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Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen's Shobogenzo
Dogen, the thirteenth-century Zen master who founded the Japanese Soto school of Zen, is renowned as one the world's most remarkable religious geniuses. His works are both richly poetic and deeply insightful and philosophical, pointing to the endless depths of Zen exploration. And almost precisely because of these facts, Dogen is often difficult for readers to understand and fully appreciate.
Realizing Genjokoan is a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and approach of this great thinker, taking us on a thorough guided tour of the most important essay-Genjokoan-in Dogen's seminal work, the Shobogenzo. Indeed, the Genjokoan is regarded as the pinnacle of Dogen's writings, encompassing and encapsulating the essence of all the rest of his work.
Our tour guide for this journey is Shohaku Okumura, a prominent teacher in his own right, who has dedicated his life to translating and teaching Dogen.
This volume also includes an introduction to Dogen's life from Hee-Jin Kim's classic, Eihei Mystical Realist , with updated annotations by Okumura.
Realizing Genjokoan is a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and approach of this great thinker, taking us on a thorough guided tour of the most important essay-Genjokoan-in Dogen's seminal work, the Shobogenzo. Indeed, the Genjokoan is regarded as the pinnacle of Dogen's writings, encompassing and encapsulating the essence of all the rest of his work.
Our tour guide for this journey is Shohaku Okumura, a prominent teacher in his own right, who has dedicated his life to translating and teaching Dogen.
This volume also includes an introduction to Dogen's life from Hee-Jin Kim's classic, Eihei Mystical Realist , with updated annotations by Okumura.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 17, 2011
An excellent interpretation of a Soto Zen classic through the eyes of a modern, gifted practitioner. Under Okumura's fine analysis, "Genjokoan" is revealed be to not merely lyrical and intricate, but also practical. Okumura uses analogies and examples from his own life to show how Dogen's essay on enlightenment, being and time can free us from our misconceptions about what it means to be human.
I particularly liked that Okumura, instead of using the typical Buddhist phrase "dependent origination", talked of "*inter*dependent origination - emphasizing that the Buddhist doctrine of no-self means that we exist only in relation to everything else that exists. Okumura negates the phenomenal, self-centered ego by encouraging us to perceive how it includes all things.
A seminal spiritual text, no matter your chosen spiritual path.
I particularly liked that Okumura, instead of using the typical Buddhist phrase "dependent origination", talked of "*inter*dependent origination - emphasizing that the Buddhist doctrine of no-self means that we exist only in relation to everything else that exists. Okumura negates the phenomenal, self-centered ego by encouraging us to perceive how it includes all things.
A seminal spiritual text, no matter your chosen spiritual path.
January 6, 2018
Well, I have to thank Brad Warner's extensive bibliography for this one. Okumura's exposition of Genjokoan is a gem. He manages to break down the difficulty of reading Dogen and really gives the reader a taste of Dogen's teaching. Wonderfully written, clear and thorough. For anyone with an interest in Soto Zen, this book is not to be missed.
And while it took me long enough to read it, I'm happy it is my first completed reading of the year, whatever that means!!!
Now, back to the cushion to put it into practice....
And while it took me long enough to read it, I'm happy it is my first completed reading of the year, whatever that means!!!
Now, back to the cushion to put it into practice....
February 27, 2019
Each translation and interpretation is pure devotion to this epic masterpiece. This one spares no detail and the biography of Dogen at the conclusion is given and received in great gratitude.
January 6, 2025
"Genjokoan" is among the most important essays in Dogen's opus, Shobogenzo in which we find some of Dogen's most famous passages. Okumura is responsible for some of the best contemporary books on Zen practice, in particular Living By Vow which explicates zen thought and practice through a detailed explanation of eight essential Zen chants and texts.
As Okumura writes, "Genjokoan" is perhaps the best text to enter into the study of Dogen's teaching and presentation of meditation practice. Dogen's writing can be perplexing and irritatingly frustrating for someone new to his literary style of mixing poetic and precise language, using imagery that can at times be confusing. Okumura is a gentle and clear guide opening the dense text to an astonishingly clear and cogent view. It is important to keep in mind that Dogen is always pointing to zazen. That is the core of his message and his presentation of zazen as the heart of Buddhist understanding and awakening is essential for any understanding of his writing.
I especially appreciate how Okumura situates Dogen in relation to the other schools of Buddhism and offers suggestions as to why his criticism of many of them are also relevant to understanding his position. Most importantly, this is shown by his criticism of the kensho oriented practices central to the Rinzai school of Zen.
As I wrote above, Okumura is a wonderful guide. I have long appreciated his mostly down-to-earth, non-mystification of Zen. My only criticism is that Okumura, like all-too-many Zen teachers ignore the importance of the Two Truths being BOTH true. The emptiness of phenomena does not mean they do not exist as when Okumura says "The Heart Sutra" says they do not exist, or when he writes that as the body is empty, a "mere" collection of five skandhas "that do not really exist" it becomes a great mystery why we experience pain when we stub our toe! Elsewhere, the common slippage into the creation of a subtle atman is found when discussing one's "Original Face." Watch out for those capitalizations; they pretty much always signify a reification.
But those caveats are trivial and in fact if Goodreads permitted it, I'd have given 4 and a half stars!
As Okumura writes, "Genjokoan" is perhaps the best text to enter into the study of Dogen's teaching and presentation of meditation practice. Dogen's writing can be perplexing and irritatingly frustrating for someone new to his literary style of mixing poetic and precise language, using imagery that can at times be confusing. Okumura is a gentle and clear guide opening the dense text to an astonishingly clear and cogent view. It is important to keep in mind that Dogen is always pointing to zazen. That is the core of his message and his presentation of zazen as the heart of Buddhist understanding and awakening is essential for any understanding of his writing.
I especially appreciate how Okumura situates Dogen in relation to the other schools of Buddhism and offers suggestions as to why his criticism of many of them are also relevant to understanding his position. Most importantly, this is shown by his criticism of the kensho oriented practices central to the Rinzai school of Zen.
As I wrote above, Okumura is a wonderful guide. I have long appreciated his mostly down-to-earth, non-mystification of Zen. My only criticism is that Okumura, like all-too-many Zen teachers ignore the importance of the Two Truths being BOTH true. The emptiness of phenomena does not mean they do not exist as when Okumura says "The Heart Sutra" says they do not exist, or when he writes that as the body is empty, a "mere" collection of five skandhas "that do not really exist" it becomes a great mystery why we experience pain when we stub our toe! Elsewhere, the common slippage into the creation of a subtle atman is found when discussing one's "Original Face." Watch out for those capitalizations; they pretty much always signify a reification.
But those caveats are trivial and in fact if Goodreads permitted it, I'd have given 4 and a half stars!
April 8, 2015
I have always enjoyed Christian theology, though I don't find Christian practice to be personally fulfilling. With Buddhism, for me, it's the opposite -- the practice is meaningful and helpful, the philosophizing about, it, not so much.
July 12, 2018
Fantastic
I can't recommend this highly enough. An extremely clear explication of Dogen's thinking. It has been immensely useful. Excellent work.
I can't recommend this highly enough. An extremely clear explication of Dogen's thinking. It has been immensely useful. Excellent work.
July 29, 2018
Top 3 books on Zen Buddhism I've ever read. And I've read a lot of books on Zen.
November 8, 2020
Okumura is fast becoming my favorite Zen author: another clear, lucid and engaging commentary on Dogen Zenji´s Shobogenzo. Highly recommended to any serious student of Zen.
January 3, 2022
Good entryway to the dense and sometimes confusing Dogen.
September 11, 2023
This is 'heavy' stuff, so to speak. I knew it would be and delayed for some time before delving into it. Now, I would list it on my top ten reads.
I could feel the spirit of Dharma through Okumura's compassionate treatment for us who live in a different world than that of Dogen's time, one totally foreign. Before, trying to read Dogen was little more than a head-scratching experience. Okumura clarifies Dogen's teaching by elucidating his metaphors. I really do not see how anyone can understand much of Dogen's Dharma teaching without a compassionate guide. Even then, both guide and guided will likely often be lost as to what Dogen was saying, or trying to say. Reading Dogen is like reading koan after koan.
The closing biographical treatment was interesting. It assisted in appreciating how Dogen's social context and personal life helped shape his development as a Buddhist practitioner and Dharma teacher. One might choose to read this before reading Okumura's treatment of Dogen's text.
Dogen faced a challenge: integrating two apparent opposites. We are enlightened, and we need to practice wholeheartedly. The biographical part clarifies the many years and adventures - place after place, teacher following teacher - before Dogen realized this integration with clarity. I, too, have been bewitched by the conundrum. So, we live both poles of the intellectual conundrum. The experiential reconciliation comes through the practice. We are both enlightened and need to practice diligently to get there - to where we are.
I found this book to be both inspirational and intellectually stimulating. I appreciate how Dogen integrated Dharma scholarship with Zazen and living the Precepts, as does Okumura.
Thanks! Peace.
I could feel the spirit of Dharma through Okumura's compassionate treatment for us who live in a different world than that of Dogen's time, one totally foreign. Before, trying to read Dogen was little more than a head-scratching experience. Okumura clarifies Dogen's teaching by elucidating his metaphors. I really do not see how anyone can understand much of Dogen's Dharma teaching without a compassionate guide. Even then, both guide and guided will likely often be lost as to what Dogen was saying, or trying to say. Reading Dogen is like reading koan after koan.
The closing biographical treatment was interesting. It assisted in appreciating how Dogen's social context and personal life helped shape his development as a Buddhist practitioner and Dharma teacher. One might choose to read this before reading Okumura's treatment of Dogen's text.
Dogen faced a challenge: integrating two apparent opposites. We are enlightened, and we need to practice wholeheartedly. The biographical part clarifies the many years and adventures - place after place, teacher following teacher - before Dogen realized this integration with clarity. I, too, have been bewitched by the conundrum. So, we live both poles of the intellectual conundrum. The experiential reconciliation comes through the practice. We are both enlightened and need to practice diligently to get there - to where we are.
I found this book to be both inspirational and intellectually stimulating. I appreciate how Dogen integrated Dharma scholarship with Zazen and living the Precepts, as does Okumura.
Thanks! Peace.
January 1, 2024
A poem I wrote shortly after absorbing words from this book today:
The newtonian force is in equilibrium,
when the force on everyside is balanced:
Similarly, enlightment is achievable,
only where the past meets the future;
my mind models tulips and dew drops,
but the light dims beyond the outer stone.
This tension between self and oblivion,
are the sprouts that seek water.
I could open my palm,
instead I turn the roof of my palm towards light.
Is my darkness your darkness?
Then who told me that the buddha smiles?
If the idea is a rope,
then this poem grasps on the other side of eternity.
Love is a novice realisation,
as light as air.
Is my love your love?
Is my apphrension your apprehension?
Is death more permanent than a question?
Do the birds count with their stomach?
Is something impossible until it occurs?
Does a seed fall, or does a tree grow?
How many emeralds is a soul worth?
How many souls is the sparkle in your eye worth?
Was I born thirty or thirteen billion years ago?
Does it matter if my atoms don't know who I am?
Here is my first and final gift,
a thousand islands held in the stars.
The newtonian force is in equilibrium,
when the force on everyside is balanced:
Similarly, enlightment is achievable,
only where the past meets the future;
my mind models tulips and dew drops,
but the light dims beyond the outer stone.
This tension between self and oblivion,
are the sprouts that seek water.
I could open my palm,
instead I turn the roof of my palm towards light.
Is my darkness your darkness?
Then who told me that the buddha smiles?
If the idea is a rope,
then this poem grasps on the other side of eternity.
Love is a novice realisation,
as light as air.
Is my love your love?
Is my apphrension your apprehension?
Is death more permanent than a question?
Do the birds count with their stomach?
Is something impossible until it occurs?
Does a seed fall, or does a tree grow?
How many emeralds is a soul worth?
How many souls is the sparkle in your eye worth?
Was I born thirty or thirteen billion years ago?
Does it matter if my atoms don't know who I am?
Here is my first and final gift,
a thousand islands held in the stars.
February 25, 2024
Realizing Genjokoan is an in-depth analysis of a single chapter of Dogen's Shobogenzo. The chapter called "Genjokoan".
Shohaku Okumura goes into incredible detail, giving background and explanation of every sentence. His explanation amounts to 261 pages (including the appendixes) for the chapter Genjokoan which in English would equal about 4 pages of text.
Shohaku Okumura truly desires for me, a complete lay person, to understand by use of in depth explanation and analysis, as well as giving thorough background and reasoning what Dogen was desiring us to know with his writings.
I am thankful for the knowledge of the book, only wishing Shohaku Okumura would continue with additional chapters of the Shobogenzo.
Shohaku Okumura goes into incredible detail, giving background and explanation of every sentence. His explanation amounts to 261 pages (including the appendixes) for the chapter Genjokoan which in English would equal about 4 pages of text.
Shohaku Okumura truly desires for me, a complete lay person, to understand by use of in depth explanation and analysis, as well as giving thorough background and reasoning what Dogen was desiring us to know with his writings.
I am thankful for the knowledge of the book, only wishing Shohaku Okumura would continue with additional chapters of the Shobogenzo.
September 9, 2024
It is said that Dogen's intent is to refine the practice of Zazen rather than to philosophize theoretical Zen Buddhism- and yet, there is quite a bit of philosophical depth to his Genjokoan chapter, making it quite challenging to fully understand. Shohaku Okumura does a masterful job at revealing the wisdom found in Genjokoan with simplicity, relatability, and clarity. I have read through this text several times as a source of enlightenment, a path, and an appreciation for Okumura's generous abilities.
November 17, 2020
Book explores Dogen's Zen philosophy using Genjokoan as its main topic of examination and branching off to other Dogen's texts form time to time. Because of this structure it can serve as a great introduction to Dogen's Zen philosophy as well as a focused guide to better understand meaning Genjokoan text.
December 30, 2022
Powerful Overview of Dogen
This is a very concise and descriptive account of the many faces and inner drives of this enigmatic Buddhist leader.
The type of account that allows the reader a "walk in his shoes", spiritually speaking.
Quite satisfying!
This is a very concise and descriptive account of the many faces and inner drives of this enigmatic Buddhist leader.
The type of account that allows the reader a "walk in his shoes", spiritually speaking.
Quite satisfying!
June 6, 2025
The esoteric realization of realizing set forth by Dōgen's journey into the Zen practice. Intimately laid out by Okumura a Zen student of Kodo Roshi. A beautiful layout of Eastern vocabulary. A book of peace of mind.
November 1, 2025
Dense
March 11, 2023
Flashes of brilliant insight hidden amongst dense concepts and Japanese cultural themes/philosophies. I was interested in learning more about Dogen and his unique brand of zen. I am glad that I picked this up, but at times found the prose incredibly repetitive and difficult to comprehend.
March 17, 2014
rereading. a clear exposition of Dogen's famous and arguably most important work from one of the clearest and most accessible Dogen scholar-practitioners today.
August 31, 2018
This book is a phenomenal breakdown of one of Japanese Zen’s most influential and often impenetrable works. Truly a must read for anyone interested in Dōgen, veteran and newbie alike.
January 28, 2016
It's the excellent commentaries on Shobogenzo
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews