Zen Wisdom & Motivation: Master Dogen

Hello and welcome.

My name is Silas Day and I'm very excited to continue my wisdom series with you.

Today we will begin looking at the Zen Buddhist tradition and a couple of its teachers.

We will begin by taking a look at Zen Master Dogen,

Who is one of,

If not the most,

Influential teachers in Zen Buddhism,

Perhaps only rivaled by Bodhidharma or Rinzai in importance.

Dogen lived in Japan in the 1200s.

Also called Ehiai Dogen,

He was the founder of the Soto Zen school in Japan.

Following the death of his mother when he was just seven,

He became a monk at Mount Heiai,

The central monastery of the Tindai school,

Which was the dominant Buddhist tradition in Japan at that time.

But at the age of 23,

Unable to reconcile the prevalent teaching of the Tindai school,

He left to seek answers in China.

There he received Dharma transmission and teachings from Master Rujing,

A Chan master,

And returned to Japan to teach.

A fierce advocate of Shikantaza,

Or objectless seated meditation,

Dogen taught practice realization.

His view was that enlightenment,

Rather than being a fruit of practice,

Is practice itself,

And that practice is itself awakening.

A prolific writer and poet,

Dogen composed many volumes of teachings on topics ranging from how to wash one's face,

To the workings of karma,

To the nature of time and its being,

All the while training monks and laypeople and laying the ground for what would become the Soto school of Zen.

His masterwork,

The 95 chapter Treasury of the True Dharma I,

Or in Japanese Shoboginzō,

Is considered one of the seminal works in Buddhist literature.

Now,

Let's take some time to look at some of Dogen's words and sayings,

Meditating on them and letting them flow in with curiosity,

Without resistance,

Letting them sink all the way down to our marrow so that we may know them in our own unique and personal way,

So that they may help us in the ways that we need.

If you are unable to find the truth right where you are,

Where else do you expect to find it?

Those who seek the easy way do not seek the true way.

Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.

Although its light is wide and great,

The moon is reflected in a puddle one inch wide.

The whole moon and the entire sky reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

If you want to travel the way of Buddhas and Zen masters,

Then expect nothing,

Seek nothing,

And grasp nothing.

To study Buddhism is to study ourselves.

To study ourselves is to forget ourselves.

To start from the self and try to understand all things is delusion.

To let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment.

Life and death are of supreme importance.

Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.

Each of us should strive to awaken.

Awaken,

Take heed,

And do not squander your life.

If you want to see things just as they are,

Then you yourself must practice just as you are.

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfections.

Do not follow the ideas of others,

But learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.

A fool sees himself as another,

But a wise man sees others as himself.

No matter how bad a state of mind you may get into,

If you keep strong and hold out,

Eventually the floating clouds must vanish and the withering wind must cease.

To escape from the world means that one's mind is not concerned with the opinions of the world.

Your body is like a dewdrop on the morning grass.

Your life is as brief as a flash of lightning,

Momentary and vain.

It is lost in a moment.

Treading along in this dreamlike,

Illusory realm without looking for the traces I may have left,

A bird's song beckons me to return home.

Hearing this,

I tilt my head to see who has told me to turn back,

But do not ask me where I am going as I have traveled in this limitless world,

Where every step I take is my home.

Each moment is all being.

Each moment is the entire world.

Reflect now whether any being or any world is left out of the present moment.

If we look at the world with a diluted body and mind,

We will think that our self is permanent,

But if we practice correctly and return to our true self,

We will realize nothing is permanent.

Do not doubt that mountains walk simply because they may appear not to walk like humans.

Mountains and rivers at this very moment are the actualization of the world of the ancient Buddhas.

Each abiding in its phenomenal expression realizes completeness.

This ordinary,

Everyday sitting is itself boundless joy.

This is some of the wisdoms and sayings of Zen Master Dogen.

I highly recommend you looking into his teachings more if any of these phrases intrigued,

Inspired,

Or caught your interest.

His writings are incredibly deep and helpful to anyone seeking a better understanding of themselves and of the interior world.

Dogen at times can still confound even the most seasoned of practitioners of Buddhism and meditation,

So don't sweat it if you didn't understand everything the first time through,

Or the first time you read or hear something from him.

As well,

If you enjoyed this content,

Please let me know and I will happily make more as it is a area of great interest of mine and a good passion of mine.

I'm Silas Day and have a wonderful day!