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The Dark Side of the Mirror: Forgetting the Self in Dōgen’S Genjō Kōan by David Brazier Published by Windhorse Publications in the UK on 19 March 2019

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The Dark Side of the Mirror: Forgetting the Self in Dōgen’S Genjō Kōan by David Brazier Published by Windhorse Publications in the UK on 19 March 2019 The Dark Side of the Mirror: forgetting the self in Dōgen’s Genjō Kōan by David Brazier Published by Windhorse Publications in the UK on 19 March 2019 ‘Brazier makes this medieval Japanese text highly accessible to the modern reader – and to the student of Dōgen – by focusing on the text as a fundamental guide to Zen Buddhist practice.’ Ryugin Rita Cummings, San Francisco Zen Center ‘David Brazier’s remarkable book transcends the limited and stereotypical perception of Dōgen prevalent in the West. It does so by placing Dōgen squarely within the broader religious milieu of his time and capturing Dōgen’s distinctive spiritual insights expressed in his Genjō Kōan.’ Kenneth K. Tanaka, Professor Emeritus, Musashino University Although Genjō Kōan is familiar to Buddhists around the world, it is still not well understood. This new translation and commentary by David Brazier reveals the deeper meaning of the text in language that will be as transparent to the general reader as it is informative to the specialist. Explaining his choice of the title for The Dark Side of the Mirror, Brazier remarks: ‘The theme of Genjō Kōan is the nature of satori (Japanese: spiritual enlightenment). Many people think that enlightenment comes as a result of a long training or through a long period of gathering merit, but, in fact, satori occurs suddenly and not always to the most virtuous or most skilled people. Dōgen wanted to explain this and in Genjō Kōan he uses the analogy of how a piece of glass or the surface of a sheet of water can suddenly switch from being transparent to being a mirror. This switch occurs when one side becomes dark. In the text he also uses several other analogies to make the same point, but this is the crucial one. Many renderings of Genjō Kōan into English treat it as a series of separate teachings, but as I came to understand it, it has only one central meaning revealed in different figures and explanations.’ Genjō Kōan was composed in medieval Japan by Ehei Dōgen (1200–1253), the de facto founder of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. Dōgen is regarded as one of Japan’s foremost Zen masters, and Genjō Kōan is the most important chapter in his principal major work, the Shōbōgenzō. 1 Find the book on Windhorse Publications’ website: https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/the‐dark‐side‐of‐the‐mirror‐forgetting‐ the‐self‐in‐dogens‐genjo‐koan‐paperback/ About the author David Brazier, also known as Dharmavidya, is a founder member and chief priest of the Order of Amida Buddha. Trained in Vajrayana with Chögyam Trungpa, then in Sōtō Zen with Reverend Master Jiyu‐ Kennett, he became a member of the Tiếp Hiện Order of Thích Nhất Hạnh, until the founding in 1996 of Amida Trust under the patronage of Pure Land Sensei Gisho Saiko and other Japanese teachers. Brazier’s previously published works include The Feeling Buddha, The New Buddhism and Love and its Disappointment. Further endorsements ‘This is a beautifully written book, highly readable and full of precious insights. This classic text of Zen Buddhism comes to life through Brazier's translation and comments. I have added it to my shelf of spiritual classics.’ Miguel Farias, DPhil., co‐author of The Buddha Pill, Director of the Brain, Belief, & Behaviour Lab ‘This work by David Brazier is an excellent book. It is subtle, clarifying and often surprising in a positive way. As an “all round Buddhist” in scholarship and practice, and as a psychotherapist and philosopher, he offers fascinating and new perspectives on Dōgen’s personal life, vision and work. Further, he takes Dōgen as a starting point for a critical consideration of our contemporary vision of Buddhism that so easily reflects only what suits our prior expectations and preferences. The book thus makes one reconsider our own understanding and practice. In short: enriching and definitely worth reading!’ Willem Scheepers, Zen teacher and Dharmaholder in the Sōtō lineage of Maezumi Roshi 2.
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