‘Birth and Death Are Nirvana’
In the following excerpt, the founder of the Soto Zen school imparts a timeless lesson on nonduality.
Eihei Dogen Zenji
Eihei Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) left Japan to study in China and then brought Zen Buddhism back to his own country. The seminal philosophical force of Japanese Soto Zen, Dogen Zenji is revered today for the clarity of his insights, for his passion, and for his poetry.
Actualizing the Fundamental Point
"To study the self is to forget the self."
TeachingsMagazine | Brief Teachings
Tea and Rice
13th-century zen master Dogen on the enlightenment of ordinary activity.
Finding Your Place
Select wisdom from sources old and new
TeachingsMagazine | Dharma Talk
Birth and Death
13th-century Japanese Zen Master Dogen on why in Buddha-dharma birth is understood as No-birth, and death is understood as No-death.
TeachingsMagazine | Special Section
13th Century Zen Master Dogen on Being Time
An ancient Buddha said: For the time being stand on top of the highest peak. For the time being proceed along the bottom of the deepest ocean. For the time being three heads and eight…
MeditationMagazine | On Practice
The Principles of Zazen
A Zen master on the universal guidelines for zazen, or sitting meditation.
TeachingsMagazine | Special Section
Mountains and Waters Sutra
Mountains and waters right now are the actualization of the ancient buddha way. Each, abiding in its phenomenal expression, realizes completeness. Because mountains and waters have been active since before the Empty Aeon, they are alive…
Instructions for the Tenzo
In a traditional Zen monastery, the position of tenzo, or head cook, is held by a monk who is considered to “have way-seeking mind, or by senior disciples with an aspiration for enlightenment.” Here, Japanese Zen…
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