province as
a government official. His son was obliged to leave on state
business, and he went to bid his father farewell. As he was
going, his father presented him with a bolt of silk.
The son said: "You are a man of high integrity. Where did
you get this silk?"
The father replied: "I bought it from what was left over from
my salary."
The son proceeded to the capital, where he told this story
to the Emperor. The Emperor was greatly impressed by the
father's wisdom. The son said: "My father has up to now

79
managed to keep his name hidden. Now I have made it
known. My father's wisdom is indeed superior to mine."
The point of this story is that, while a bolt of silk is a trivial
thing, the wise man knows that he should not make private use
of public property. But the really wise man concealed his
talents and merely remarked that the gift was quite correct,
because it came out of his own salary. When we have laymen
like this, how much more so then should the Zen monk
possess a mind that seeks nothing for itself. People who truly
follow the Way would do well to conceal the fact that they are
Buddhists.

Dogen again said:

Someone once asked a Taoist sage: "How does one
become a sage?"
He answered: "If you want to become a sage, just like the
Way of the sages."
Therefore, if students want to attain the Way of the Buddhas
and the Patriarchs, they must like the Way of the Buddhas and
the Patriarchs.

4
Dogen instructed:
In ancient times there was a king who, after bringing a
stable government to his country, inquired of his ministers:
" I have governed the country well. Does this make me a wise
king?"
The ministers replied: "You have governed the country
well. You are very wise indeed."
One minister, however, replied: "You are not wise." When
the king asked why, the minister answered: "When you came
into power, you gave land to your sons but none to your
younger brother." The king was displeased and had the
minister banished.
Later the king asked another minister: "Am I benevolent?"
When told that he was, the king asked why this was so.
The minister said: "A benevolent ruler always has loyal
ministers, and loyal ministers give outspoken advice. The
minister you banished gave this kind of advice, and he was a
loyal minister. If the king were not benevolent, he would not

80
have had a person like that." T h e king was deeply Impressed
and recalled the former minister.

Dogen again said:

During the time of the First Emperor of the Ch'in, 2 a prince
made plans to enlarge his gardens. A minister commented: "A
splendid idea. If you enlarge the gardens, all sorts of birds
and beasts will gather there, and then w e can defend
ourselves against the neighboring armies with troops of birds
and beasts." With these words, the garden project was
dropped.
On another occasion, the prince proposed building a palace
with lacquered pillars. T h e minister remarked: "This is fine.
By lacquering the pillars, you can stop the enemy from
entering." Again the project was dropped.
T h e essence of Confucianism is to check the bad and
encourage the good by the skillful use of words. Z e n monks,
when guiding others, must also adopt skillfulness such as this.

5
O n e day a priest asked: " W h i c h Is better, a wise person
without the mind that seeks the W a y or a person with no
wisdom who possesses such a mind?"
Dogen answered: "In many cases, the person who is
without wisdom but who possesses the mind that seeks the
Way will eventually retrogress, whereas he who is wise but
without it will eventually awaken to this mind. T h e r e are many
examples of this In the world today. Therefore, do not concern
yourself with whether you possess this mind, but just
concentrate on the study of the Way.
"In order to study the Way, you must be poor. In both
Buddhist and secular works, w e find examples: some persons
w e r e so poor that they had no home to live in; others like
Ch'u Yuan, drowned in the Ts'ang-lang River; 3 some hid in
Mt. Shou-yang; 4 some practiced zazen under trees and on the
bare ground; and others built crude shelters among tombs or
In mountain wildernesses. Again, there w e r e people who were
wealthy, with many possessions, who built palaces adorned
with red lacquer, gold, and precious stones. Stories of such
people are also written in books. But in these examples, the

81
people who are praised arid set up as models to encourage
later men w e r e all poor with no possessions. W h e n it comes
to cautioning against evil conduct, those who possessed
wealth and luxurious properties are censured for having been
men of extravagance."

6
Dogen instructed:
Monks must never delight in receiving public donations;
yet they must not decline them either. T h e late Abbot Eisai
said: " T o enjoy receiving public donations does not accord
with Buddhist regulations. To take no joy does not accord
with the heart of the donor." T h e traditional view is that
offerings are made not to the monk himself but to the T h r e e
Treasures. Therefore, you must say to the donor: " T h e T h r e e
Treasures will surely accept your offering."

7
Dogen instructed:
In ancient times it was said: "A gentleman is stronger than
an ox, but he does not struggle with an ox." Students today,
even though they feel that their wisdom and talents are
superior, should not delight in arguing with others. Do not
abuse others with harsh words or glare at them with angry
eyes. Although people today give substantial donations and
render favors, they are apt to react against you if they detect
an expression of anger on another's face or if they are
criticized with harsh words.
O n c e the priest Chen-ching K'o-wen 5 told his assembly:
" S o m e time ago, when Hsiieh-feng 4 and I were studying
together, we m a d e a pact of friendship with each other. O n e
day Hsiieh-feng was arguing about the teachings with
another student in the monks' dormitory. T h e y argued in loud
voices and finally began fighting, using exceedingly abusive
language towards each other. W h e n the argument was over,
Hsiieh-feng took me to task: 'We are fellow students of like
mind. W e have even made a firm pact with each other. W h y
didn't you help me out when I was fighting with that fellow?'
All I could do at the time was to bow my head in regret.
"Later Hsiieh-feng b e c a m e an excellent teacher, and I

82
became the priest of this temple. When I think back on the
incident now, Hsueh-feng's argument served no useful
purpose whatsoever. Indeed, it is always a mistake to argue.
Because I believed argument to be pointless, I had remained
silent."
Students should consider this thoroughly now. If you have
the determination to study the Way, you must do so,
begrudging any time wasted. When do you have the time to
argue with people? It won't do you or anyone else any good in
the long run. If this is so with Buddhist teachings, how much
more useless it is to argue about ordinary worldly affairs!
"A gentleman is stronger than an ox, but he does not
struggle with an ox." Even if you think that you know the
teaching thoroughly and are far superior to your adversary,
you should not overwhelm him with argument.
But if a sincere seeker after Buddhism asks you about the
teaching, do not begrudge him an answer. Explain it to him
for his sake. But for three questions, give only one answer;
long-winded dissertations are worthless. After reading
Chen-ching's words, I realized that I myself was at fault here.
Taking his words to heart, I stopped arguing about the
teaching with others.

8
Dogen instructed:
The old Masters frequently warn: "Do not spend time
wastefully" and "do not pass your time in vain." Students
today should begrudge every moment of time. This dewlike
life fades away; time speeds swiftly. In this short life of ours,
avoid involvement in superfluous things and just study the
Way.
People nowadays say: "It is difficult to discard the
obligations to our parents," or "It is difficult to disobey the
orders of a master," or "It is difficult to part from wives,
children, and relatives." Or else they say: "It is difficult to
guarantee the livelihood of my relatives," or "People will
revile me if I forsake my home." Or again they say: "I am too
poor to buy the equipment for the monastic life," or "I don't
have the capacity to endure the study of the Way." Thinking
in this way, they join the worldly pursuit of wealth and

83
property, without separating from master or parents and
without severing from their wives, children, and relatives.
With their whole life wasted, they will have only regrets when
they face the end.
Sit calmly and consider the principles of Buddhism; and
quickly determine to arouse the mind that seeks the Way.
Masters and parents cannot give you enlightenment. Wives,
children, and relatives cannot save you from suffering.
Wealth and property cannot free you from the cycle of birth
and death. Ordinary people cannot help you. If you do not
practice now, claiming you are without the capacity, when
will you ever be able to attain the Way? Single-mindedly,
study the Way without giving thought to the myriad things.
Don't put it off until later.

9
Dogen instructed:
In studying the Way, separate from considerations of the
Self. Even though you study all the sutras and sastras, if you
cannot cut off attachments to the self, you will inevitably fall
into the realm of evil demons. A man of old has said: "If you
don't have the body and mind of the Buddhadharma, how can
you become a Buddha or a Patriarch?"
To separate from the Self means to throw your body and
mind into the great sea of Buddhism and to practice in
accordance with Buddhism, no matter what the hardship or
anxiety may be. You may feel that begging for food demeans
you in the eyes of others, but you will never be able to enter
into Buddhism as long as you think in this way. Forget all
worldly views and study the Way, relying only on the Truth. To
think that you are unsuitable for Buddhism because of your
inferior capacity reveals an attachment to the Self. To concern
yourself with the opinions and reactions of others is the basis
of self-attachment. Just study Buddhism. Don't follow the
sentiments of the world.

