Genjokoan by Zen master Dogen: With commentary by Albert Low

by Albert Low

Zen master and scholar, Dr. Albert Low, gives Dogen Zenji’s Genjokoan a new look and provides a line by line commentary. Dogen's masterpiece, which shows us the world from the point of view of an awakened person, demands patience and perseverance before yielding its treasures, but the searching commentary that is given by Dr. Low’ shows a way into it. He advises, “rather than reading it as though it were a kind of philosophical text, try to read the Genjokoan as you would a poem. Just as a poem, if you read it a number of times, becomes ever more rich, so reading it will become richer by repeated readings.”

54 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2014

About the author

Albert William Low was a western Zen master in the Philip Kapleau-lineage, an internationally published author, and a former human resources executive. He lived in England, South Africa, Canada, and the United States and resided in Montreal since 1979. He held a BA degree in Philosophy and Psychology, and was a trained counselor. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws for scholastic attainment and community service by Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

[Dewi Rhys-jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the blurb: 'Zen master and scholar, Dr. Albert Low, gives Dogen Zenji’s Genjokoan a new look and provides a line by line commentary. Dogen's masterpiece, which shows us the world from the point of view of an awakened person, demands patience and perseverance before yielding its treasures, but the searching commentary that is given by Dr. Low’ shows a way into it. He advises, “rather than reading it as though it were a kind of philosophical text, try to read the Genjokoan as you would a poem. Just as a poem, if you read it a number of times, becomes ever more rich, so reading it will become richer by repeated readings.'
A lovely little book that would be helpful to those who want to understand zen.