Did Dogen Go to China?: What He Wrote and When He Wrote It [Paperback]

Steven Heine (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195305922 | ISBN-13: 978-0195305920 | Publication Date: May 25, 2006 | Edition: First Edition

D=ogen (1200-1253), the founder of the S=ot=o Zen sect in Japan, is especially known for introducing to Japanese Buddhism many of the texts and practices that he discovered in China. Heine reconstructs the context of D=ogen's travels to and reflections on China by means of a critical look at traditional sources both by and about D=ogen in light of recent Japanese scholarship. While many studies emphasize the unique features of D=ogen's Japanese influences, this book calls attention to the way Chinese and Japanese elements were fused in D=ogen's religious vision. It reveals many new materials and insights into Dogen's main writings, including the multiple editions of the Sh=ob=ogenz=o, and how and when this seminal text was created by D=ogen and was edited and interpreted by his disciples. This book is the culmination of the author's thirty years of research on D=ogen and provides the reader with a comprehensive approach to the master's life works and an understanding of the overall career trajectory of one of the most important figures in the history of Buddhism and Asian religious thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Did D=ogen go to China? is a well-written piece of sound scholarship that fills a glaring lacuna in D=ogen studies. Heine builds on his deep expertise of D=ogen's life and work as well as of k=oan literature to tackle central issues in the hagiographical accounts of D=ogen's life. He displays a solid knowledge of all relevant sources and rethinks D=ogen's life in the context of the latest research. This volume constitutes an invaluable contribution to D=ogen scholarship."--Gereon Kopf, author of Beyond Personal Identity: D=ogen, Nishida and a Phenomenology of No-Self

"An indispensable vademecum to the work of the Soto Zen master. ...A short review cannot do justice to Heine's intricate argument, which will keep the specialists busy for years to come. Suffice it to say that he brings us face to face with the flesh-and-blood Dogen and his multifarious creative activities, and thus provides an anchorage and a perspective for which puzzled readers of the Shobogenzo will be profoundly grateful."--Monumenta Nipponica

"[Heine's] expert analysis is a touchstone of historical and textual research, and required reading for all serious students of Zen."--Religious Studies Review

"Because the majority of scholarly publications on Dogen are plagued by ahistorical methodologies, this book is a breath of fresh air. Thoroughly grounded in historical and textual-critical methodologies, Heine provides a comprehensive, detailed analysis of teh diversity of Dogen's writings. ...Heine's book should be read by any scholar seeking a more historically grounded understanding of Japanese Buddhism. ...Highly recommended." --Choice

About the Author

Steven Heine is Professor and Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University. He specializes in the history of thought of Zen Buddhism and its transition from China to Japan, especially the life and works of Zen Master D=ogen. He has published twenty books and numerous articles on East Asian religion and society. Dr. Heine was recently awarded the Kauffman Professorship in Entrepreneurship Studies at the Florida International University Business School.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (May 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195305922
• ISBN-13: 978-0195305920
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Zoroastrianism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Biographical and Literary Study, September 5, 2006

By 

William Harmless "William Harmless" (Omaha) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Did Dogen Go to China?: What He Wrote and When He Wrote It (Paperback)

Zen master Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)has been widely acclaimed as Japan's finest religious writer. This is a major biographical study, cutting through the traditional hagiography that has clouded standard accounts of Dogen's life and writings. Heine does much to illuminate the rich and sometimes subtle contours of Dogen's intellectual and social context and the evolution of his mind. He also brings English-speaking readers up to date on the complexities of recent Japanese historical-critical scholarship on this pivotal figure in the Zen tradition. Dogen was a brilliant bridge builder who adapted the Chinese Ch'an Buddhist traditions to Japan to create what we now know as Zen. Heine highlights Dogen's many-sided literary genius, as well as the many-sided ways Dogen appealed to China as a way to craft his unique vision of Buddhist life. Lucid and insightful at a variety of levels.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem from Steven Heine, February 10, 2008

By 

Ted Biringer "Author of The Flatbed Sutra of ... (Anacortes, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Did D=ogen Go to China?: What He Wrote and When He Wrote It (Hardcover)

If you want to know about the life and Zen teachings of Eihei Dogen, all of Steven Heine's books are a must. Did Dogen go to China? Of course he did, but there is more to the story--much more.

Steven Heine has once again dipped into the his massive reservoir of knowledge and come up with some very refreshing, insightful, and often surprising information on the life and teachings of Eihei Dogen.

Did Dogen Go To China? Get this book and resolve this and many more important questions.

Besides, just the pictures are worth the price of the book!