10
One day Ejo asked: "How should those in a Zen monastery
conduct themselves in the study of Buddhism?"
Dogen instructed: "Just practice zazen. Wherever you are,

84
whether in an upper floor or downstairs, just practice Zen
meditation. Instead of gossiping idly with others, always sit
alone like a person deaf and dumb."

11
One day, following a sermon, Dogen instructed:
Ta-tao Ku-ch'uan 7 said: " I sit facing the wind; I sleep facing
the sun. I am far more comfortable than the people today who
wear richly embroidered robes." These are the words of an
old Master, yet they are open to some doubt. By "people
today" does he mean those who covet worldly profit? If so,
they are scarcely worthy of comparison. Why even mention
them? Or does he mean people who are studying Buddhism?
If so, why say they are more comfortable than those who are
wearing richly embroidered robes? If you look at the attitude
behind this statement, it would seem that he valued richly
embroidered robes. A sage is not like this. He clings neither
to gold and jewels nor to tile and pebble. That is why
Sakyamuni ate the milk-gruel offered by a milk-maid as well
as grain meant for horses. They were both the same to him.
In Buddhism there is no light and heavy; it is man who
discriminates the shallow and deep. In this world there are
some who would refuse to accept a jewel if it were offered as
a valuable object, whereas they would gladly accept and
treasure something of wood and stone if they were told it was
of no value. The jewel originally came from the earth; wood
and stone are produced by the great earth. Why is one not
accepted because it is valuable, and the other accepted and
treasured because it is cheap? Can it be because the desire
to accept the valuable thing would indicate attachment? Yet if
the cheap object is accepted and cherished, the fault is still
the same. This is something that students must be careful
about.

12
Dogen instructed:
When the late Master Myozen 8 was about to go to China, his
teacher Myoyu 9 of Mt. Hiei became seriously ill and lay on his
death bed.
At this time Myoyu said: "I'm suffering the diseases of old

85
age and am about to die. Please put off going to China now,
care for me in my final sickness, conduct services for me, and
carry out your original plan after I have gone."
Myozen then called together his disciples and fellow priests
and consulted with them. "After leaving my parents' home in
childhood," he said, "I grew up underthe care of this teacher
and am deeply obligated to him. From him I learned the
doctrines of Buddhism, the literature of the Mahayana and
HTnayana, and the provisional and real teachings. He fostered
my understanding of causality and right and wrong and
enabled me to exceed my colleagues and to gain fame. Even
my discernment of the principles of Buddhism and the
arousing of my determination to cross over to China in search
of the True Law stem from his kindness. But this year he has
suddenly aged and now lies ill on his death bed. He has only a
short time left to live and, I shall never see him again if I leave
now. For these reasons he has strongly urged me to put off
my trip. It is difficult to disobey a teacher's request. But my
going to China now at the risk of my life to seek the Way also
derives from the great compassion of the Bodhisattva and the
desire to benefit all beings. Is there any justification for
disobeying my teacher's wishes and going to China? Tell me
how all of you feel about it."
All his disciples replied: "Give up going to China this year.
Your teacher is very close to death; he cannot last long. If you
just stay this year and go to China the next, you will not have
opposed your teacher's wishes or neglected your obligations.
What prevents you from putting off your trip for six months or
a year? If you do, you will not be breaking the close ties
between master and disciple and will still be able to go
through with your original plans to visit China."
Although at this time I was the least experienced of the
monks, I said: "If you feel that your Buddhist enlightenment is
adequate now, it would be better to put off your trip."
Myozen said: "That is so. If Buddhist practice reaches this
stage, it should be good enough. If I practice like this for the
rest of my life, I think it would be possible to break free from
delusion and gain the Buddhist Way."
"If that is so, then stop your trip," I said.
After each had expressed his opinion and the discussion

86
was over, Myozen said: "You all seem to agree that I should
stay, but my view differs. Even if I were to stay now, it would
not prolong the life of a dying man. Even if I were to stay and
take care of him, I could not stop his suffering. Even if I were
to comfort him in his final hours, it would not have anything to
do with his escape from the cycle of birth and death. All this
would amount to would be to comfort my teacher in
accordance with his request. It would be of absolutely no use
in separating from the world and gaining the Way. If my
determination to seek the Law is mistakenly obstructed, it will
become the source of evil acts. But, if I can carry out my
determination to visit China in search of the Law and can gain
even a trace of enlightenment, it will serve to awaken many
people, even though it means opposing the deluded wishes of
one person. If the virtue gained were exceptional, it would
serve to repay the kindness of my teacher. Even if I should die
while crossing the sea and fail in my original plan, since my
death would stem from my determination to seek the Law, my
vow would not be exhausted in any future life. Think of the
results of Hsuan-tsang's 10 journey to India. To waste precious
time just for the sake of one person does not accord with the
Buddha's will. I have, therefore, definitely decided to go to
China now." With these words Myozen set out for China.
From his words I could tell that Myozen truly possessed the
mind that seeks the Way. Students today must not do useless
things and spend their time in vain, whether for the sake of
parents or of teachers. They should not put aside Buddhism,
the most excellent of all teachings, and waste their days away.
At that time Ejo asked: "In truly seeking the Law, it is
undoubtedly necessary to renounce completely the ties of
worldly obligation that bind us to parents and teachers in this
world of delusion. Even if we completely cast aside obligations
and affections towards parents and teachers when we
consider the activities of a Bodhisattva, should we not set
aside benefits for ourselves and work for the benefit of others?
Since there was no one else to nurse his teacher in the
infirmities of his old age, wasn't it contrary to the Bodhisattva
conduct for Myozen to think only of his own practice and not
take care of his teacher when he was in a position to help
him? A Bodhisattva must not discriminate in his good deeds.

87
Do we base our understanding of Buddhism on what the
circumstances or the occasion may be? Under this principle,
should he not have stayed and helped him? Why should he not
help his old and infirm teacher, instead of thinking only of his
own desire to seek the Law? What is your opinion?"
Dogen instructed: "In both benefiting others and practicing
yourself, to discard the inferior and retain the superior
comprise the good action of the Bodhisattva. To offer a diet of
beans and water in an effort to save the old and infirm merely
caters to the misguided love and deluded passions of this brief
life. If you turn your back on the deluded emotions and study
the Way that leads to enlightenment, even though you may
have cause for some regret, you will establish an excellent
basis for transcending the world. Consider this well, consider
this well!"

13
One day Dogen instructed:
Many people in this world say: "I hear the words of the
teacher, but they do not agree with what I think." This view is
mistaken. I do not know what is in their minds. Can they be
thinking that the principles of the sacred teachings are wrong
because they do not agree with what they themselves
imagine? This is sheer idiocy. Or are the words spoken by the
teacher unsuited to their own minds? If so, why do they ask
the teacher in the first place? Or do they say this on the basis
of their own ordinary emotional concepts? If so, this
emotional concept is nothing but the deluded mind that has
come down from the beginningless beginning to the present.
The key to studying the Way is to discard all conceptions of
the Self you have held up to now and to regenerate yourself
completely by following the sacred writings, even if they do
not happen to agree with your beliefs. This has always been
the one essential to the study of the Way.
A few years ago when I was studying, among my fellow
students was one who clung firmly to his own beliefs. He
visited many Zen masters, but he wasted his life and failed to
understand Buddhism because he rejected what did not suit
his mind and accepted only what agreed with his own
preconceptions. This made me realize that the study of the

88
Way must never be approached with this attitude. With this in
mind, I followed the words of the teacher and awakened fully
to the truth. Later I found the following passage in one of the
sutras I read: "If you want to study Buddhism, do not bring
with you the conditioned mind of the past, present, and
future." I knew for certain that I must forget the various views
and opinions accumulated from the past and that I must
gradually reform myself.
A secular work says: "Loyal words are harsh to the ears."11
This means that valuable advice often offends one's ears.
Even If disagreeable, such advice, if firmly followed, will
ultimately be of value.

