Tanahashi Kazuaki - Treasury of the True Dharma Eye

A vast, beautiful translation of the master work of the Japanese genius Dogen Zenji. English-speaking practitioners will be indebted to Kaz Tanahashi and his associates for this truly magnificent teaching, an indispensable contribution to Zen letters.

Peter Matthiessen (Muryo Roshi)

At long last! A discerning, poetic, and, intimate rendering of Dogens true expression of the dharma. Dogens devotees have long awaited Tanahashis complete translation of the Shobogenzo into a contemporary and deeply profound version. Those new to the wisdom of this great teacher as well as those who treasure him will delight in the extraordinary work by our foremost translator and interpreter of Dogens masterpiece.

Pat Enkyo OHara, Abbot, Village Zendo, New York, New York

Kaz Tanahashi, a renowned translator of Dogen and noted artist, has put together an outstanding team of co-translators to create a complete rendering of Dogens magnum opus, the Shobo Genzo . This publication, which will be in great demand by all scholars, students, and practitioners of Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought more generally, is both accurate and accessible in following the original text literally while capturing the spirit of Dogens poetic genius. Although there are numerous versions of the work available in English, this new edition is sure to be the one turned to and cited consistently by knowledgeable readers.

Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Asian Studies, Florida International University, author of Zen Skin, Zen Marrow and Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters

Reading over Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogens Shobo Genzo, I am astonished first by the incredible range and variety of Dogens writings, and second by the immense task that has been done to translate this major text. With the possible exception of Hakuins complete writings, there is nothing in Japanese Zen to equal the immense breadth and depth of Dogens work, which ranges from direct instructions in simple language to the most complex and profound teachings that use words to go far beyond words. I am convinced that Zen students will find this text especially valuable to contemplate, study, and absorb over the entire course of their lifetimes.

Stephen Addiss, author of The Art of Zen

ABOUT THE BOOK

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye ( Shobo Genzo, in Japanese) is a monumental work, considered to be one of the profoundest expressions of Zen wisdom ever put on paper, and also the most outstanding literary and philosophical work of Japan. It is a collection of essays by Eihei Dogen (12001253), founder of Zens Soto school.

Kazuaki Tanahashi and a team of translators that represent a Whos Who of American Zen have produced a translation of the great work that combines accuracy with a deep understanding of Dogens voice and literary gifts. This eBook includes a wealth of materials to aid understanding, including maps, lineage charts, a bibliography, and an exhaustive glossary of names and termsand, as a bonus, the most renowned of all Dogens essays, Recommending Zazen to All People.

KAZUAKI TANAHASHI, a Japanese-trained calligrapher, is the pioneer of the genre of one stroke painting as well as the creator of multicolor enso (Zen circles). His brushwork has been shown in solo exhibitions in galleries, museums, and universities all over the world. Tanahashi has edited several books of Dogens writings and is also the author of Brush Mind.

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CONTRIBUTORS

A SSOCIATE E DITOR

Peter Levitt

T RANSLATORS

Robert Aitken

Steve Allen

Reb Anderson

Chozen Jan Bays

Hogen Bays

Edward Brown

Gyokuko Carlson

Kyogen Carlson

Linda Ruth Cutts

Andy Ferguson

Norman Fischer

Gaelyn Godwin

Natalie Goldberg

Joan Halifax

Paul Haller

Blanche Hartman

Arnold Kotler

Taigen Dan Leighton

Peter Levitt

John Daido Loori

Susan Moon

Wendy Egyoku Nakao

Josho Pat Phelan

Lewis Richmond

David Schneider

Jean Selkirk

Alan Senauke

Kazuaki Tanahashi

Katherine Thanas

Mel Weitsman

Dan Welch

Michael Wenger

Philip Whalen

Zen Master Dogens Shobo Genzo

EDITED BY

Kazuaki Tanahashi

S HAMBHALA

BOSTON & LONDON 2012

S HAMBHALA P UBLICATIONS , I NC .

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Boston, Massachusetts 02115

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2010 by the San Francisco Zen Center

The enso design on the book cover is by Shunryu Suzuki and is reproduced by permission of San Francisco Zen Center.

The section constitutes a continuation of this copyright page.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dogen, 12001253.

[Shobo genzo. English]

Treasury of the true dharma eye: Zen master Dogens Shobo genzo / edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

eISBN 978-0-8348-2836-0

ISBN 978-1-59030-474-7 (hardcover: alk. paper)

1. SotoshuDoctrinesEarly works to 1800.

I. Tanahashi, Kazuaki, 1933 II. Title

BQ9449.D654S5313 2010

294.385dc22

2010015405

With deep respect and gratitude to Zen masters Shunryu Suzuki, Taizan Maezumi, and Dainin Katagiri, who pioneered the practice and teaching of Dogen Zen in North America

O N THE GREAT ROAD OF BUDDHA ancestors there is always unsurpassable practice, continuous and sustained. It forms the circle of the way and is never cut off. Between aspiration, practice, enlightenment, and nirvana, there is not a moments gap; continuous practice is the circle of the way.

D OGEN,

Continuous Practice

W HEN EVEN FOR A MOMENT you sit upright in samadhi expressing the buddha mudra in the three activities, the whole world of phenomena becomes the buddhas mudra and the entire sky turns into enlightenment.

D OGEN,

On the Endeavor of the Way

CONTENTS

PUBLISHERS NOTE

This book contains Chinese and Japanese characters. If you encounter difficulty displaying these characters, please set your e-reader to publisher defaults (if available) or to an alternate font.

I T IS MY GREAT pleasure to present the lifework of Zen Master Eihei Dogen (12001253), an extraordinary meditator, thinker, visionary, teacher, poet, writer, scholar, leader of a spiritual community, and reformer of Buddhism in Japan. We translate the original Japanese title, Shobo Genzo, as Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. The eye here indicates the understanding as well as the experience of reality through meditative endeavor.