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Dogen Kigen: Mystical Realist (Monographs of the Association for Asian Studies)

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The Most Essential Work on Dogen Available in English

If I had to choose between Hee-Jin Kim's Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist (previously titled: Dogen Kigen-Mystical Realist) and all the other books on Dogen Zenji, author of Zen masterpiece Shobogenzo, I would not need to ponder-I would choose Mystical Realist.

The only other books in English that come close to Mystical Realist in their importance for understanding and appreciating Dogen and his writings are Hee-Jin Kim's two other masterful explorations of this seminal thirteenth century Zen master. These are, Dr. Kim's most recent book Dogen on Meditation and Thinking: His View on Zen, and his 1985 publication, Flowers of Emptiness: Selections From Dogen's Shobogenzo.

Ever since its original publication in 1975 (then titled: Dogen Kigen-Mystical Realist) Professor Kim's Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist has remained at the top of the list as the definitive English language book on the founder of Soto Zen in Japan and his works. This work has undergone several revisions (the latest in 2004) that have allowed Hee-Jin Kim to improve upon his original message. These revisions have allowed Kim to expand upon his ideas as they have been refined through the years, as well as to make corrections to the translations and keep the book current with ongoing scholarship.

While the revisions have improved the overall flow of his message, and improved the book's readability, its central teachings have stood firmly throughout. The insight that Kim offered us on Eihei Dogen and his work has remained essential unchanged. Like Master Dogen's own work, Kim's Mystical Realist is as vital and lively today as it was when it was originally published. This book is truly an extraordinary achievement, and as of all Kim's work, an essential text for students, not only of Dogen, or even Zen, but for anyone interested in exploring the human condition and its potential for actualization.

The Most Essential Work on Dogen Available in English

If I had to choose between Hee-Jin Kim's Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist (previously titled: Dogen Kigen-Mystical Realist) and all the other books on Dogen Zenji, author of Zen masterpiece Shobogenzo, I would not need to ponder-I would choose Mystical Realist.

The only other books in English that come close to Mystical Realist in their importance for understanding and appreciating Dogen and his writings are Hee-Jin Kim's two other masterful explorations of this seminal thirteenth century Zen master. These are, Dr. Kim's most recent book Dogen on Meditation and Thinking: His View on Zen, and his 1985 publication, Flowers of Emptiness: Selections From Dogen's Shobogenzo.

Ever since its original publication in 1975 (then titled: Dogen Kigen-Mystical Realist) Professor Kim's Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist has remained at the top of the list as the definitive English language book on the founder of Soto Zen in Japan and his works. This work has undergone several revisions (the latest in 2004) that have allowed Hee-Jin Kim to improve upon his original message. These revisions have allowed Kim to expand upon his ideas as they have been refined through the years, as well as to make corrections to the translations and keep the book current with ongoing scholarship.

While the revisions have improved the overall flow of his message, and improved the book's readability, its central teachings have stood firmly throughout. The insight that Kim offered us on Eihei Dogen and his work has remained essential unchanged. Like Master Dogen's own work, Kim's Mystical Realist is as vital and lively today as it was when it was originally published. This book is truly an extraordinary achievement, and as of all Kim's work, an essential text for students, not only of Dogen, or even Zen, but for anyone interested in exploring the human condition and its potential for actualization.