Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies - Softcover

Steven Heine has for decades been one of the West's leading scholars in Dogen studies, publishing translations of Dogen's poetry, reflecting on Dogen's philosophy and setting straight the historical record on Dogen. In recent years, many new translations of Dogen's writings have appeared and scholarly publication in the field of Dogen studies has grown dramatically. To bring order to this new scholarship, Heine has brought together in this volume an impressive collection of state-of-the-art essays from leading Dogen scholars. They represent the leading edge in new textual and historical research in Dogen studies. (Victor Sogen Hori, author of Zen Sand)

This well-conceived volume includes numerous essays that will serve the study of Dogen far into the future. (Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly)

In this groundbreaking collection of essays edited by Steven Heine, leading scholars of Buddhism from both sides of the Pacific explore the life and thought of Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Japanese Soto sect. Through both textual and historical analysis, the volume shows Dogen in context of the Chinese Chan tradition that influenced him and demonstrates the tremendous, lasting impact he had on Buddhist thought and culture in Japan. Special attention is given to the Shobogenzo and several of its fascicles, which express D? gen's views on such practices and rituals as using supranormal powers (jinzu), reading the sutras (kankin), diligent training in zazen meditation (shikan taza), and the koan realized in everyday life (genjokoan). Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies also analyzes the historical significance of this seminal figure: for instance, Dogen's methods of appropriating or contrasting with Chan sources, as well as how Dogen was understood and examined in later periods, including modern times. This book is a crucial contribution to the advancement of specialized studies of Dogen, as well as to the Chan/Zen school in the context of East Asian religions and their social and historical trends.