{"id":489,"date":"2021-03-10T16:39:11","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T16:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shobogenzo.net\/?page_id=489"},"modified":"2021-03-16T12:30:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T12:30:20","slug":"book-1-introductions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.shobogenzo.net\/index.php\/text-1\/chapter-introductions\/book-1-toc\/book-1-introductions\/","title":{"rendered":"Book 1 Introductions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[1] BENDOWA \u5f01\u9053\u8a71
A Talk about Pursuing the Truth<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ben means \u201cto\nmake an effort\u201d or \u201cto pursue,\u201d do means \u201cthe truth,\u201d and wa means \u201ca talk\u201d or \u201cstory.\u201d\nMaster Dogen usually used the word bendo to indicate the practice of Zazen, so\nBendowa means a talk about pursuing the truth, or a talk about the practice of\nZazen. This volume was not included in the first edition of Shobogenzo. It was\nfound in Kyoto in the Kanbun era (1661-1673), and added to Shobogenzo when the\n95-volume edition was edited by Master Hangyo Kozen in the Genroku era\n(1688-1704).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[2] MAKA-HANNYA-HARAMITSU \u6469\u8a36\u822c\u82e5\u6ce2\u7f85\u5bc6
Maha-prajna-paramita<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Maka is a\nphonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word maha<\/em>, which means \u201cgreat.\u201d\nHannya is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word prajna<\/em> which\ncan be translated as \u201creal wisdom\u201d or \u201cintuitive reflection.\u201d Haramitsu is a\nphonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word paramita<\/em> which\nliterally means \u201cto have arrived at the opposite shore,\u201d that is, to have\naccomplished the truth. So maka-hannya-haramitsu <\/strong>means the\naccomplishment which is great real wisdom. In this chapter, Master Dogen wrote\nhis interpretation of the Maha-prajna-paramita-hrdaya-sutra. Hrdaya means\nheart. This short sutra, usually called \u201cthe Heart Sutra,\u201d represents the heart\nof the six hundred volumes of the Maha-prajna-paramita-sutra<\/em>. Even\nthough it is very short, the Heart Sutra contains the most fundamental\nprinciple of Buddhism. What is the most fundamental principle? Prajna<\/em>.\nWhat is prajna<\/em>? Prajna<\/em>, or real wisdom, is a kind of intuitive\nability that occurs in our body and mind, when our body and mind are in the\nstate of balance and harmony. We normally think that wisdom is something based\non the intellect, but Buddhists believe that wisdom, on which our decisions are\nbased, is not intellectual but intuitive. The right decision comes from the\nright state of body and mind, and the right state of body and mind comes when\nour body and mind are balanced and harmonized. So maha-prajna-paramita<\/em> is\nwisdom that we have when our body and mind are balanced and harmonized. And\nZazen is the practice by which our body and mind enter the state of balance and\nharmony. Maha-prajna-paramita<\/em>, then, is the essence of Zazen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[3] GENJO-KOAN \u73fe\u6210\u516c\u6848
The Realized Universe<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Genjo means\n\u201crealized,\u201d and koan is an abbreviation of kofu-no-antoku, which was a notice\nboard on which a new law was announced to the public in ancient China. So koan\nexpresses a law, or a universal principle. In Shobogenzo, genjo koan means the\nrealized law of the Universe, that is Dharma, or the real Universe itself. The\nfundamental basis of Buddhism is belief in this real Universe, and in Genjo\nKoan Master Dogen preaches to us the realized Dharma, or the real Universe\nitself. When the seventy-five chapter edition of Shobogenzo was compiled, this\nchapter was placed first, and from this fact we can recognize its importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[4] IKKA-NO-MYOJU \u4e00\u9846\u660e\u73e0
One Bright Pearl<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ikka means \u201cone,\u201d\nmyo means \u201cbright\u201d or \u201cclear,\u201d and ju means \u201cpearl.\u201d So ikka no myoju means one\nbright pearl. This chapter is a commentary on Master Gensa Shibi\u2019s words that\nthe whole Universe in all directions is as splendid as a bright pearl. Master\nDogen loved these words, so he wrote about them in this chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[5] JU-UNDO-SHIKI \u91cd\u96f2\u5802\u5f0f
Rules for the Hall of Heavy Cloud<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ju-undo or \u201cthe\nHall of Heavy Cloud\u201d was the name of the Zazen Hall of\nKannon-dori-kosho-horin-ji temple. Shiki means rules. So Ju-undo-shiki means \u201cRules\nfor the Hall of Heavy Cloud.\u201d Kannon-dori-kosho-horin-ji temple was the first\ntemple established by Master Dogen. He built it in Kyoto prefecture in 1233,\nseveral years after coming back from China. Ju-undo was the first Zazen Hall to\nbe built in Japan. Master Dogen made these rules for the Hall, and titled them.\nThe chapter was not included in Shobogenzo when the 75-chapter edition was\ncompiled, but was added when the 95-chapter edition was compiled at the end of\nthe 17th century. The inclusion of this chapter is very useful in understanding\nShobogenzo, because what is written here represents in a concrete way Master\nDogen\u2019s sincere attitude in pursuing the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[6] SOKU-SHIN-ZE-BUTSU \u5373\u5fc3\u662f\u4ecf
Mind Here and Now Is Buddha<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Soku means \u201chere\nand now.\u201d Shin means \u201cmind.\u201d Ze means \u201cis.\u201d Butsu means \u201cbuddha.\u201d The principle\nof soku-shin-ze-butsu, or \u201cmind here and now is buddha\u201d is very famous in\nBuddhism, but many people have interpreted the principle to support the beliefs\nof naturalism. They say if our mind here and now is just buddha, our conduct\nmust always be right, and in that case, we need not make any effort to\nunderstand or to realize Buddhism. However, this interpretation is a serious\nmistake. The principle soku-shin-ze-butsu, \u201cmind here and now is buddha,\u201d must\nbe understood not from the standpoint of the intellect, but from the standpoint\nof practice. In other words, the principle does not mean belief in something\nspiritual called \u201cmind\u201d but it affirms the time \u201cnow\u201d and the place \u201chere\u201d as\nreality itself. This time and place must always be absolute and right, and so\nwe can call them the truth or \u201cbuddha.\u201d In this chapter, Master Dogen explained\nthis meaning of soku-shin-ze-butsu, or \u201cmind here and now is buddha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[7] SENJO \u6d17\u6d44
Washing<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sen means \u201cto\nwash,\u201d and jo means \u201cto purify.\u201d So senjo means \u201cwashing.\u201d Buddhism is neither\nidealism nor materialism, but belief in reality, which has both a spiritual\nside and a material side. So Buddhism insists that to clean our physical body\nis to purify our mind. Therefore, in Buddhism, cutting our fingernails, shaving\nour head, and washing our body are all very important religious practices. In\nthis chapter Master Dogen expounds the religious meaning of such daily\nbehavior, and preaches the importance in Buddhism of cleansing our physical\nbody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[8] RAIHAI-TOKUZUI \u793c\u62dd\u5f97\u968f
Prostrating to Attainment of the Marrow<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raihai\nmeans \u201cto prostrate oneself to,\u201d toku means \u201cto get,\u201d or \u201cto attain,\u201d and zui\nmeans \u201cmarrow.\u201d So raihai-tokuzui means prostrating oneself to attainment of\nthe marrow, in other words, revering what has got the truth. In this chapter\nMaster Dogen preached to us that the value of a being must be decided according\nto whether or not it has got the truth. So he said, even if it is a child, a\nwoman, a devil, or an animal like a wild fox, if it has got the truth, we must\nrevere it whole-heartedly. In this attitude, we can find Master Dogen\u2019s sincere\nreverence of the truth, and his view of men, women, and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[9] KEISEI-SANSHIKI \u8c3f\u58f0\u5c71\u8272
The Voices of the River-Valley and the Form of the Mountains<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kei means \u201criver-valley,\u201d\nsei means \u201csound\u201d or \u201cvoice,\u201d san means \u201cmountain,\u201d and shiki means \u201cform\u201d or \u201ccolor.\u201d\nSo keisei-sanshiki means voices of river-valleys and forms of mountains – that\nis, Nature. In Buddhism, this world is the truth itself, so Nature is a face of\nthe truth. Nature is the material side of the real world, so it is always\nspeaking the truth, and manifesting the law of the Universe every day. This is\nwhy it has been said since ancient time that sounds of rivers are the preaching\nof Gautama Buddha and forms of mountains are the body of Gautama Buddha. In\nthis chapter, Master Dogen preached to us the meaning of Nature in Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[10] SHOAKU-MAKUSA \u8af8\u60aa\u83ab\u4f5c