14
One day, following a talk on various subjects, Dogen said:
From the outset, there is neither good nor evil in the human
mind. Good and evil arise according to circumstances. For
example, when a man wishes to study Buddhism and retreats
to the woods, he finds the quiet of the forest good and the busy
world of man evil. Then when he becomes bored and his
resolve weakened, he leaves the forest, for he now finds that
it is bad. In other words, the mind has no fixed characteristic;
good and evil depend on the circumstance. Thus, if you meet
good circumstances, your mind will become good and, if you
are involved in bad circumstances, your mind will become
bad. Don't think that the mind is inherently bad. Just follow
the circumstances.

15
On another occasion Dogen instructed:
I believe that the human mind is constantly influenced by
the words of others. In the Mahaprajnaparamita sastrau we
read: "Supposing a foolish man holds a precious jewel in his
hand and hears someone remark: 'How vulgar you are to hold
things in your own hands.' He thinks: This jewel is precious,
but my reputation is also important. I don't want to be thought
an inferior person.' Worrying about this, he concerns himself
with his reputation to such an extent that the words of others
make him throw away his jewel, as though he wanted someone
else to pick it up. In the end he loses his jewel."

89
 So it is with the mind of man. A person may think that
something is undoubtedly good for him, yet he gives it up
because he is worried about his own reputation. Then again,
while aware that something is completely bad for him, a
person will pursue it nonetheless for the sake of fame and
profit. When following good and evil, the mind is pulled along
by the good and evil. Therefore, no matter how bad your mind
may have been in the past, if you follow a good Zen teacher,
you come to resemble a good man, and your mind naturally
becomes good. If you associate with a bad person, even
though you know from the beginning in your own mind that it
is bad, you eventually become evil yourself, as you fall
unwittingly under his influence.
Again, the human mind, even though determined not to let
others take something, will reluctantly offer it if asked strongly
enough. On the other hand, a person may be determined to
give something but in the end will not do so because of the
lack of opportunity or occasion.
Therefore, the student, even though he may not possess the
mind that seeks the Way, should associate with a good person,
become involved in good circumstances, and hear and see the
same thing any number of times. Don't think that, because you
have heard or seen something once, there is no need to hear
or see it again. For those who have already aroused the mind
that seeks the Way, each hearing serves to polish the mind
and make for progress, even though the subject may be the
same. Those who do not have this mind may not gain very
much on the first or second hearing, but if they keep listening
steadily, it will slowly soak in, as a garment that gradually gets
damp from walking through the fog and dew. If they hear the
words of a good person many times, shame naturally arises
for not having the mind that seeks the Way, and that mind will
truly arise of itself. Therefore, no matter how familiar they are
to you, you must look at the sacred scriptures many times.
Although you may have heard the words of your teacher many
times, you must listen to them again and again. Gradually your
mind will be stirred to greater depths. Do not repeatedly draw
near to anything that hinders the practice of the Way. No
matter how painful or difficult it may be, draw near to a good
friend and practice the Way.

90
 16
Dogen instructed:
The Zen Master Ta-hui13 once had a growth on his buttocks.
A doctor examined him and found it extremely dangerous.
Ta-hui asked: "If it's this serious, am I going to die?"
"There's a good chance that you will," the doctor answered.
"If I'm going to die, I had better practice zazen with even
greater effort," Ta-hui said. He concentrated on zazen, the
growth broke open, and that was all there was to the matter.
The minds of the men of old were like this. When they
became sick, they practiced zazen all the more vigorously.
People nowadays who are perfectly well must not take a
relaxed attitude to the practice of zazen. I suspect that the
occurrence of illness stems from the mind. If you lie to a
hiccuping person and put him on the defensive, he gets so
involved in explaining himself that his hiccups stop. Some
years ago when I went to China, I suffered from diarrhea while
aboard ship. A violent storm arose, causing great confusion;
before I knew it, my sickness was gone. This makes me think
that if we concentrate on study and forget about otherthings,
illness will not arise.

17
Dogen instructed:
There is a popular proverb: "Unless he behaves as though
deaf and dumb, a man cannot become the head of a house."
This means that a person who does not heed to the slanders of
others and who says nothing critical about their shortcomings
will be able to accomplish his own work. Such a man deserves
to become the head of a house. This may be only a popular
proverb, but it applies to the conduct of Zen monks as well.
How does one practice the Way without reacting to the scorn
or hatred of others and without saying anything good or bad
about them? Only those who have penetrated to the very bone
and marrow are able to accomplish this.

18
Dogen instructed:
The Zen Master Ta-hui has stated: "In studying Buddhism
you must have the attitude of a man who has borrowed a vast

91
sum of money arid then is asked to repay it at a time when he
has nothing. If you are able to have a mind such as this, it is
easy to gain the Way."

Dogen continued:
The Hsin-hsin mingu says: "To achieve the Way is not
difficult; just reject discrimination." If you cast aside the mind
that discriminates, then at once you gain awakening. To
abandon the discriminating mind means to break free from
the Self. Do not think that studying Buddhism for the profit you
may gain is a substitute for the practice of Buddhism. Just
practice Buddhism for the sake of Buddhism. Even though you
study a thousand sutras and ten thousand sastras and sit so
hard that you break through the zazen seat, you cannot gain
the Way of the Buddhas and the Patriarchs without this
determination. Just cast aside body and mind, and, if within
Buddhism you have no biased preconceptions, you will attain
awakening at once.

19
Dogen instructed:
An old Master has stated: "In a Zen monastery, all
properties and grain supplies are placed in charge of
superintendents, who understand cause and effect and who
delegate the actual work to the appropriate persons. This
means that the Zen Master of the monastery does not concern
himself with major or minor administrative problems but
encourages the assembly in intensive zazen and koan
meditation.
Again it is said: "To embody a little art is better than
owning huge tracts of rich land." "In giving, do not expect
anything in return, and do not regret what you have given to
others." "If you can keep your mouth as silent as your nose,
you will invite no trouble." "If a man's actions are noble,
others will naturally respect him, but if a man's learning is
great, others will soon overtake him." "If you plow deep and
plant shallow, you invite disaster from heaven. If you benefit
yourself and harm others, how can you avoid evil retribution?"
When students of the Way examine the koan, they must

92
study them closely, concentrating full attention and utmost
effort.

20
Dogen instructed:
An old Master has said: "Take one step beyond the top of a
hundred-foot pole." This means that you must cast away both
body and mind, as though climbing to the top of a
hundred-foot pole and letting go of with both hands and feet.
There are several important points in this regard.
Nowadays some people seem to have renounced the world
and left their homes, but, when one examines their conduct,
they have truly neither renounced the world nor left their
homes. The first requisite for one who leaves his home to
become a monk is to separate from the Self and from all
desires for fame and profit. Anyone who cannot accomplish
this separation may practice with the intensity of someone
brushing fire from his burning head and display zealousness
comparable to the Buddha's raising his foot,15 yet all this will
amount to is merely senseless hardship, and he will never
escape the world. Even in China there were men who
renounced hard-to-renounce family ties and abandoned
hard-to-abandon worldly goods to enter a Zen monastery.
Some even occupied the position of chief temple priest, and
yet, because they practiced without knowing this ancient
truth, they wasted their lives without awakening to the Way or
making clear their own minds. This occurs because some
people, even though they have at the outset aroused the mind
that seeks the Way and become monks and disciples of good
teachers, do not think of becoming Buddhas and Patriarchs
but concern themselves with letting the patrons and donors
know of the high standing of themselves and their temples.
They speak of this to their relatives and seek to gain reverence
and offerings from others. In addition, they demean the
integrity of other monks, in an attempt to give the impression
that they alone have the mind that seeks the Way and that only
they are good. Such men are not worth talking about any
further and are comparable to the five evil unbelieving
monks.'6 There is no doubt that they will fall into hell. Laymen,

93
unaware of the situation, sometimes consider them to be fine
individuals with minds that seek the Way.
There are others who are somewhat better than these
people. Without coveting the offerings of donors, they enter a
Zen monastery and practice, cutting their ties with parents,
wives, and children. Yet by nature, they are lazy, although
they are ashamed of appearing indolent. Thus, they pretend to
be practicing when the chief priest and the monks in charge
of meditation are watching. When unobserved, however, they
take every opportunity to idle away their time. They are
perhaps better than laymen who conduct themselves in an
improper manner, but they are still unable to cast aside the
Self and desire for fame and profit.
Then again there are others who are not constrained by
what the Master might think and do not worry whether they
are seen or not by the supervising priests or their fellow
students. Thinking, "Buddhism is not for others but for myself
alone," they earnestly strive to become Buddhas and
Patriarchs in their own bodies. They can be considered as far
more versed in Buddhism than those described above, but,
because they practice thinking only of becoming good
themselves, they have yet to break free from the Self. They
yearn to gain the approval of the various Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas and to perfect their own enlightenment. They,
too, are unable to cast aside the mind that seeks personal
satisfaction and pursues fame and profit.
All these various types of persons, even if they have
climbed to the top of a hundred-foot pole, cannot let go; they
still cling to it. Those who just throw their bodies and minds
into Buddhism and practice without even thinking of gaining
enlightenment can be called unstained practicers. This is what
is meant by "not stopping where the Buddha is and walking
quickly past where the Buddha is not."17

21
Dogen instructed:
Do not make arrangements in advance for obtaining your
clothing and food. If all the food is gone, then you may go out
and beg for some. To make plans in advance to beg for food
from certain persons is like storing up provisions, which

94
violates the Buddhist regulations. Monks are like the clouds
and have no fixed abode. Like flowing water, they attach
themselves to nothing. Even though monks possess nothing
but their robes and bowl, if they rely on even one donor or on
one household of relatives, they and those upon whom they
rely become enmeshed, and the food is thus unclean. With the
body and mind nourished by such tainted food, an awakening
to the Great Law of the various Buddhas cannot be expected.
For example, just as things stained by the indigo plant become
blue and those stained by the kihada become yellow, so a
body and mind stained by food procured by illegitimate means
become a contaminated body. To seek Buddhism with such a
body and mind is like pressing sand to get oil. On each
occasion, always think in terms of how things will conform
with the principles of Buddhism. Plans made in advance all
violate against the Buddha Way. Consider this well.

22
Dogen instructed:
All students should know that each person has a
shortcoming. Of the shortcomings people have, the greatest is
arrogance. Buddhist and secular works both caution against it.
A non-Buddhist work says: "There are some who are poor
yet do not curry favor, but there is none who is rich who is not
arrogant." This warns against the tendency of the wealthy
towards self-pride. It makes an important point, one worth
considering well.
For those of low status, it is the height of arrogance to think
of equaling the upper classes or of excelling them. This sort of
thing, however, is relatively easy to caution against. Someone
in the lay world who has abundant wealth and property and
enjoys good fortune is acknowledged by his relatives and
associates. But because of the pride that accompanies this,
the lower classes who witness it become resentful. How can a
wealthy person be discreet in terms of inflicting this sort of
pain on others? It is difficult to caution a wealthy person, and
he will scarcely practice self-restraint himself. Again, this
person may have no intention of showing arrogance; yet, as he
goes innocently about his own business, he arouses envy and
hurt among the less fortunate people around him. To impose

95
self-restraint here is to be discreet in regard to one's pride.
Those who consider their wealth as a just reward and who pay
no attention to the envy of the poor are called arrogant.
In a non-Buddhist text it is written: "Do not pass before the
home of a poor man while riding in a carriage." The
implication is that, even though a person can afford to ride in
a fine carriage, he should use discretion in front of the poor.
Buddhist scriptures also make this point.
Students and monks these days think that they excell others
because of their knowledge of the teachings. Never take pride
in such a thing. It is the height of arrogance to call attention to
the errors of those beneath you or to criticize your seniors and
colleagues for their mistakes.
An old Master has said: "It is all right to be defeated in
front of the wise but never win in front of the foolish."
Even though someone misunderstands what you know to be
true, you yourself err if you point out his mistake. In discussing
the Buddhist teachings, do not ridicule your predecessors and
seniors. Be especially careful of this on occasions when you
may arouse the envy and jealousy of the unlearned and
ignorant.
When I stayed at Kenninji, many people asked about the
Buddhist doctrines. Their questions revealed their own
shortcomings and mistakes, but, fully aware of the need for
caution, I talked only about the merits of the teachings
themselves. Since I did not make a point of picking out the
mistakes of others, nothing untoward happened. The foolish,
with their deep-rooted preconceptions, would surely become
angry, saying: "You are criticizing my teacher for his
shortcomings." The wise person with a true understanding,
because he comprehends the meaning of Buddhism, discerns
his own mistakes and those of his teachers without being told,
and he takes the necessary corrective steps. These things
must be thoroughly understood.

23
Dogen instructed:
The most important point in the study of the Way is zazen.
Many people in China gained enlightenment solely through
the strength of zazen. Some who were so ignorant that they

96
could not answer a single question exceeded the learned who
had studied many years solely through the efficacy of their
single-minded devotion to zazen. Therefore, students must
concentrate on zazen alone and not bother about other things.
The Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs is zazen alone.
Follow nothing else.
At that time Ejo asked: "When we combine zazen with the
reading of the texts, we can understand about one point in a
hundred or a thousand upon examining the Zen sayings and
the koan. But in zazen alone there is no indication of even this
much. Must we devote ourselves to zazen even then?"
Dogen answered: "Although a slight understanding seems
to emerge from examining the koan, it causes the Way of the
Buddhas and the Patriarchs to become even more distant. If
you devote your time to doing zazen without wanting to know
anything and without seeking enlightenment, this is itself the
Patriarchal Way. Although the old Masters urged both the
reading of the scriptures and the practice of zazen, they
clearly emphasized zazen. Some gained enlightenment
through the koan, but the merit that brought enlightenment
came from the zazen. Truly the merit is in the zazen.

97
 VI

1
Dogen instructed:
If you must be bothered by criticism, be bothered by the
criticism of an enlightened man.
W h e n I was in China, Master Ju-ching of Mt. T'ien-t'ung
asked me to be his attendant, saying: "You may be a foreigner,
but you're still a man of talent." I declined the offer firmly. My
reasons were that, although such a position would do much
for my reputation in Japan and be important for my study of
the Way, there were monks of insight in the assembly who
might criticize a foreigner's being appointed attendant in a
great Z e n temple, since it would indicate a lack of suitable
candidates in China. O n e should take such criticism into
careful account. I conveyed my sentiments to Ju-ching by
letter. H e recognized my respect for his country and realized
that people were certain to feel criticized. He accepted my
refusal and did not ask me again.

2
Dogen instructed:
S o m e o n e has said: "I am ill and of small talent and have not
the strength to study the Way. Yet I have heard the essentials
of the teaching and would like to retire and live alone and
spend the rest of my life caring for my body and trying to cure
my illness." This is a great mistake.
T h e old sages did not necessarily have bones made of
metal. W e r e the men of the past all possessed of superior
talents? It has not been so long since the Buddha's death,
and those who listened to him in his lifetime w e r e not all
superior beings. His followers included both the good and the
bad. A m o n g them were some whose conduct was unbelievably

99
bad, as well as people of the lowest type. Yet there was none
who, claiming Inferiority, failed to arouse the mind that seeks
the Way. Nor were there any who, saying they had no talent,
declined to study the Way. If you do not practice and study In
this life, in what life can you expect to gain the talent and the
well-being to study the Way? The essentials of study are
simply these: arouse the mind that seeks the Way and practice
without consideration for your own life.

3
Dogen instructed:
Students of the Way, do not crave for clothing and food.
Each person has his allotted share of food and life. He cannot
obtain more than his share even if he tries. Indeed, those who
study Buddhism also receive offerings from donors as a matter
of course. This cannot be compared with ordinary begging.
Monks also have community property that does not require
individual effort to obtain. The three types of food, fruit of
trees and plants, food gained from begging, and food donated
by believers, are the pure foods. Foods connected with the
four callings—farmers, merchants, warriors, and artisans—
is Impure and is not to be partaken of.
Once there was a monk who died and went to the land of
death. Yama, King of the dead, said: "This man has not yet
exhausted his share of life. Send him back."
One of the officials of hell replied: "Although his share of
life is not yet exhausted, his share of food has already been
used up."
"Then let him eat lotus leaves," Yama said. After returning
to the world, the monk could not eat ordinary food and
finished out his life eating lotus leaves.
Thus, stuofents, through the strength gained by studying
Buddhism, do not exhaust their share of food. Through the
virtue of the curl between the eyebrows of the Buddha1 and
his legacy of twenty years,2 monks cannot exhaust this food,
even though endless eons pass. They must concentrate on
training and not seek clothing and food.
From medical science we know that, if the body, flesh, and
blood are kept healthy, then the mind in turn becomes well.
How much more attuned will the mind of the student become

100
if he can govern his body in accordance with the conduct of
the Buddhas and Patriarchs, while maintaining the precepts
and living in purity.
Students, when you want to say something, think about it
three times before you say it. Speak only if your words will
benefit yourselves and others. Do not speak if it brings no
benefit. These things are difficult to do all at once. Keep them
In mind and learn them gradually.

4
After a talk on a variety of subjects, Dogen instructed:
Students, don't worry yourselves about clothing and food.
Although Japan is a small and out-of-the-way country, it has
gained fame in both the exoteric and esoteric schools of
Buddhism in the past as well as at present. In later generations
it has produced many men of great renown. There have been
many who excelled in poetry and music and in literature and
the martial arts and who have devoted themselves to their
practice. I have yet to hear of one of them, however, who
luxuriated in clothing and food. Because they endured
poverty, forgot all other things, and single-mindedly pursued
their Way, they gained fame. How much less so then should
students of the Patriarchal Way, who have discarded the
world and abandoned the search for fame and profit, expect to
gain material riches!
Although this is a decadent age, In the Zen monasteries of
China there are a million students. Among them are some who
have come from afar and others who have left their native
provinces, and almost all of them are poor. Yet they do not
worry about their poverty. They worry only about having not
yet attained enlightenment. Wherever they sit doing zazen,
whether on the top floors or in the lower parts of a building,
they practice Buddhism single-mindedly, as though in
mourning for their departed parents.
I myself have seen a monk from Szechuan who, coming
from afar, had virtually no possessions. All he had were two
or three pieces of charcoal, worth perhaps two or three
hundred mon, the equivalent of twenty or thirty mon in Japan.
With these he bought a cheap grade of thin paper, out of
which he made a coat and a pair of trousers. Every time he

101
stood up you could hear them tear, but his miserable
appearance did not bother him in the least.
Someone suggested: "You should return to your home and
come back when you are properly clothed and equipped."
The monk answered: "My native place is far from here, and
it would take me a long while to make the trip. I would just be
spending my time in vain and would worry about the time I
would lose in my study of the Way." Without bothering about
the cold, he practiced the Way. This is why many great men
have emerged in China.

5
Dogen instructed:
I have heard it said that when the temple on Mt. Hsiieh-feng 3
was established, it was very poor. Either the monks had no
food at all, or they subsisted on a mixture of steamed beans
and rice. Under these conditions they studied the Way, yet
later there were never less than fifteen hundred monks
studying there. In the old days monks were like that; we must
be this way today.
The decadence of monks is usually connected with wealth
and rank. When the Buddha was alive, Devadatta's jealousy
was aroused by the daily offering of five hundred cart-loads of
provisions.4 He brought harm not only to himself but also to
others. Why should true students of the Way wish to gain
riches? The accumulation of large stores, even if they are
offerings motivated by pure faith, will undoubtedly set one to
thinking about rewarding the donors for their favors. The
people of this country will make offerings in order to gain
benefits for themselves. To give to someone who approaches
with a smiling face is a normal human reaction. But, if you
behave so as to please others, it becomes an obstacle to the
study of the Way. Just endure hunger and cold and devote
yourself solely to the study of the Way.

6
One day Dogen instructed:
A man of old has said: "You must see it, hear it, gain it."
He also said: "If you cannot gain it, you must see it; if you
cannot see it, you must hear it." This means that you should
see it rather than hear it; that you should gain it rather than

102
see it. If you have not yet gained it, then you must see it. If
you have no yet seen it, then you must hear it.

7
On another occasion Dogen said:
The basic point to understand in the study of the Way is
that you must cast aside your deep-rooted attachments. If
you rectify the body in terms of the four attitudes of dignity,
the mind rectifies itself. If at first you uphold the precepts,
the mind reforms itself. In China it is the custom among
laymen to show their filial gratitude towards a deceased
parent by assembling at the ancestral mausoleum and
pretending to weep so earnestly that eventually real tears of
grief would fall. Students of the Way, even though they do not
have the mind that seeks the Way at the outset, eventually
arouse this mind merely by a steadfast love and study of
Buddhism.
Students who have been moved to study the Way should
merely follow the rest of the assembly in their conduct. Don't
try to learn the essential points and the examples from the
past right away. It is best, however, that they be fully grasped
before you go alone to practice in the mountains or conceal
yourself within a city. If you practice by doing what the
assembly does, you should be able to attain the Way. It is like
riding in a boat without knowing how to row. If you leave
everything up to a competent sailor, you will reach the other
shore, irrespective of whether you know how to row or not.
If you follow a good teacher and practice together with the
assembly and have no concepts of the Self, you will naturally
become a man of the Way.
Students, even if you gain enlightenment, do not stop
practicing, thinking that you have attained the ultimate. The
Buddha Way is endless. Once enlightened you must practice
all the more. Remember the story of the Lecture Master
Liang-sui, who came to study under Ma-yii. 5

8
Dogen instructed:
Students of the Way must not put off practice to some later
day. They must strive each day and each moment, without
wasting any time.

103
 A layman who had been ill a long time came here In the
spring of last year and gave me a promise, saying: "If this
illness is cured, I vow to leave my wife and children and build
a small retreat near the temple to live in. Twice a month I will
attend the gathering for repentance of infractions of the
precepts, participate in the daily practice, and listen to the
teaching. I will spend the rest of my life upholding the precepts
to the best of my ability." After that, by taking various cures,
he managed to get a bit better but then had a relapse and,
lying ill, he spent his days in vain. In the first month of this
year, his condition suddenly became critical, and his suffering
increased. Because there was no time to transport the
materials prepared for the small retreat he had planned to
build, he borrowed a room from someone and moved In. Yet
within a month or two, he was dead. On the night before his
death, he received the Bodhisattva precepts, took refuge in
the Three Treasures, and faced the end with equanimity. This
was better than if he had been at home and had died
maddened by the misery of his love for his wife and children.
It would have been best, though, had he left his home last
year, when he had come to his decision, lived near the temple,
became a monk, and ended his life in the practice of the Way.
This has convinced me that Buddhist training should not be
put off to some later day.
To think that, because you are ill, you must wait to practice
until you are cured betrays a lack of the mind that seeks the
Way. Our bodies are made up of a combination of the four
great elements;6 who is there that can escape illness? The
men of old did not all have bones of metal. If you only have
the determination, you can practice, forgetting all other things.
When the body confronts something vital, it habitually forgets
the trivial and the petty. Because Buddhism is the vital thing,
determine to investigate it for your whole life and determine
not to pass your days in vain.
An old Master has said: "Do not spend your time
wastefully." If you are trying to cure a disease, but it continues
to get worse and the pain gradually increases, determine to
practice at a time when the pain has eased somewhat.7 If you
suffer severe pain, determine to practice before the disease
becomes critical. If your disease is critical, determine to

104
practice before you die. While curing a disease, the illness
sometimes lets up and sometimes worsens. There are times
when the disease gets better, even though you do not attempt
to cure it; and other times when it gets worse, even if you do
attempt a cure. Consider this carefully.
Practicers of the Way, do not think of waiting to practice
until you have prepared a place to stay or equipped yourself
with robes and bowl. If impoverished people put off practice
until they have obtained the robes and bowl, which théy are
too poor to own now, what will they be able to do when they
face death? Therefore, if you wait to train until you have
found a place to stay and are fitted out with robes and bowl,
you will have wasted your whole life. If it is only because of
the lack of robes and bowl, even a layman should not let this
stop him but should practice Buddhism if he has the desire
to do so. The robes and bowl are only ornaments that all
monks are supposed to have. The true practicer of Buddhism
does not rely on them. If they are there, then they are there.
Do not go out of your way to look for them, and do not think
that you are lacking something that you have to have. To have
a disease that requires curing and to do nothing about it
because you are intent on dying—this is a heretical view. Do
not begrudge your life to Buddhism; on the other hand, do not
fail to save it if you can. If needed, the use of moxa or
medicinal herbs does not become an obstacle to practice. It
is wrong, though, to set practice aside and to postpone it until
you have cured your disease.

