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.
Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation
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Dogen (1200–1253) is known as the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen sect.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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
By grouchy
Format: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
By Lawrence
Format: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
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
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deep
Difficult to read but worth the effort.
Dogen is a brilliant zen master and his thoughts are quite deep and provoking. Read more
Dogen is a brilliant zen master and his thoughts are quite deep and provoking. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Orman
3.0 out of 5 stars
scattered bright pearls
Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) is considered the founder of the Soto School of Zen Buddhism in Japan, renowned for "just sitting" meditation. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Autonomeus
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dogen
The book "Beyond Thinking" is a collection of writings by the Zen Master Eihei Dogen that has been edited and pieced together by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Read more
Published on April 19, 2010 by Lily Penny
5.0 out of 5 stars
GOOD BOOCK
GOOD BOOK. EVAN THOUGH IT GETS TO DEEP FOR ME BUT I ENJOYED AND UNDERSTOOD A LOT OF IT. AND HAVE SOMPTHING TO REREAD AND WORK ON. GOOD ZEN, JUST BE.
Published on December 24, 2007 by Daniel Shellenbarger
3.0 out of 5 stars
the words are painful.
The book is nicely organized and contains a lot of good information, but reading it is just too painful for me. Read more
Published on June 3, 2007 by Colin Stahl
4.0 out of 5 stars
Listen to Dogen Zenji
Listen to Dogen Zenji's dharma with this book. The writings of this master are timeless. Not easy to read - requires some effort, but there are morsals of teachings buried... Read more
Published on November 4, 2006 by Edmond D. Quesada
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zen Meditation
Hi:
This book is awesome. If you want to understand Zen meditation, Dogen is the best, and this book prove it.
This book is awesome. If you want to understand Zen meditation, Dogen is the best, and this book prove it.
Published on October 8, 2005 by Juan
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 31
books:
See all 31 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen by Eihei Dogen in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen by Eihei Dogen; Edited By Kazuaki Tanahashi in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Record of Things Heard by Dogen in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Zenji (Shambhala Dragon Editions) by Thomas Cleary in Back Matter
- Selected Writings (Oxford World's Classics) by William Hazlitt in Back Matter
See all 31 books this book cites
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