Not Doing Wrongs<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sho means \u201cmany\u201d\nor \u201cmiscellaneous,\u201d aku means \u201cwrong\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d maku means \u201cnot\u201d or \u201cdon\u2019t,\u201d\nand sa means \u201cto do.\u201d So shoaku makusa means \u201cnot doing wrong.\u201d These words are\nquoted from a short poem called \u201cthe Seven Buddhas\u2019 Universal Precept:\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t\ndo wrong; do right; then our minds become pure naturally; this is the teaching\nof the many Buddhas.\u201d This poem tells us how closely the teaching of Buddhism\nis related to morals. In this chapter Master Dogen teaches us the Buddhist\ntheory of morality. Morality or ethics is, by its nature, a very practical\nproblem. But most people are prone to forget the practical character of\nmorality, and usually only discuss it with words or as an abstract theory.\nHowever, talking about morality is not the same as being moral. Morality is\njust doing right or not doing wrong. Here Master Dogen explains real morality,\nquoting an interesting story about Master Choka Dorin and a famous Chinese poet\ncalled Haku Kyoi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[11] UJI \u6709\u6642
Existence-Time<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

U means \u201cexistence\u201d\nand ji means \u201ctime,\u201d so uji means \u201cexistent time,\u201d or \u201cexistence-time.\u201d In this\nchapter Master Dogen teaches us the meaning of time in Buddhism. As Master\nDogen explains in other chapters, Buddhism is realism. Therefore, the view of\ntime in Buddhism is always very realistic. Specifically, time is always related\nwith existence and existence is always related with momentary time. So in\nreality, the past and the future are not existent time; the present moment is\nthe only existent time – the point at which existence and time come together.\nAlso, time is always related with action here and now. Action can only be\nrealized in time, and time can only be realized in action. Thus, the view of\ntime in Buddhism reminds us of existentialism in modern philosophy. It is very\nimportant to understand the Buddhist view of time in order to grasp the true\nmeaning of Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[12] KESA-KUDOKU \u8888\u88df\u529f\u5fb3
The Merit of the Kasaya<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kesa\nrepresents the Sanskrit word kasaya<\/em>, or Buddhist robe, and kudoku\nmeans \u201cvirtue\u201d or \u201cmerit.\u201d So kesa kudoku means the merit of the kasaya. Being\na realistic religion, Buddhism reveres our real life. In other words, Buddhism\nesteems our real conduct in daily life; wearing clothes and eating meals are\nvery important parts of Buddhist life. In particular, the kasaya and patra, or\nBuddhist bowl, are the main symbols of Buddhist life. In this chapter Master\nDogen explains and praises the merit of the kasaya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[13] DEN-E \u4f1d\u8863
The Transmission of the Robe<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Den means \u201ctransmission\u201d\nand e means \u201crobe,\u201d so den-e means \u201cthe transmission of the robe.\u201d The content\nof this chapter is very similar to that of the previous chapter, Kesa-kudoku.\nFurthermore, the date recorded at the end of each chapter is the same. But\nwhereas the note at the end of Kesa-kudoku says \u201cpreached to the assembly at\nKannon-dori-kosho-horin-ji temple,\u201d the note to this chapter says \u201cwritten at\nKannon-dori-kosho-horin-ji temple…\u201d It thus seems likely that Den-e is the\ndraft of the lecture Master Dogen was to give on October 1st, and Kesa-kudoku\nis the transcript of the lecture he gave on that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[14] SANSUIGYO \u5c71\u6c34\u7d4c
The Sutra of Mountains and Water<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

San means \u201cmountains,\u201d\nsui means \u201cwater\u201d – rivers, lakes, and so on. Sansui suggests natural scenery,\nor Nature itself. Kyo or gyo means Buddhist sutras. So Sansuigyo means\nmountains and water, or Nature, as Buddhist sutras. Buddhism is basically a\nreligion of belief in the Universe, and Nature is the Universe showing its real\nform. So to look at Nature is to look at the Buddhist truth itself. For this\nreason Master Dogen believed that Nature is just Buddhist sutras. In this\nchapter he explains the real form of Nature, giving particular emphasis to relativity\nin Nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[15] BUSSO \u4ecf\u7956
The Buddhist Patriarchs<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Butsu means\n\u201cbuddha\u201d or \u201cBuddhist,\u201d so means \u201cpatriarch,\u201d and therefore busso means\nBuddhist patriarchs. Master Dogen revered Buddhas of the past; he also esteemed\nthe Buddhist transmission from Buddha to Buddha. Furthermore he believed in the\ncontinuity of the Buddhist order; the successive leaders of the Buddhist order\nheld an important place in his thought. Here Master Dogen enumerates the names\nof the Patriarchs of the Buddhist order, and in doing so, he confirms the\nBuddhist tradition they maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[16] SHISHO \u55e3\u66f8
The Certificate of Succession<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shi means \u201csuccession\u201d\nor \u201ctransmission.\u201d Sho means \u201ccertificate.\u201d So shisho means \u201cthe certificate of\nsuccession.\u201d Buddhism is not only theory, but also practice or experience. Therefore\nit is impossible for a Buddhist disciple to attain the Buddhist truth only by\nreading Buddhist sutras or listening to a master\u2019s lectures. The disciple must\nlive with a master and study the master\u2019s behavior in everyday life. After a\ndisciple has learned the master\u2019s life and has realized the Buddhist truth in\nhis or her own life, the master gives a certificate to the disciple, certifying\nthe transmission of the truth from master to disciple. This certificate is\ncalled shisho. From a materialistic viewpoint, the certificate is only cloth\nand ink, and so it cannot hold religious meaning or be revered as something\nwith religious value. But Buddhism is a realistic religion, and Buddhists find\nreligious value in many concrete traditions. The certificate is one such\ntraditional object which is revered by Buddhists. Therefore Master Dogen found\nmuch value in this certificate. In this chapter he explains why the certificate\nis revered by Buddhists, and records his own experiences of seeing such\ncertificates in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[17] HOKKE-TEN-HOKKE \u6cd5\u83ef\u8ee2\u6cd5\u83ef
The Flower of Dharma Turns the Flower of Dharma<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ho means \u201cDharma,\u201d\n\u201cthe law of the Universe,\u201d or the Universe itself. Ke means \u201cflowers.\u201d So hokke\nmeans \u201cthe Universe which is like flowers.\u201d The full title of the Lotus Sutra,\nMyoho-renge-kyo, \u201cThe Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,\u201d is\nusually abbreviated to Hokke-kyo. So hokke also suggests the wonderful Universe\nas manifested in the Lotus Sutra. Ten means \u201cto turn,\u201d or \u201cto move.\u201d So hokke-ten-hokke\nmeans \u201cthe wonderful Universe which is like flowers is moving the wonderful\nUniverse which is like flowers itself.\u201d This is the Buddhist view of the\nUniverse, and Master Dogen\u2019s view. In this chapter, Master Dogen explains this\nview of the Universe, quoting many words from the Lotus Sutra. The message of\nthe Lotus Sutra is \u201cHow wonderful is the Universe in which we are now living!\u201d\nSo here Master Dogen unfolds his view of the Universe, following the theory of\nthe Lotus Sutra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[18] SHIN-FUKATOKU \u5fc3\u4e0d\u53ef\u5f97
Mind Cannot Be Grasped [The former]<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shin means \u201cmind,\u201d\nfu expresses negation, ka expresses possibility, and toku means \u201cto grasp.\u201d\nShin-fukatoku, or \u201cmind cannot be grasped,\u201d is a quotation from the Diamond\nSutra. On the basis of our common sense, we usually think that our mind can be\ngrasped by our intellect, and we are prone to think that our mind must exist\nsomewhere substantially. This belief also extends into the sphere of\nphilosophy; Rene Descartes, for example, started his philosophical thinking\nwith the premise \u201cCogito ergo sum\u201d or \u201cI think therefore I am.\u201d The German\nidealists, for example, Kant, Fichte, von Schnelling, and Hegel, also based\ntheir philosophies on the existence of mind. But in Buddhism we do not have\nconfidence in the existence of mind. Buddhism is a philosophy of action, or a\nphilosophy of the here and now; in that philosophy, mind cannot exist\nindependently of the external world. In other words, Buddhism says that all\nexistence is the instantaneous contact between mind and the external world.\nTherefore it is difficult for us to grasp our mind independently of the\nexternal world. In short, Buddhist theory cannot support belief in the\nindependent existence of mind. In this chapter, Master Dogen preached that mind\ncannot be grasped, explaining a famous Buddhist story about a conversation\nbetween Master Tokuzan Senkan and an old woman selling rice cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[19] SHIN-FUKATOKU \u5fc3\u4e0d\u53ef\u5f97
Mind Cannot Be Grasped [The latter]<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The\n95-chapter edition of Shobogenzo has two chapters with the same title\nShin-fukatoku or Mind Cannot Be Grasped. We usually discriminate between the\ntwo chapters with the words \u201cthe former,\u201d and \u201cthe latter.\u201d The contents of the\ntwo chapters are different, but the meaning of the two chapters is almost the\nsame. Furthermore, the end of each chapter records the same date – the summer\nretreat in 1241. However, while the former chapter says \u201cpreached to the\nassembly\u201d this chapter says \u201cwritten.\u201d So it may be that the former chapter was\na short-hand record of Master Dogen\u2019s preaching, and the latter was Master\nDogen\u2019s draft of his lecture. This is only a supposition, and scholars in\nfuture may be able to find a more exact conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[20] KOKYO \u53e4\u93e1
The Eternal Mirror<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ko means \u201cancient\u201d\nor \u201ceternal\u201d and kyo means \u201cmirror,\u201d so kokyo means \u201cthe eternal mirror.\u201d And\nwhat \u201cthe eternal mirror\u201d means is the question. In this chapter Master Dogen\nquoted Master Seppo Gison\u2019s words \u201cWhen a foreigner comes in front of the\nmirror, the mirror reflects the foreigner.\u201d From these words we can understand\nthe eternal mirror as a symbol of some human mental faculty. The eternal mirror\nsuggests the importance of reflection, so we can suppose that the eternal\nmirror is a symbol of the intuitional faculty. In Buddhist philosophy, the\nintuition is called prajna<\/em>, or real wisdom. Real wisdom in Buddhism\nmeans our human intuitional faculty on which all our decisions are based.\nBuddhism esteems this real wisdom more than reason or sense-perception. Our\nreal wisdom is the basis for our decisions, and our decisions decide our life,\nso we can say that our real wisdom decides the course of our life. For this\nreason, it is very natural for Master Dogen to explain the eternal mirror. At\nthe same time, we must find another meaning of the eternal mirror, because\nMaster Dogen also quoted other words of Master Seppo Gison, \u201cEvery monkey has\nthe eternal mirror on its back.\u201d Therefore we can think that the eternal mirror\nmeans not only human real wisdom, but also some intuitional faculty of animals.\nSo we must widen the meaning of the eternal mirror, and understand it as a\nsymbol of the intuitional faculty which both human beings and animals have.\nFurthermore Master Seppo Gison said, \u201cWhen the world is ten feet wide, the\neternal mirror is ten feet wide. When the world is one foot wide, the eternal\nmirror is one foot wide.\u201d These words suggest the eternal mirror is the world\nitself. So we can say that the eternal mirror is not only a symbol of an\nindividual faculty but is also something universal. From ancient times\nBuddhists have discussed the eternal mirror. In this chapter Master Dogen\nexplains the meaning of the eternal mirror in Buddhism, quoting the words of\nancient Buddhist masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[21] KANKIN \u770b\u7d4c
Reading Sutras<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kan means \u201cto\nread\u201d and kin means \u201csutras.\u201d Many Buddhist sects revere reading sutras,\nbecause they think that the Buddhist truth is theory which can be understood\nthrough abstract explanation. They think that we can understand Buddhism only\nby reading sutras. At the same time, there are other sects who deny the value\nof reading sutras; they say that because Buddhist truth is not a theoretical\nsystem, we cannot attain the truth by reading sutras. Master Dogen took the\nmiddle way on the problem: rather than deny the value of reading sutras, he\nsaid that reading sutras is one way of finding out what Buddhist practice is.\nHe did not believe, however, that we can get the truth by reading sutras; he\ndid not think that reciting sutras might exercise some mystical influence over\nreligious life. In this way Master Dogen\u2019s view on reading sutras was very\nrealistic. However, his understanding of \u201creading sutras\u201d was not limited to\nwritten sutras; he believed that the Universe is a sutra. He thought that\nobserving the world around us is like reading a sutra. So for him, grass,\ntrees, mountains, the moon, the sun, and so forth were all Buddhist sutras. He\neven extended his view of reading sutras to include walking around the master\u2019s\nchair in the middle of the Zazen Hall. This viewpoint is not only Master Dogen\u2019s;\nit is the viewpoint of Buddhism itself. So in this chapter, Master Dogen\nexplains the wider meaning of reading sutras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1] BENDOWA \u5f01\u9053\u8a71 A Talk about Pursuing the Truth Ben means \u201cto make an effort\u201d or \u201cto pursue,\u201d do means \u201cthe truth,\u201d and wa means \u201ca talk\u201d or \u201cstory.\u201d Master Dogen usually used the word bendo to indicate the practice of Zazen, so Bendowa means a talk about pursuing the truth, or a talk about … <\/p>\n

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