Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies

by Steven Heine

Overview

In this groundbreaking collection of essays edited by Steven Heine, leading scholars of Buddhism from both sides of the Pacific explore the life and thought of Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Japanese Soto sect. Through both textual and historical analysis, the volume shows Dogen in context of the Chinese Chan tradition that influenced him and demonstrates the tremendous, lasting impact he had on Buddhist thought and culture in Japan. Special attention is given to the Shobogenzo and several of its fascicles, which express Dōgen's views on such practices and rituals as using supranormal powers (jinzu), reading the sutras (kankin), diligent training in zazen meditation (shikan taza), and the koan realized in everyday life (genjokoan). Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies also analyzes the historical significance of this seminal figure: for instance, Dogen's methods of appropriating or contrasting with Chan sources, as well as how Dogen was understood and examined in later periods, including modern times. This book is a crucial contribution to the advancement of specialized studies of Dogen, as well as to the Chan/Zen school in the context of East Asian religions and their social and historical trends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199754472
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/29/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	702,026
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Steven Heine is an authority on Japanese religion and society, especially the history of Zen Buddhism and the life and works of Dogen. He has published two dozen books, including Did Dogen Go to China? (2006), Zen Skin, Zen Marrow (2010), and Zen Masters (2010).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Dogen Studies on Both Sides of the Pacific

Part I. Textual Studies
1. William M. Bodiford - Textual Genealogies of Dogen
2. Steven Heine - What's On the Other Side? Delusion and Reality in Dogen's 'Genjokoan'
3. T. Griffith Foulk - Just Sitting? Dogen's Take on Zazen, Sutra Reading, and Other Conventional Buddhist Practices
4. Steven Heine - A Day in the Life: Dogen's View of Chan Lineages and Practices in 'Gyoji
5. Taigen Dan Leighton - Dogen's Approach to Training in Eihei koroku

Part II. Historical Studies
6. Ishii Shdo - An Evaluation of Dogen Zen from the Perspective of Song Chan
7. Albert Welter - Zen Syncretism: An Examination of Dogen's Zen Thought in Light of Yongming Yanshou's Chan Teaching in the Zongjing lu
8. Carl Bielefeldt - Disarming the Superpowers: The abhijna in Eisai and Dogen
9. William M. Bodiford - Remembering Dogen: Eiheiji and Dogen Hagiography
10. Ishii Seijun - New Trends in Dogen Studies in Japan

Notes
Glossary
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This is a fine collection of ten essays on the Japanese founder of Soto Zen, Dogen (1200-1253), who is both an important figure in Japanese Buddhist history and, through his interpreters, a major influence in what can be called modern global Buddhism."—Religious Studies Review

"Steven Heine has for decades been one of the West's leading scholars in Dogen studies, publishing translations of Dogen's poetry, reflecting on Dogen's philosophy and setting straight the historical record on Dogen. In recent years, many new translations of Dogen's writings have appeared and scholarly publication in the field of Dogen studies has grown dramatically. To bring order to this new scholarship, Heine has brought together in this volume an impressive collection of state-of-the-art essays from leading Dogen scholars. They represent the leading edge in new textual and historical research in Dogen studies."
— Victor Sogen Hori, author of Zen Sand

"This well-conceived volume includes numerous essays that will serve the study of Dogen far into the future."—Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly

From the Publisher