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The Wholehearted Way: A Translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa, With Commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi
The Wholehearted Way is a translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa, one of the primary texts on Zen practice. Transcending any particular school of Buddhism or religious belief, Dogen's profound and poetic writings are respected as a pinnacle of world spiritual literature. Bendowa, or A Talk on the Wholehearted Practice of the Way, was written in 1231 A.D. and expresses Dogen's teaching of the essential meaning of zazen (seated meditation) and its practice.
This edition also contains commentary on Bendowa by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, a foreword by Taigen Daniel Leighton, and an Introduction by Shohaku Okumura, both of whom prepared this English translation.
This edition also contains commentary on Bendowa by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, a foreword by Taigen Daniel Leighton, and an Introduction by Shohaku Okumura, both of whom prepared this English translation.
- GenresBuddhismZenPhilosophy
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2011
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About the author
Dōgen
139 books240 followersDōgen Zenji (道元禅師; also Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, or Eihei Dōgen 永平道元, or Koso Joyo Daishi) was a Zen Buddhist teacher and the founder of the Sōtō Zen school of Buddhism in Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 27, 2023
Bendōwa is one of the two early texts Dōgen wrote after his return from China in 1227. It’s very short, and emphatically rejects everything other than zazen as central message and practice of Buddhism. After the introduction, there are a series of questions followed by answers. Dōgen sometimes can be insulting, and I found these put-downs outright hilarious. Consider this: “Reading literature while ignoring the way of practice is like a person reading a prescription but forgetting to take the medicine; what is the benefit? Continuously uttering sounds like frogs in a spring rice paddy croaking day and night is also ultimately worthless.” Or this, “Although it is said that one should not relate dreams to fools and it is useless to give oars to mountain folks, I will give you further instruction.” Was this a common pedagogical style in Japan back then? It’s always interesting to see references to India and its geography - “In the Western Heaven…people are inherently straight forward”. The River Ganges is mentioned without further elaboration, which means both Dōgen and other monks and laypeople in 13th century Japan were at least a little familiar with the river, and its significance in India.
Most of the book is a commentary on Bendōwa by the 20th century Sōtō Zen priest, Kosho Uchiyama. This commentary on an established religious text is similar to the other tradition I am most familiar with, that of 20th century Advaita teachers commenting on Shankara or Ramanuja or Bhakti Sutras. There is a mixture of apologetics, elaboration and the necessity of faith in Buddha-dharma to address some of the ills of modernity. Zen as explained by Uchiyama is also very similar to Advaitic non-duality, even though Buddhism denies the existence of the self. “All beings exist through life experience of the self. The self lives out itself in the life experience of all beings. The life experience of the self and the myriad beings that we experience are one. This is the reality of life. The life experience of the self and the life experience of all beings can never separate into subject and object. That which experiences and that which is experienced cannot be divided into two.”
Uchiyama also repeatedly emphasizes that the practice is the point. Enlightenment is just zazen, and not a state that you encounter suddenly after sitting for some time or by listening to Zen koans. You must construct your life around sitting. There is a reality beyond the conceptual mind, before dividing into good or bad, delusion or enlightenment. Zazen is no good if you want to become an improved person - kinder, more productive and such. You cannot see this reality by reading about it. It takes years of practice. He recommends sitting for at least 10 years. This message has been persuasive to many people in the West. Uchiyama’s books are one of the most recommend books on Zen practice. If you are into Zen or Buddhism, I suppose this will deepen your practice in the same way that Yoga Sutras will for yoga practitioners. In other words, svādhyāya.
Most of the book is a commentary on Bendōwa by the 20th century Sōtō Zen priest, Kosho Uchiyama. This commentary on an established religious text is similar to the other tradition I am most familiar with, that of 20th century Advaita teachers commenting on Shankara or Ramanuja or Bhakti Sutras. There is a mixture of apologetics, elaboration and the necessity of faith in Buddha-dharma to address some of the ills of modernity. Zen as explained by Uchiyama is also very similar to Advaitic non-duality, even though Buddhism denies the existence of the self. “All beings exist through life experience of the self. The self lives out itself in the life experience of all beings. The life experience of the self and the myriad beings that we experience are one. This is the reality of life. The life experience of the self and the life experience of all beings can never separate into subject and object. That which experiences and that which is experienced cannot be divided into two.”
Uchiyama also repeatedly emphasizes that the practice is the point. Enlightenment is just zazen, and not a state that you encounter suddenly after sitting for some time or by listening to Zen koans. You must construct your life around sitting. There is a reality beyond the conceptual mind, before dividing into good or bad, delusion or enlightenment. Zazen is no good if you want to become an improved person - kinder, more productive and such. You cannot see this reality by reading about it. It takes years of practice. He recommends sitting for at least 10 years. This message has been persuasive to many people in the West. Uchiyama’s books are one of the most recommend books on Zen practice. If you are into Zen or Buddhism, I suppose this will deepen your practice in the same way that Yoga Sutras will for yoga practitioners. In other words, svādhyāya.
May 15, 2017
5 stars for Dogen, 2.5 for the commentary.
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May 28, 2025Los escritos del maestro Dogen son una ventana a la perspectiva del tiempo. En este libro por ejemplo, encontramos reunidos al menos cuatro emblemáticos budas en un mismo lente. Pasando por el Buda histórico, Siddharta Gautama; el fundador del Zen en Japón, Dogen Zenji quién escribiría con maestría El Bendowa, y es el libro en cuestión, y dos auténticos bodhisattvas de nuestro tiempo, ni más ni menos, Kosho Uchiyama y Shohaku Okumura.
Este valioso texto es una señal de la humanidad que aflora y nos espera momento a momento.
#ObrasGenerales #Vyārakana #Generalidades #EdicionesEspecialesdeLibrosRarosImpresos #Linaje #Boddhisatvas
Este valioso texto es una señal de la humanidad que aflora y nos espera momento a momento.
#ObrasGenerales #Vyārakana #Generalidades #EdicionesEspecialesdeLibrosRarosImpresos #Linaje #Boddhisatvas
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews