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The Roots of Goodness: Zen Master Dogen's Teaching on the Eight Qualities of a Great Person
Learn to nurture the eight qualities of an extraordinary person within yourself through the wisdom of Zen master Dōgen.
The Buddha taught that every person is capable of greatness by practicing eight key qualities in their life, from having few desires and not engaging in useless arguments to knowing what is enough. These timeless teachings were later expanded upon by the prolific thirteenth-century Zen master Eihei Dōgen in his final teaching before his death—values that, despite their age, perennially ring true.
In The Roots of Goodness, the late Japanese Zen teacher Kōshō Uchiyama Röshi bridges the gap between the eras of these ancient masters and today, delivering insightful, relatable, and rich commentary that brings these eight qualities into focus and directly applies them to the complexities of modern life. Translator Daitsū Tom Wright, a longtime student of Uchiyama, provides a full translation of Dōgen’s original work as well as a faithful translation of Uchiyama’s commentary, supplemented with a historical background of Dōgen, an exploration of how the teaching of the eight qualities impacted Uchiyama’s life and work, and a personal introduction that grounds the importance of this teaching in modernity. This book seamlessly weaves together ancient wisdom with Uchiyama’s beloved humor and style, offering a path for using these qualities to more fully embrace Buddhist practice and answer the age-old How does one become a truly good person?
The Buddha taught that every person is capable of greatness by practicing eight key qualities in their life, from having few desires and not engaging in useless arguments to knowing what is enough. These timeless teachings were later expanded upon by the prolific thirteenth-century Zen master Eihei Dōgen in his final teaching before his death—values that, despite their age, perennially ring true.
In The Roots of Goodness, the late Japanese Zen teacher Kōshō Uchiyama Röshi bridges the gap between the eras of these ancient masters and today, delivering insightful, relatable, and rich commentary that brings these eight qualities into focus and directly applies them to the complexities of modern life. Translator Daitsū Tom Wright, a longtime student of Uchiyama, provides a full translation of Dōgen’s original work as well as a faithful translation of Uchiyama’s commentary, supplemented with a historical background of Dōgen, an exploration of how the teaching of the eight qualities impacted Uchiyama’s life and work, and a personal introduction that grounds the importance of this teaching in modernity. This book seamlessly weaves together ancient wisdom with Uchiyama’s beloved humor and style, offering a path for using these qualities to more fully embrace Buddhist practice and answer the age-old How does one become a truly good person?
- GenresZenBuddhismNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2025
27 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Kosho Uchiyama
17 books45 followersKosho Uchiyama (内山 興正 Uchiyama Kōshō?, 1912—March 13, 1998) was a Sōtō priest, origami master, and abbot of Antai-ji near Kyoto, Japan.
Uchiyama was author of more than twenty books on Zen Buddhism and origami,of which Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice is best known.
Uchiyama graduated from Waseda University with a masters degree in Western philosophy in 1937 and was ordained a priest in 1941 by his teacher Kodo Sawaki.Throughout his life, Uchiyama lived with the damaging effects of tuberculosis.
Uchiyama became abbot of Antai-ji following Sawaki's death in 1965 until he retired in 1975 to Nokei-in, also near Kyoto, where he lived with his wife. Following the death of his teacher he led a forty-nine day sesshin in memorial of his teacher. In retirement he continued his writing, the majority of which consisted of poetry.
Uchiyama was author of more than twenty books on Zen Buddhism and origami,of which Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice is best known.
Uchiyama graduated from Waseda University with a masters degree in Western philosophy in 1937 and was ordained a priest in 1941 by his teacher Kodo Sawaki.Throughout his life, Uchiyama lived with the damaging effects of tuberculosis.
Uchiyama became abbot of Antai-ji following Sawaki's death in 1965 until he retired in 1975 to Nokei-in, also near Kyoto, where he lived with his wife. Following the death of his teacher he led a forty-nine day sesshin in memorial of his teacher. In retirement he continued his writing, the majority of which consisted of poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 9, 2025
I read this book as a part of a practice intensive through my local zen center. I am a lay practitioner of about 6 years and consider this book to be a challenging read. Because I was checking in with my group to discuss the chapters, I read them each more than once to gain enough understanding to organize my thoughts. Keep in mind that the translator kept the original feel of a dharma talk. Uchiyama’s dialogue ebbs and flows. There is a lot of discussion about the meaning of old Buddhist terminology. And to me, Uchiyama himself comes off as an old insensitive man who brings up suicide a lot. When I learned about Uchiyama and his role at Antaiji, he was always called a “renegade”, which I totally get now. This book is not for the faint of heart. I loved puzzling it all out. I loved the gross analogies and the statements that shocked me. He’s doing this on purpose. He’s shaking you down from your high place to what Suzuki Roshi would call, “The Beginner’s Mind.” If this makes you feel uncomfortable, good. Take a look at that. This has been one of my favorite dharma books to work through, and im excited to explore more of Uchiyama’s work.
February 24, 2025
When it comes to religious practice, maybe we’re all missing the point. While it’s easy to mock the outdated beliefs and rituals of religion—and I’m certainly not innocent of this—the reason many people practice religion is to simply become better people. The reason, for example, that many Buddhists practice zazen, or seated meditation, is not to “break the cycle of reincarnation,” but simply to reflect on the nature of reality and the mind and in the process gain clarity on virtuous living.
Of course, you can become a good person without religion (I would argue that it’s easier without it), but if it helps you to clarify your values, then so be it. It is only when religion is used as a pretext for intolerance and exploitation by bad faith actors that religion becomes problematic. The sincerely religious—when not carried away by dogmatism—do often embody admirable character traits.
This certainly seems to be the case for Tom Wright. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Wright spent 40 years in Japan, becoming ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest and then, over the course of an illustrious career, teaching, writing, and translating several Buddhist works. In his latest book, The Roots of Goodness, Wright has translated the teachings of thirteenth-century Zen master Eihei Dōgen on the “eight qualities of a good person”—which are, purportedly, cultivated and developed through Buddhist practice.
The transmission of the “qualities of a good person,” according to Wright, is what Buddhist practice is all about. As Wright wrote:
“For me, the transmission of the qualities of a great person means that exactly those qualities the Buddha practiced are what the Buddha passed on to others who, in turn, continued to pass them on to Dōgen Zenji, Sawaki Rōshi, Uchiyama Rōshi, Takamine Rōshi, and to me.”
Buddhism, then, is about the cultivation of character, which the book compares to the maturation of a child into an adult:
“We may all be adults physically, but our spirit, our attitude, remains childish and immature….Just like little kids in kindergarten, we run around whining, ‘I want this,’ or ‘I want that.’ The only thing that changes is that as we get older, instead of toys and candy, we want more money and prestige.”
To break out of this cycle of endless desires—through the process of meditation—requires the development of certain “qualities” that make you not only virtuous but also tranquil and happy.
These eight qualities are:
Having few desires
Knowing one has enough
Appreciating serenity/quietude
Making diligent effort
Never losing sight of the Dharma
Practicing Zazen (meditation)
Practicing wisdom (liberation from one’s attachments)
Not engaging in useless arguments
These are not bad qualities, on the surface, but they do betray some of the limitations of Buddhism in particular and religion in general.
First, you may notice that the “eight qualities” can be rather redundant. For example, “having few desires” and “knowing one has enough” are virtually synonymous, as are “practicing Zazen” and “making diligent effort.” The same kinds of things are being repeated using different language.
Second, there is also—as with many other religions—an element of vagueness that borders on the useless. Some good examples are “never losing sight of the Dharma” and “not engaging in useless arguments.” The reader will wonder what counts as a “useless argument” and who gets to decide, and will never really get a straight answer. But “useless arguments” seem to refer to any challenges to the general Buddhist imperative to fully retreat from the world.
This is all very solipsistic; the “eight qualities” seem to encourage a kind of passive resignation, and if the price of complete tranquility is total disengagement, then perhaps tranquility should not be held up as the highest ideal. What about the qualities of charity or philanthropy, or of helping others, or of intelligence, or of kindness?
Or maybe I’m just engaging in “useless arguments.”
As an alternative model, one may propose what we might call the “four great qualities” of Stoicism—wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance—which have the advantage of at least encouraging actual interaction with the world. And instead of avoiding what is determined to be, ahead of time, “useless arguments,” perhaps we should adopt a bit more intellectual humility, following Socrates’s contention that the unexamined life is not worth living.
Overall, then, what can we say about the book?
Well, it has good intentions. The core message that practicing religion is about cultivating a virtuous character is a good reminder, but for the more skeptical among us, the book’s circular reasoning will be blatantly obvious: If you want to become a good person, practice Buddhism. And what’s a good person? A Buddhist.
Of course, you can become a good person without religion (I would argue that it’s easier without it), but if it helps you to clarify your values, then so be it. It is only when religion is used as a pretext for intolerance and exploitation by bad faith actors that religion becomes problematic. The sincerely religious—when not carried away by dogmatism—do often embody admirable character traits.
This certainly seems to be the case for Tom Wright. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Wright spent 40 years in Japan, becoming ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest and then, over the course of an illustrious career, teaching, writing, and translating several Buddhist works. In his latest book, The Roots of Goodness, Wright has translated the teachings of thirteenth-century Zen master Eihei Dōgen on the “eight qualities of a good person”—which are, purportedly, cultivated and developed through Buddhist practice.
The transmission of the “qualities of a good person,” according to Wright, is what Buddhist practice is all about. As Wright wrote:
“For me, the transmission of the qualities of a great person means that exactly those qualities the Buddha practiced are what the Buddha passed on to others who, in turn, continued to pass them on to Dōgen Zenji, Sawaki Rōshi, Uchiyama Rōshi, Takamine Rōshi, and to me.”
Buddhism, then, is about the cultivation of character, which the book compares to the maturation of a child into an adult:
“We may all be adults physically, but our spirit, our attitude, remains childish and immature….Just like little kids in kindergarten, we run around whining, ‘I want this,’ or ‘I want that.’ The only thing that changes is that as we get older, instead of toys and candy, we want more money and prestige.”
To break out of this cycle of endless desires—through the process of meditation—requires the development of certain “qualities” that make you not only virtuous but also tranquil and happy.
These eight qualities are:
Having few desires
Knowing one has enough
Appreciating serenity/quietude
Making diligent effort
Never losing sight of the Dharma
Practicing Zazen (meditation)
Practicing wisdom (liberation from one’s attachments)
Not engaging in useless arguments
These are not bad qualities, on the surface, but they do betray some of the limitations of Buddhism in particular and religion in general.
First, you may notice that the “eight qualities” can be rather redundant. For example, “having few desires” and “knowing one has enough” are virtually synonymous, as are “practicing Zazen” and “making diligent effort.” The same kinds of things are being repeated using different language.
Second, there is also—as with many other religions—an element of vagueness that borders on the useless. Some good examples are “never losing sight of the Dharma” and “not engaging in useless arguments.” The reader will wonder what counts as a “useless argument” and who gets to decide, and will never really get a straight answer. But “useless arguments” seem to refer to any challenges to the general Buddhist imperative to fully retreat from the world.
This is all very solipsistic; the “eight qualities” seem to encourage a kind of passive resignation, and if the price of complete tranquility is total disengagement, then perhaps tranquility should not be held up as the highest ideal. What about the qualities of charity or philanthropy, or of helping others, or of intelligence, or of kindness?
Or maybe I’m just engaging in “useless arguments.”
As an alternative model, one may propose what we might call the “four great qualities” of Stoicism—wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance—which have the advantage of at least encouraging actual interaction with the world. And instead of avoiding what is determined to be, ahead of time, “useless arguments,” perhaps we should adopt a bit more intellectual humility, following Socrates’s contention that the unexamined life is not worth living.
Overall, then, what can we say about the book?
Well, it has good intentions. The core message that practicing religion is about cultivating a virtuous character is a good reminder, but for the more skeptical among us, the book’s circular reasoning will be blatantly obvious: If you want to become a good person, practice Buddhism. And what’s a good person? A Buddhist.
October 13, 2025
the roots of all goodness and the wisdom of Zen
The guideposts of becoming a true adult from one of the most important contemporary zen teachers of our times, these are timeless teachings passed on from generation to generation for the benefit of all beings.
The guideposts of becoming a true adult from one of the most important contemporary zen teachers of our times, these are timeless teachings passed on from generation to generation for the benefit of all beings.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews