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Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Shobo Genzo, in Japanese) is a monumental work, considered to be one of the profoundest expressions of Zen wisdom ever put on paper, and also the most outstanding literary and philosophical work of Japan. It is a collection of essays by Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), founder of Zen’s Soto school.
Kazuaki Tanahashi and a team of translators that represent a Who’s Who of American Zen have produced a translation of the great work that combines accuracy with a deep understanding of Dogen’s voice and literary gifts. This volume includes a wealth of materials to aid understanding, including maps, lineage charts, a bibliography, and an exhaustive glossary of names and terms—and, as a bonus, the most renowned of all Dogen’s essays, “Recommending Zazen to All People.”
News & Reviews
"A vast, beautiful translation of the master work of the Japanese genius Dogen Zenji. English-speaking practitioners will be indebted to Kaz Tanahashi and his associates for this truly magnificent teaching, an indispensable contribution to Zen letters." —Peter Matthiessen (Muryo Roshi)
"A deeply considered and deeply relevant text. Shambhala’s publication of Kazuaki Tanahashi’s translation of the complete text of Eihei Dogen’s Shobo Genzo marks a watershed moment for Western Buddhism. With the Tanahashi version, it appears we now have an edition that will receive the sort of attention this great work deserves. Tanahashi’s effort to preserve the particular Japanese difficulty of Dogen’s poetic prose, aided by the excellent work of the poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, emphasizes the text’s ambiguity, multiplicity, and resonance of meaning more effectively than other versions." —Norman Fischer, Tricycle
"Kaz Tanahashi, a renowned translator of Dogen and noted artist, has put together an outstanding team of co-translators to create a complete rendering of Dogen’s magnum opus, the Shobo Genzo. This publication, which will be in great demand by all scholars, students, and practitioners of Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought more generally, is both accurate and accessible in following the original text literally while capturing the spirit of Dogen’s poetic genius. Although there are numerous versions of the work available in English, this new edition is sure to be the one turned to and cited consistently by knowledgeable readers." —Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Asian Studies, Florida International University, author of Zen Skin, Zen Marrow and Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters
Kazuaki Tanahashi and a team of translators that represent a Who’s Who of American Zen have produced a translation of the great work that combines accuracy with a deep understanding of Dogen’s voice and literary gifts. This volume includes a wealth of materials to aid understanding, including maps, lineage charts, a bibliography, and an exhaustive glossary of names and terms—and, as a bonus, the most renowned of all Dogen’s essays, “Recommending Zazen to All People.”
News & Reviews
"A vast, beautiful translation of the master work of the Japanese genius Dogen Zenji. English-speaking practitioners will be indebted to Kaz Tanahashi and his associates for this truly magnificent teaching, an indispensable contribution to Zen letters." —Peter Matthiessen (Muryo Roshi)
"A deeply considered and deeply relevant text. Shambhala’s publication of Kazuaki Tanahashi’s translation of the complete text of Eihei Dogen’s Shobo Genzo marks a watershed moment for Western Buddhism. With the Tanahashi version, it appears we now have an edition that will receive the sort of attention this great work deserves. Tanahashi’s effort to preserve the particular Japanese difficulty of Dogen’s poetic prose, aided by the excellent work of the poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, emphasizes the text’s ambiguity, multiplicity, and resonance of meaning more effectively than other versions." —Norman Fischer, Tricycle
"Kaz Tanahashi, a renowned translator of Dogen and noted artist, has put together an outstanding team of co-translators to create a complete rendering of Dogen’s magnum opus, the Shobo Genzo. This publication, which will be in great demand by all scholars, students, and practitioners of Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought more generally, is both accurate and accessible in following the original text literally while capturing the spirit of Dogen’s poetic genius. Although there are numerous versions of the work available in English, this new edition is sure to be the one turned to and cited consistently by knowledgeable readers." —Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Asian Studies, Florida International University, author of Zen Skin, Zen Marrow and Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters
1171 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2010
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101 people want to read
About the author
Dōgen
139 books243 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
August 25, 2021
If my house were burning down, I would grab this book, my Okesa, and my loved ones. An essential Zen text, and recommended that you meet with a study group to enhance your understanding.
January 21, 2025
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, written by Zen Master Dogen is an essential reading to gain an understanding of the Soto school Zen. It is divided into 96 fascicles, and covers a wide variety of subjects from deep explanations of Buddhist wisdom, to subjects relating to the everyday behaviour and activities expected of a Zen monk.
The translation is exceptional, and is in itself a seemingly perfectly measured text.
Kazuaki Tranahashi and the translation team, as well as all others who helped bring Dogen's Shobo Genzo to the English speaking world have done an amazing job in this work.
This is a text to return to over many years, as some of the subjects are difficult for a layperson to grasp on a single reading.
There would be much to quote from the Shobo Genzo for the sake of this review, but as Zazen is an essential aspect, I will end the review with Master Dogen's own explanation of Zazen, taken from the 28th fascicle.
THE POINT OF ZAZEN
The hub of buddhas' activity,
the turning of the ancestors' hub,
moves along with beyond thinking
and is completed in the realm of beyond merging.
As it moves along with beyond thinking,
its appearing is immediate.
As it is completed in the realm of beyond merging,
completeness itself is realization.
When its appearing is intimate,
you have no illusion.
When completeness reveals itself,
it is neither real nor apparent.
When you have immediacy without illusion,
immediacy is "dropping away" with no obstacles.
Realization, beyond real or apparent,
is effort without expectation.
Clear water all the way to the bottom;
A fish swims like a fish.
Vast sky transparent throughout;
a bird flies like a bird.
The translation is exceptional, and is in itself a seemingly perfectly measured text.
Kazuaki Tranahashi and the translation team, as well as all others who helped bring Dogen's Shobo Genzo to the English speaking world have done an amazing job in this work.
This is a text to return to over many years, as some of the subjects are difficult for a layperson to grasp on a single reading.
There would be much to quote from the Shobo Genzo for the sake of this review, but as Zazen is an essential aspect, I will end the review with Master Dogen's own explanation of Zazen, taken from the 28th fascicle.
THE POINT OF ZAZEN
The hub of buddhas' activity,
the turning of the ancestors' hub,
moves along with beyond thinking
and is completed in the realm of beyond merging.
As it moves along with beyond thinking,
its appearing is immediate.
As it is completed in the realm of beyond merging,
completeness itself is realization.
When its appearing is intimate,
you have no illusion.
When completeness reveals itself,
it is neither real nor apparent.
When you have immediacy without illusion,
immediacy is "dropping away" with no obstacles.
Realization, beyond real or apparent,
is effort without expectation.
Clear water all the way to the bottom;
A fish swims like a fish.
Vast sky transparent throughout;
a bird flies like a bird.
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October 6, 2024Continuous reading. One of those texts that offer lifetimes of exploration.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews