Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation [Paperback]

Eihei Dogen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2004

Spiritual practice is not some kind of striving to produce enlightenment, but an expression of the enlightenment already inherent in all things: Such is the Zen teaching of Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) whose profound writings have been studied and revered for more than seven hundred years, influencing practitioners far beyond his native Japan and the Soto school he is credited with founding. In focusing on Dogen's most practical words of instruction and encouragement for Zen students, this new collection highlights the timelessness of his teaching and shows it to be as applicable to anyone today as it was in the great teacher's own time. Selections include Dogen's famous meditation instructions; his advice on the practice of zazen, or sitting meditation; guidelines for community life; and some of his most inspirational talks. Also included are a bibliography and an extensive glossary.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dogen (1200–1253) is known as the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen sect.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590300246
• ISBN-13: 978-1590300244
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A showcase of Dogen Zenji's genius, April 21, 2006

By 

Jason Clements (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation (Paperback)

This book contains translated fascicles from Dogen Zenji's Shobogenzo, a massive and inscrutable philosophical work regarding the nature of life and reality.

Within are some of the most popular, influential, and profound selections of the Shobogenzo regarding zazen meditation practice, which can be everything from somewhat confusing to utterly nonsensical to anyone without a store of background knowledge in Zen Buddhism.

As a consequence, this book is best geared towards those who already have a significant understanding of the language and style of Zen. It is definitely not for someone who has never encountered Buddhist or Zen thought before.

That said, Dogen Zenji's philosophy is unsurpassed in its depth and influence in Japanese Zen and, to a large extent, Western Zen as well. The Shobogenzo, written in the 1200's, is still studied and revered today as one of the most brilliant works ever written regarding Buddhist philosophy and practice. Many Zen teachers have dedicated themselves exclusively to Dogen's thought.

This book, though it does not contain other seminal fascicles such as the Genjokoan, is a great resource to anyone interested in reading not second-hand explanations, but selected translations from one of the most famous teachers and reformers of Zen Buddhism.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you are looking for an intro book, go somewhere else, March 9, 2006

By 

grouchy (exiled into purgatory. for real.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation (Paperback)

This is definitely an advanced book on practice. To learn meditation out of this book is not recommended --- the author lived in the 13th century. Reading this book gives insights, realizations, and wonderful ideas on the practice of meditation to those who have a grounding in the process.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sitting Breaking the Skin Born of Your Mother, December 5, 2008

By 

Lawrence (Christchurch NZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation (Paperback)

Eihei Dôgen was the founder of the Sôtô School and surely the greatest figure in the history of Japanese Zen. His enormous "Shôbôgenzô" or "Treasury of the True Dharma Eye", is probably the greatest single work of Zen literature, the record of one of the most enlightened minds known to us. This book collects the sections related to meditation, with a few pieces on the same subject from elsewhere, though it's far from a straightforward "guide to meditation".

Some have criticised this book for being hard to understand. But why would you buy a book about things you understand already? The pieces intended for beginners are in the first section, "Entering Zazen." Go on from there. Don't think of this as a book to polish off quickly, but as a precious possession to accompany you through life, revealing more and more of itself.

When you're a child, you see scenes of grown-ups or teenagers kissing on TV or in the movies and you think, "Ew yuck, I'm never going to do that when I grow up." You haven't yet had the experiences that will make sense of this for you. The same with Dôgen-zenji. As your practice deepens, you will find that things you were mystified by become as clear as day. Maybe some things you'll never get to understand, but that's no problem: Dôgen's endless probing subtlety reflects the profundity of the way things are. Still, as other reviewers have said, this is Not a book for anyone with only a casual interest in Zen.

As in other books by this translator, the idiom is somewhat curious: but it's not easy turning fluid, intricate and elliptical Classical Japanese into modern English. I think a good balance has been struck between clarity and retaining the flavour of the original: I have seen far worse versions of some of these pieces. The texts, especially in the latter sections, are dense with references to Zen lore, but as in "Moon in a Dewdrop" a comprehensive glossary has been provided