9
Dogen instructed:
In the middle of the sea, there is a place where great waves
rise known as the Dragon Gate. If a fish can pass this place, it
turns into a dragon. This is why it is called the Dragon Gate.
Yet it seems to me that the waves there are no higher than
those in other places, and the water must be just as salty as
anywhere else. Strangely enough, though, any fish that passes
there becomes a dragon without fail. Its scales do not change;
its body remains the same; yet suddenly it becomes a dragon.
The practicing Zen monk can be said to be like this fish.
When he enters a monastery, although it may not differ from

105
any other place, he without fail becomes a Buddha or a
Patriarch. He eats in the way that others eat, wears clothes in
the way that others wear them, and quells his hunger and
guards himself against the cold In the way that others do. Yet
he has but to shave his head, put on the monk's robe, and eat
the stipulated meals at the regulated times, and suddenly he
has become a Zen monk. Do not seek afar to become Buddhas
and Patriarchs. To enter a monastery or not to enter it is no
different from a fish passing or not passing the Dragon Gate.
There is a popular saying: "I sell gold, but there is no one
to buy it." This can also be said of the Patriarchal Way. This
Way is never begrudged. It is freely offered, but people do not
accept it. Attaining the Way does not depend on whether one
is inherently bright or stupid; anyone can awaken to the Way.
The speed with which the Way is attained depends on
zealousness or indolence. The difference between
zealousness and indolence is determined by the strength of
the will to seek the Way. A weak determination comes from a
failure to understand impermanence. Every moment, someone
dies; this process goes on endlessly without pause. In this
short existence, do not spend your time in idleness.
An old proverb says: "The rat living in the storeroom
hungers for food; the ox plowing the field never eats its fill of
grass." This means to hunger for food while in the midst of
food; to want for grass while surrounded by grass. So it is
with man. While dwelling within the Buddha Way, he does not
accord with the Way. If he cannot stop the mind that seeks
after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding
peace.

10
Dogen instructed:
Every action of a man well versed in Buddhism shows deep
thought, whether that action seems good or bad. This,
ordinary people do not understand. One day the Abbot Eshin'
asked a man to beat and drive away a deer that was eating
grass in the garden. At that time someone remarked: "You
seem to have no compassion. Why have you begrudged the
grass and tormented this animal?"

106
 The Abbot replied: "You do not understand. If I did not
chase the deer away, it would soon become accustomed to
people. If it came near an evil person, it would surely be
killed. That's why I chased it away."
Although chasing the deer seemed to show a lack of
compassion, it was motivated by a deep compassion.

11
One day Dogen instructed:
If someone comes to ask about the teaching or the
essentials of practice, the Zen monk must always answer him
truthfully. If the person seems to be someone of no talent or
is a person just starting out, who has little knowledge and
cannot understand, the monk must not reply with an expedient
or an untrue answer. The spirit of the Bodhisattva precepts
requires that he must answer only with the Mahayana
teachings, even if the questioner is a HInayana man, who asks
of the HInayana Way. This is how the Tathagata taught during
his lifetime. The provisional teachings of expediency are
really of no value. The last True Teaching9 alone has real
worth. Don't worry, however, about whether the other person
understands or not; just answer the truth. When you look at a
person, he should be seen from the standpoint of his true
virtue. Don't judge by his outward appearance or his supposed
virtue.
In ancient times, a man came to Confucius wishing to
receive his teaching. Confucius asked him: "Why do you want
to become my disciple?"
The man answered: "When I saw you at Court, you looked
noble and dignified. This made me want to receive your
teaching."
At this Confucius ordered his disciples to bring out vehicles,
luxurious costumes, gold, silver, and other treasures. These
he gave to the man, saying: "You did not come to learn from
me," and he sent him away.

Dogen continued:
Uji no Kampaku10 went to the bathhouse of his palace one
day to watch the fire being made. The attendant in charge saw

107
him and said: "Who are you to come to this bathhouse
uninvited!" and he chased the Kampaku away. Later, the
Kampaku took off the poor clothes he had been wearing and
changed to a magnificent robe. When he appeared in all his
dignity dressed in his resplendent garments, the bathhouse
attendant, who caught sight of him from a distance, fled in
terror. The Kampaku then hung his magnificent robe on the
top of a pole and did homage to it. When he was asked why
he did this, he replied: "Others do not respect me for my
virtue. It is only this fine robe that they respect." Foolish
people render respect in this fashion. Respect for the words of
the sutras and the teachings is also of this sort.
A man of old has said: "The words of statesmen fill the
world, yet the words contain no error. The actions of
statesmen fill the world, yet no one is dissatisfied with them." 1 '
This is because what has to be said is said and what has to
be done is done. These are the words and actions of the
highest virtue and are the essence of the Way. The words and
actions of people in this world are calculated to serve personal
concepts and can lead only to blame. The words and actions
of Zen monks have been established by their predecessors.
Do not hold your own personal views. This is the Way that has
been practiced by the Buddhas and the Patriarchs.
Students of the Way must each reflect upon themselves. To
reflect on your own body is to reflect on how you should
behave with your own body and mind. Zen monks are sons of
Sakyamuni; they must learn the style of the Tathagata. The
correct rules for the use of body, speech, and mind can be
seen in the actions of the Buddhas who have come before.
Each one of you must follow these actions. Even among
laymen it is said that clothing should follow established
precedents and that words should accord with actions. It is
all the more essential then that Zen monks do not make use
of personal views.

12
Dogen instructed:
Students today, when they listen to the teachings, try first
to give the impression that they have understood well what
they have heard, and they concern themselves with being able

108
to give answers that are to the point. Thus, what they hear just
passes through their ears. What this amounts to is that they
lack the mind that seeks the Way, because they still possess
egoistic views.
First of all, you must forget the Self. After listening carefully
to what someone has to say, you should think about it quietly.
If you find difficulties or have doubts about something, pursue
them to the end. If you understand, you should offer your
solutions to the Master again and again. To present what you
understand at once shows that you have not listened to the
teaching well.

13
Dogen instructed:
During the reign of T'ai-tsung of the T'ang Dynasty, a
foreign country presented the Emperor with a horse that
could travel a thousand li in one day. The Emperor did not
rejoice in the gift, thinking to himself: "If I ride a horse that
can cover one thousand li and I travel this distance, what use
is it if my retainers cannot keep up with me?"
He summoned Wei Cheng and asked his opinion. "I agree
with you completely," Wei Cheng replied. The Emperor
loaded the horse with gold and silks and had it sent back.
When even an Emperor returns things he cannot use, how
much more useless is it for a Zen monk to retain anything
other than his robes and bowl! Why accumulate useless
things? Laymen who specialize in a certain art find no need to
have fields, orchards, and manors of their own. They consider
that all the others in the country are their own people and
their own family, living on land that belongs to them.
So, who held the rank of HokkyS,12 left these words for his
son: "Just devote all your efforts to the Way that you are
following now." Disciples of the Buddha must cast aside all
other things and concentrate solely on the Buddha Way. This
is the most vital thing for them.

14
Dogen instructed:
Students of the Way, when you study under a teacher and
hear the doctrine, listen with extreme attention, and ask again

109
and again. If you do not ask what should be asked and do not
say what should be said, it will be your own loss. T h e Zen
Master always awaits a disciple's question and then gives his
reply. Even if you understand something, ask about it several
times until you are absolutely sure about it. T h e Master must
ask whether the disciple understands or not and must explain
things thoroughly.

