Shōbō genzō

About this book

A remarkable collection of essays, Shobogenzo, Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching, was composed in the thirteenth century by the Zen master Dogen, founder of the Soto Zen school in Japan. Through its linguistic artistry and its philosophical subtlety, the Shobogenzo presents a thorough recasting of Buddhism with a creative ingenuity that has never been matched in the subsequent literature of Japanese Zen. With this translation of thirteen of the ninety-five essays, Thomas Cleary attempts to convey the form as well as the content of Dogen's writing, thereby preserving the instrumental structure of the original text. Together with pertinent commentary, biography, and notes, these essays make accessible to a wider audience a Zen classic once considered the private reserve of Soto monks and Buddhologists. Readers from many fields in the sciences and humanities will find themselves richly rewarded.

Themes & subjects

About the author

Dōgen Zenji

19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253

Dōgen Zenji was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there. Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen