Customer Reviews

Dogen Studies (Studies in East Asian Buddhism, No 2)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

DOGEN STUDIES. Edited by William R. LaFleur. Kuroda Institute : Studies in East Asian Buddhism No.2. 165 pp. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, 1992.

Most collections of academic critical articles tend to follow a similar pattern. Among the dozen or so pieces comprising the collection, one or two will invariably prove to be of exceptional merit and interest, with the remainder, in contrast, looking like humdrum and uninspired filler. Perhaps, given the greatly varying abilities of human beings, this is inevitable. There are Scholars and scholars, and one can't go about smashing rice bowls.

Happily, the present collection of 'Dogen Studies' is that rare exception in which, not just one or two, but all of the contributions, although not perhaps of equal brilliance, are certainly interesting. I don't know whether this is because Dogen is himself such an interesting and multi-faceted thinker, or whether it's because he attracts a more interesting kind of mind, but I can assure readers that all of the pieces in the present collection are well worth reading by anyone with a serious interest in Dogen.

The collection is made up of the following eight articles : 'Design in the Academy' by William R. LaFleur ; 'Recarving the Dragon : History and Dogma in the Study of Dogen' by Carl Bielefeldt ; '"The Reason of Words and Letters" : Dogen and Koan Language' by Hee-Jin Kim ; 'The Incomparable Philosopher : Dogen on How to Read the Shobogenzo' by Thomas P. Kasulis ; 'The Oneness of Practice and Attainment : Implications for the Relation between Means and Ends' by Masao Abe ; 'The Practice of Body-Mind : Dogen's Shinjingakudo and Comparative Philosophy' by John C. Maraldo ; 'Dogen's View of Authentic Selfhood and its Socio-ethical Implications' by Francis H. Cook ; 'The Meaning of Dogen Today' by Robert N. Bellah.

The book is rounded out with a detailed List of Contributors, their affiliations, backgrounds, and main publications, and a 5-page bilingual Glossary of Chinese and Japanese Terms (with sinographs). Among the contributors are some outstanding Dogen scholars whose names will already be familiar to students of Dogen.

'Dogen Studies' is a carefully conceived and well-balanced collection, and seems to have been designed to show us something of the range of possible approaches to Dogen. Everyone will have a favorite, my own being Francis Cook's piece, an article which seems to me to be the finest and most interesting treatment of 'enlightenment' that I've ever seen. But, as I've indicated, I enjoyed all of the others too.

As an added bonus, the many translated excerpts from Dogen that are scattered throughout the book are of uniformly high quality. Here are some particularly fine lines from the 'Shobogenzo Genjo-koan' as rendered by Francis H. Cook:

"Conveying the self to the myriad beings to authenticate them is delusion; / The myriad things advancing to authenticate the self is enlightenment" (page 133).

'Dogen Studies' is a book that I'm pleased to be able to recommend, as I feel sure that all serious students of Dogen will find it of real interest.