Description
Book SynopsisThe
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (
Shōbōgenzō) is the masterwork of Dōgen (1200–1253), founder of the Sōtō Zen Buddhist sect in Kamakura-era Japan. Steven Heine provides a comprehensive introduction to this essential Zen text, offering a textual, historical, literary, and philosophical examination of Dōgen’s treatise.
Trade ReviewThis book, quite simply, may be the single best detailed survey and explanation of what Dogen was on about that I have ever read by an academic. * Treeleaf *
[This] volume is warmly recommended to all students of Buddhism. -- Lehel Balogh, Hokkaido University * Religious Studies Review *
Readings of Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is a wise book. -- Zuzana Kubovčáková * Journal of Buddhist Ethics *
With clarifying beams of insight, Heine deftly evinces how Dōgen’s teachings are a creative response to a range of Buddhist sutras, kōans, and Chinese and Japanese teachers. Illuminating with philosophical virtuosity the dynamic nature of Dōgen’s written teachings and erudite explication of entangled versions of Dōgen’s writings, Heine animates Dōgen’s teachings and practices as he offers nuggets of sagacity throughout. -- Paula Arai, author of
Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart SutraVigorous and insightful,
Readings of Dōgen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye provides a deep inspection of central themes in Dōgen's vast literal legacy. In a clear and inspiring manner, Heine’s analysis sheds crucial light that clarifies both the beauty and complexity of this giant Zen Master. -- Eitan Bolokan, Tel Aviv University
Heine has written a comprehensive, detailed, and accessible analysis of the textual, religious, and philosophical intricacies of Dōgen’s master work,
Shōbōgenzō. This careful work of synthesis builds on his own original scholarship on Zen and the
Shōbōgenzō itself, and is one of the most thorough overviews of Dōgen’s thought to date. -- Richard Jaffe, author of
Seeking Sakyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Japanese BuddhismHeine illuminates Dōgen's innovative re-readings of Zen tradition, highlighting his insights into 'being-time' and the 'oneness of practice realization.' Grounded in recent scholarship and embracing historical, literary, and practice perspectives, this comprehensive treatment of the
Treasury will be welcomed by Dōgen enthusiasts and others interested in Japanese Buddhism. -- Jacqueline Stone, author of
Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese BuddhismA foremost Dōgen expert's long-awaited, thorough, and comprehensive examination of the sublime thinker whose monumental elucidation of dharma is beginning to inspire meditators and beyond worldwide. -- Kazuaki Tanahashi, author of
Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master DōgenShōbōgenzō, Dōgen's brilliant guidebook for the practice of Zen, is now widely recognized as one of Buddhism's greatest masterworks. The importance of the text and its complex difficulties cannot be overemphasized. Steven Heine's
Readings provides excellent guidance through the text's crucial issues. Truly, a monumental achievement—now the best book on Dōgen. -- Dale S. Wright, author of
Buddhism: What Everyone Needs to KnowTable of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Part I. Textual Sources and Resources1. Creativity and Originality: Orientations, Reorientations, and Disorientations
2. Receptivity and Reliability: Numerous Levels of Significance
3. Multiplicity and Variability: Differing Versions and Interpretations
Part II. Religious Teachings and Practices4. Reality and Mentality: On Perceiving the World of Sentient and Insentient Beings
5. Temporality and Ephemerality: On Negotiating Living and Dying
6. Expressivity and Deceptivity: To Speak or Not to Speak
7. Reflexivity and Adaptability: The Functions and Dysfunctions of Meditation
8. Rituality and Causality: On Monastic Discipline and Motivation
Appendix 1: Titles of
Treasury Fascicles
Appendix 2: Comparison of Versions of the
TreasuryAppendix 3: Timeline for Dōgen and the
TreasuryAppendix 4: Complete Translations of the
TreasuryCharacter Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