15
Dogen instructed:
T h e points to watch for those versed in Buddhism differ
from those of ordinary people.
W h e n the late Abbot of Kenninji was still alive, there was
o n c e an occasion when there was no food to eat at the temple.
At that time, however, a parishioner invited the Abbot to call
and presented him with a bolt of silk. T h e Abbot was so
delighted that he would not give it to anyone to carry but
tucked it into his own clothes and returned to the temple. He
handed the silk over to one of the temple officers, saying:
" U s e this for tomorrow's food."
Just then, however, a request c a m e from a certain layman:
"I am embarrassed to ask, but I need two or three bolts of
silk badly, and if you can spare any at all, I would deeply
appreciate your letting me have some." T h e Abbot then took
back the silk from the officer and gave it to the layman. T h e
temple officer and the other monks w e r e upset by this
unexpected action.
Later the Abbot said: "You all probably think that what I
did was wrong. But in my view, you have all assembled here
with the determination to seek the Buddha Way. T o miss a
day's food, or even to starve to death, should not bother you.
T o help ordinary people when they are suffering from want of
something will bring excellent benefits to each one of you."
This is how someone versed in Buddhism looks at things.

16
Dogen instructed:
T h e Buddhas and the Patriarchs w e r e all at one time
ordinary men. While in this c o m m o n state, some w e r e guilty
of evil conduct and evil thought, some w e r e dull and others

110
foolish. Yet because they all reformed themselves, followed
a good teacher, and practiced, they became Buddhas and
Patriarchs. People nowadays must do the same. Don't d e m e a n
yourself by saying that you are dull and stupid. If you don't
arouse the determination to seek the W a y in this life, w h e n
do you expect to be able to practice? If you force yourself to
practice now, you will without fail gain the Way.

17
Dogen instructed:
A proverb epitomizing the Imperial Way says: "Unless you
empty your mind, you cannot accept good advice." This
means that, if you cast aside your personal views and follow
the advice of loyal ministers, the Imperial W a y will manifest
itself as it properly should. T h e epitome of the study of the
W a y by Z e n monks is just like this. If he has personal views
even to a small degree, the words of the Master will not enter
his ears, and if they do not enter, then he cannot attain to his
Master's teaching. It is not enough just to forget the differing
views on the teaching, but you must also forget worldly affairs,
hunger, and cold. Then w h e n you listen to the teaching, having
single-mindedly cleansed both body and mind, you are able to
hear with intimacy. W h e n you can hear like this, the principle
becomes clear, and doubts are resolved of themselves. T r u e
attainment of the W a y means to discard the body and mind
you have had up to now and just to follow your Master's
teaching as it is. If you do this, you will b e c o m e one truly
versed in the Way. This is the most vital truth handed down
from the past.

111
 Notes

I
1. The Biographies of Eminent Monks, Continued, a work in 30
chuan by Tao-hsuan (595-667).
2. The Buddha, the Law, and the Community of monks.
3. The realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts.
4. Unidentified.
5. Eisai (1141-1215) twice visited China and brought back the Zen
teachings. He founded the first Zen temple In Japan, as well as
the Kenninji in Kyoto. Dogen was for a while his disciple.
6. The reference here is most likely to the section on the
Bodhisattva precepts in the Brahmajala Sutra.
7. Po-chang Hui-hai (749-814). His work, the Po-chang ch'ing-kuei,
established the regulations for Zen monasteries.
8. Brought from the West (India) by Bodhidharma.
9. This story is not in the Choonji edition and may be a later
accretion to the text.
10. Title of Cho-an Te-kung (1144-1203).
11. Wu-tsu Fa-yen (d. 1104). He is noted for having produced three
famous disciples.
12. This expression is found in a famous koan, known as "Po-chang
and the wild f o x . " It is found in the Ts'ung-yung iu, the Wu-men
kuan, and other works.
13. Reference is to the celebrated koan concerning Nan-ch'iian
P'u-yuan (748-834) and the cat.
14. Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen (778-897).
15. The Choonji text changes the wording slightly and omits a
negative here. " W h e n the assembly could not answer,
Nan-ch'iian should have paused a w h i l e and then said: 'In your
silence the Way appears as it is.' "
16. Quoting Yun-wen Wen-yen (d. 949).
17. A phrase that leads to enlightenment.
18. Translation tentative. Texts vary in this passage; the Choonji
version has been followed here.
19. The precepts that lead to emancipation from the evil actions of
body, word, and mind.
20. The killing of the cat as a means of bringing enlightenment to
others.

113
21 As given in the section on the Bodhisattva Precepts in the
Brahmalala Sutra.
22. The ten major precepts: not to kill, not to steal, not to be
unchaste, not to lie, not to slander, not to insult, not to gossip,
not to covet, not to become angry, and not to be skeptical.
23. Shedding the blood of a Buddha; killing a father, mother, monk,
teacher, or Arhat; and disrupting the sangha.
24. When an evil person is admitted to the assembly he may be
treated with a lack of compassion for a while as a means of
cautioning him against his past evil.
25. Ju-ching (1163-1228) was the Master of the temple at Mt.
T'ien-t'ung. He was Dogen's teacher.
26. Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199).
27. Rokuhara is a section of Kyoto, east of the Kamo River, in
which the headquarters of the Taira family were located. Here
the reference is to the head of the family.
28. A famous philosopher-adviser in the Warring States period. A
native of Ch'i.
29. Younger brother of the Emperor of Chao. Died 250 B.C.
30. Title of Yung-ming Yen-shou (904-975).
31. The thirty-two marks and the eighty distinguishing
characteristics of a Buddha.
32. From a verse by Ch'ang-sha Ching-ts'en (d. 868).
33. The exact meaning of this passage is unclear.
34. Lun-yu iv.
35. Two of the ten great disciples of the Buddha.
36. Both were noted beauties of the fifth century, B.C.
37. The names of famous horses.
38. The exact source of this quotation is unknown; possibly it is
based on the Chen-kuan cheng-yao.
39. The Buddha lived a hundred years, but he entered Nirvana at
the age of eighty, offering the remaining twenty years of his life
for the benefit of beings in the degenerate age to come.
40. One of the nine distresses suffered by the Buddha during his
lifetime.
41. The ninety-day retreat during the summer rainy season.
42. Wen-hsiian xxxviii.
43. Brahma, Yama, and other Indian deities, adopted into the
pantheon as guardians of Buddhism.
44. Regulations for begging provide that one is to visit seven houses,
without concern for whether they are rich or poor.

1. Bhaiçajya, the Healing Buddha.

2. The park near Sràvastï in which temple buildings were

114
 constructed and where Sakyamuni preached.
3. The second T'ang Emperor, 598-649.
4. The celebrated Minister of early T'ang, 580-643.
5. The first Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, 541-604.
6. Of the Minamoto family. He is reputedly the author of Kojidan.
He died in 1215.
7. A high-ranking priest of Onjoji, a temple of the Tendai Sect. He
later resigned to become a disciple of Honen of the Pure Land
School. Koin died in 1216.
8. The Tendai Doctrine holds that each moment of thought has
immanent in it the three thousand worlds or all things.
9. A long-nosed demon, variously described.
10. Hung-chih Cheng-chiieh (1091-1157). Noted Zen priest, author
of the Ts'ung-yung lu. He greatly enlarged the Ching-te Temple
at Mt. T'ien-t'ung, where Dogen was later to study.
1 1 . See chapter 1, sec. 16.
12. The Koshoji at Fukakusa in Fushimi, south of Kyoto.
13. The Shingon priest Myohen (1142-1224) from Mt. Koya. He was
converted to the Pure Land teachings, and took the name
Ku Amidabutsu.
14. The recitation of the Buddha's name.
15. The period between death and rebirth in a new form.
16, To offer the g o o d that one has done for the sake of others.
17. Representative of the dull and unintelligent disciples of the
Buddha. By extreme exertion, he achieved Arhatship.
18. Nan-yueh Huai-jang (677-744), a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch.
19. Ma-tsu Tao-i (707-786), a disciple of Huai-jang, above.
20. 3437-268? B.C. From the state of Ch'u.
2 1 . The night is divided into five periods of two hours each,
beginning at eight o'clock. Each period is divided into five parts
of twenty-four minutes each. Here the time is given as the third
part of the third period, or kbout 1:12 A.M.
2 2 . The four forms of demeanor—walking, standing, sitting, and
lying—which, when properly exercised, inspire respect.
23. The Choonji text makes the following a continuation of
Ju-ching's own words, rather than a quotation of another priest's
remarks.
24. Ling-yiin Chih-ch'in gained enlightenment on seeing plum
blossoms in bloom. Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien was awakened on
hearing the sound of a tile striking bamboo.

1. See chapter 1, sec. 14.

2. Hai-wen Shih-chai. Dates unknown. He was Abbot of Mt.
1
T'ien-t'ung shortly before Dogen'r at the temple.

115
 3. Unidentified.
4. The meditation hall was divided into two sections, with a statue
of Manjusri in the center. That section that faced the front gate
was the front meditation hall; the one that faced the rear gate,
the rear meditation hall.
5. 759-824. The story appears In Ch'ing-te ch'uan-teng lu xiv.
6. The hole of a bird that nests in the ground. To be bound by
delusions.
7. A bucket lacquered black so that one cannot tell what it holds.
Delusions.
8. P'ang Yiin. High official of the T'ang, celebrated as a lay
follower of Zen.
9. Ts'ao-ch'i is the name of the mountain on which Hui-neng
(d. 713), the Sixth Patriarch, had his temple.
10. Huang-p'o is the name of the mountain on which the temple of
Hung-jen (601-674), the Fifth Patriarch, was located.

1. d. 775. An heir of Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch.

2. Apparently, a priest who attended at services in the Imperial
Court, attired in a purple robe. Hul-chung, being a National
Teacher, officiated at services there.
3. The six sense organs, their objects, and their perceptions.
4. His biography is unknown. He is famous for teaching the
"one-finger Zen."
5. January 28, 1327.
6. Shuza. The first seat in the meditation hall. The director of the
meditating monks, who sometimes preached in place of the
head priest of the temple.
7. Bodhidharma, traditionally a priest from India, was the First
Patriarch of Zen in China.
8. The Second Patriarch of Zen and the first native Chinese
Patriarch.
9. Zen. The term is drawn from the Diamond Sutra.
10. Feng-yang Shan-chao (947-1024).
11. Yao-shan Wei-yen (751-834).
12. See chapter 2, sec. 26.
13. A famous kóan involving T'ung-shan Liang-chieh (807-869).
14. Quotation from the Huai-nan tzu.
15. A work in ten chüan; the book is a sort of compendium of
political advice. It is apparently the source for several of
Dógen's cautionary remarks on Chinese worthies.
16. Dógen lost his father at three and his mother at eight, and, while
still a child, became an acolyte at the Tendai stronghold of Mt.
Hiei, near Kyoto.

116
17. Men such as Dengyodaishi, Kobodaishi, and Jikakudaishi.
18. The Chinese "Biographies of Eminent Monks" and its sequel.
19. Of action, thought, and words.
20. A famous general of the Warring States period. Parts of the
following story appear in Shih chi Ixxxi.
21. The Buddha divided the teaching of the Law into three periods:
1) the True Law (shoho), the five hundred years after the
Buddha's death, when the true teaching would still prevail; 2)
the Simulated Law (zoho), the one thousand years in which just
the teaching and practice would remain but without
enlightenment; 3) the Degenerate Law (mappo), in which the
teaching alone would remain. This period would last ten
thousand years. The number of years each period lasts differs
in various texts; the above figures, however, seem to have been
those accepted in Japan in Dogen's time.
22. The Choonji text adds two clauses here: "True Buddhism is not
like this. If one practices according to the teaching, one will
gain enlightenment without fail." This justifies Dogen's
statement that the Three Periods of the Law are "temporary
expedients" and serves to refute the belief that in the
"Degenerate Age" no one can attain enlightenment.
23. Unity of body, words, and mind; the same maintenance of the
precepts, the same views, and the same practice.
24. Yang-ch'i Fang-hui (992-1049).
25. Lung-ya Ch'u-tun (835-923).
26. One of the thirty-two marks of a Buddha.
27. Ichijo Motoie (1132-1214). He became a monk at Kenninji in
1201. Jimyoin is one of his pseudonyms.

1. First Emperor of the Han, reigned 202-190 B.C.

2. The first unifier of China, d. 210 B.C.
3. See chapter 2, sec. 23.
4. Reference is to the story of Po-i and Shu-ch'l, two legendary
brothers who rejected a kingdom and retired to Mt. Shou-yang,
where they starved to death.
5. Known also as Le-t'an K'o-wen (1025-1102).
6. Hsueh-feng Tao-yiian. Dates unknown, a fellow disciple of
K'o-wen under Huang-lung Hui-nan. The present edition gives
Yiin-feng as the name of the mountain associated with this
priest. It has been changed to Hsueh-feng, following the
Choonji edition. Both Yiin-feng and Hsueh-feng are mountains
that housed temples famous in Zen.
7. A disciple of Fen-yang Shan-chao (947-1024). He died at the age
of ninety-two, sometime between the years 1056 and 1064.

117
 8. Myozen (1183-1225) was a disciple of Eisai and was Dogen's
teacher for a period. He went to China with Dogen and died
there.
9. Details of his life are not known.
10. 596-664. Celebrated priest who journeyed to India in search of
the scriptures. He translated a large number of texts and was a
leader of the Consciousness-only School.
11. Drawn from the K'ung-tzu chia-yu, a collection of quotations
from a large variety of early Chinese works. The authenticity
and authorship of the work extant today are subjects of
scholarly dispute.
12. A work in 100 chuan, translated by Kumarajiva. It is a
c o m m e n t a r y on the Prajfiaparamita Sutra.
13. Ta-hui Ts'ung-kao (1089-1163). One of the most famous Zen
Masters of the Sung Dynasty.
14. A famous verse, widely used in Zen, attributed to Seng-ts'an,
the Third Patriarch.
15. Reference is to a story of the Buddha before he had gained his
enlightenment. He experienced such joy at the sight of a certain
ancient Buddha that for seven days he recited verses and
uttered words of praise, forgetting either to pick up or put down
his feet in the interim.
16. The five evil monks who were too lazy to read the sutras and, as
a result, who received no offerings. They made a show,
however, of practicing meditation and received support but
eventually fell into hell. They were reborn as imperfect beings,
such as stone women.
17. From a koan concerning Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen.

1. One of the thirty-two marks of a Buddha.

2. See chapter 1, sec. 16.
3. Reference is to the temple of Hsueh-feng l-ts'un (822-908), a
famous Zen Master of the T'ang Dynasty.
Devadatta was Sakyamuni's cousin and is representative of the
evil men who tried to thwart the Buddha's purpose. His crimes
4. were so numerous that he fell into hell while still alive. Jealousy
over the 500 cart-loads of provisions, offered by a wealthy
donor, motivated Devadatta to commit his evil acts.
Llang-sui, a Buddhist scholar who lectured on the scriptures,
visited Ma-yu Fa-ch'e and gained enlightenment under him.
5. Later, Liang-sui stopped giving lectures, dismissed his disciples,
and devoted himself to his own study of the Way. Ma-yu was a
disciple of Ma-tsu Tao-i. His dates are not known.
Earth, water, fire, and wind.

6.

118
 7. The Choonji text changes this sentence somewhat: " . . . the pain
gradually increases, you will wish that you had practiced when
the pain was still light."
8. Otherwise known as Genshin (941-1003). A famous priest of the
Tendai Sect, he lived atYokawa on Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto.
9. Reference is to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the
Nirvana Sutra. In the Tendai doctrine, these represent the
highest of the five grades of teaching preached by the Buddha.
10. Reference is to Fujiwara no Yorimichi (992-1074). He built the
famous Byodoin at Uji as a family temple. "Kampaku" is a title,
the equivalent of Regent or civilian dictator.
11. Quoted from the Book of Filial Piety iv.
12. A high priestly rank. " S o " is presumably a proper name. It
appears as Chiso in the Choonji text. He cdnnot be identified.

119