Dōgen

practices. The scripture was written around the 13th century BC by the Japanese Buddhist monk, Dogen. The latest translation and additions were performed by Koller. The intended audience for this translation of the Shobogenzo is those whom seek understanding and compliance to the original Shobogenzo and Dogen’s teachings. The purpose of this text is to clarify and expand on the thoughts and teachings of Dogen in relation to Zen and the Mahayana school. The original Shobogenzo was created during the

Buddhism as a non-theistic religion presents a passive philosophy that systematically alleviates the central belief of dukkha(suffering) and release from Samsara(cycle of rebirth). In relations to the quotations, Buddhaghosa of the Theravada variant and Dogen of the Zen buddhists address the attainment of enlightenment through living the Buddhist teachings and meditation. Similarly, the XIVth Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism(Mahayana), stresses ‘peace in the soul’ for the path to Nirvana that is attained

the eightfold path. These act as a guideline for the Buddhist adherents on their path towards reaching enlightenment by helping deal with modern issues such as bioethics. Similarly, many influential figures such as the Dalai Lama, Buddhaghosa and Dogen teach as a role model for Buddhist adherents to follow and guide them closer towards nirvana. Through both Buddhaghosa and Dogen’s statement, they illustrate

Although written in the early 1200's, "Instructions for the Zen Cook" by Dōgen Zenji, provides a set of instructions meant for Zen disciples that have as much relevance to the present as they did in the past. As stated in the title, the reading centers around the idea of preparing a meal for all the members of a monastery. More specifically, it emphasizes the great amount of responsibility given to the Zen cook in this community, the dependence that others have on the cook and the seriousness and

During the post classical period, 650 C.E to 1450 C.E, Japanese leaders were confronted with several issues that threatened political order in Japan. The problems that arose during that time included a lack of respect for Buddhism, for example, monks were not taking their vows seriously. Another problem included the division between classes in the social structure, one instance was when the lady-in-waiting in the temple showed disdain for the peasants in a lower class than her. Ultimately, one last

A brief comparison between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, both of these are very popular amongst the Vietnamese community. The word Zen has been used many times in the West, due to the hard work of Japanese culture; Zen Buddhism does not have a strong influence as that of the Pure Land Buddhism. Also in the school of Zen, "they reject claims of scriptural authority and embrace many different practices". Zen Buddhism rests on claims to an exclusive lineage that has been passed down from teacher

In Martin Heidegger’s “A Dialogue on Language,” in On the Way to Language, an Inquirer and a Japanese man discuss the dangers of examining concepts between languages. They discuss the Japanese term “Iki,” which is impossible to translate into Western languages, much like how aesthetics doesn’t apply to East Asian concepts. But since both Japanese and German originally came from the same source, the Inquirer suggests that one must return to the beginning of language to fully understand the magnitude

In the book Daodejing, chapter eight, the part that says “The highest efficacy is like water…That it incurs no blame.” In translation, I assume it is saying: The highest efficacy—which, is the awakening state in Buddhism (where mountains and water goes back to being mountains and water), it’s being compared to water since water is the benefit to every living thing. So, when one reached the awaken state, it benefits everything around. The way in the world for the awaken one is to dwell with others

Likewise, Yasunari Kawabata’s collection of letters reveal the reasoning behind why he writes so cynically about love. The letters narrate the story of Kawabata’s first love, a tragic tale of the relationship between him and a young girl named Hatsuyo Ito. She was thirteen and he was already twenty; regardless, they met at a literary café and grew close, falling in love (). They were both orphaned when they were young, and they yearned to create a family together. They planned to get married to

Another classification of new Buddhist doctrine is Kamakura Buddhism. This includes Amida (pure-land) Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. These sects were most active during the medieval period. One of the greatest differences between Kamakura and esoteric buddhism is that the former is not exclusively for the elites, commoners also participated in Amida and Zen Buddhism. Both of these doctrines contributed to “a massive broadening of the population that was touched by organized, intellectually sophisticated