WISDOM ACADEMY Buddhist Philosophy in Depth, Part 3 JAY GARFIELD Lessons 5: Dogen and the Formation of Soto Zen Reading: Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on the Practice of Zen Koan Introspection “Dogen and Koans,” pages 151-162 EASTERNRELIGION/BUDDHISM sitting with koans from the editor of The Art of Just Sitting “Koans are the greatest of the ancient technologies for transforming the mind. This collection of classic writings on koans will get you started and open up the treasure in your own heart.” John Tarrant, author of Bring Me the Rhinoceros (And Other Zen Koans to Bring You Joy) “Whether you are interested in the history of Zen, intrigued by the seeming paradoxes and puzzling stories in koan literature, or Sitting with Koans already engaged in koan practice with a qualified teacher, Sitting with Koans is a valuable resource. By combining scholarly essays with historical and modern Dharma talks by great koan masters, this collection shines light from many angles, illuminating a rich practice that is too often misunderstood.” Melissa Myozen Blacker, Zen teacher and Co-director of Professional Training, Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School “Sitting with Koans is the essential collection of koan writings that Zen practitioners have been yearning for.” Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao, Zen Center of Los Angeles John Daido Loori “A remarkable collection brilliantly put together by a premier modern interpreter of koans.” Steven Heine, author of The Zen Canon: Understanding Classic Texts INCLUDES WRITINGS BY Robert Aitken • William Bodiford • Robert Buswell • Roko Sherry Chayat Francis Dojun Cook • Eihei Dogen • Heinrich Dumoulin • Hakuin Ekaku essential writings Victor Sogen Hori • Keizan Jokin • Philip Kapleau • Chung-fen Ming-pen Taizan Maezumi • Dennis Genpo Merzel • Soen Nakagawa on the practice of zen koan introspection Sokei-an Sasaki • Nyogen Senzaki • Zenkei Shibayama Eido Shimano • Philip Yampolsky • Hakuun Yasutani ISBN 0-86171-369-9 $16.95 EDITEDBYJOHNDAIDOLOORI Wisdom Publications • Boston www.wisdompubs.org WISDOM WITHANINTRODUCTIONBYTHOMASYUHOKIRCHNER Dogen and Koans John Daido Loori Dogen and the Two Shobogenzos Relatively unknown during his lifetime in Kamakura Japan, Eihei Dogen is now considered to be one of the most remarkable religious fig- ures and teachers in the history of Zen, as well as an outstanding philosopher,mystic,and poet.His works have had a tremendous impact, not only in Japan and within the Soto School of Zen Buddhism, but also in the West. Dogen is best known for his monumental work, the Kana or Japan- ese Shobogenzo, a collection of ninety-six essays composed in Japanese between the years 1231 and 1253. Based on Dogen’s profound religious experience and enriched by his philosophical and literary gifts, the Shobogenzo or Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is a unique expression of the Buddhist teachings. Several English translations of and commen- taries on the Shobogenzo are in existence today, and scholars and practi- tioners alike share the ever-increasing body of information on Dogen’s life and work. Not as popular as Dogen’s Kana Shobogenzo is his Mana or Sam- byakusoku Shobogenzo (The Shobogenzo of Three Hundred Koans), a collection of three hundred cases that Dogen collected during his travels in China from 1227 to 1230. This seminal work, which was to influence all of Dogen’s other teachings,remained in obscurity for many centuries. It wasn’t until 1934 that it was rediscovered and made available to the general public by Professor Tokuju Oya, and only recently was its authenticity finally verified. The Mana Shobogenzo, unlike Dogen’s other writings, was written in Chinese. And though these three hundred cases were culled largely from Zen texts of the Song era—The Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku), 151 152 Sitting With Koans and The Book of Equanimity (Shoyoroku, also translated as The Book of Serenity)— unlike the koans in these collections, they are not accompa - nied either by a title or commentary, yet Dogen used them frequently as seeds for his other writings, particularly the Kana Shobogenzo and the Eihei Koroku . However, because Dogen was an outspoken critic of koan study, some people insist that he would never have collected or used koans. What seems closer to the truth is that he opposed the superficial treatment of koans, not koan introspection itself. Legend has it that before he left China to return to Japan, the young Dogen stayed up all night and hand- copied The Blue Cliff Record. Dogen’s early teachers, Eisai and Myozen, both taught koan introspection. In fact, Dogen received Rinzai transmis - sion in the Oryu line from Myozen before leaving for China, and though that lineage died out in both China and Japan, it is preserved within the Soto school to this day. Dogen’s teachings themselves require a solid understanding of Chi - nese koan literature. As William Bodiford points out in his Soto Zen in Medieval Japan , Dogen used “more than 580 koans” in his writings. In the Kana Shobogenzo alone, Dogen elaborates on fifty-five koans, quot - ing them in their entirety, and he refers to some of them more than two hundred and eighty times. In the Eihei Koroku, ninety-nine koans are quoted, and one hundred and nine are mentioned at least briefly. Clearly, we can no longer assert Dogen was flatly opposed to koans. Dogen knew about the formulaic method of koan study prevalent in both the Soto and some lineages of the Rinzai School where, instead of having to “see into” a koan, practitioners could simply memorize the answers. He also knew of Dahui’s huatou method (literally, “head- word”; see also Buswell’s essay in this volume) of working with koans. This method emphasized seeing into the main point of a koan, but did not delve into its subtler details. In contrast to these approaches, Dogen’s study and understanding of koans had much more breadth and depth. Using a linguistic style unpar - alleled in the history of koan literature, Dogen addressed both the key phrases of each case, as well as the secondary—yet equally important— points nestled in the dialogues. He frequently examined koans from the perspective of the Five Ranks of Dongshan (J.Tozan). And he pointed out Dogen and Koans 153 the questions that should be addressed in each case, challenging practi - tioners to examine them deeply. These three characteristics of Dogen’s approach to koan introspec - tion—his unique use of language, treatment of the Five Ranks of Dong - shan and meticulous study of all aspects of a koan—set Dogen’s writings on koans far apart from the traditional commentaries available in the Zen literature. They make a careful comparative reading of Dogen’s Kana Shobogenzo and his other writings with the Song-Dynasty collections extremely valuable to modern koan practitioners. To fully appreciate Dogen’s treatment of koans, it is critical to differ - entiate between koan study and formal koan introspection in the context of a vital teacher-student relationship. Koan study tends to rely on the intellect. It aims to shed light on the basic Buddhist teachings communi - cated in the koan in a similar way that a teacher will comment on a case in a teisho or formal discourse, clarifying the koan’s key points. In koan introspection, students sit with the koan in zazen, letting go of trying to solve or understand it. They embody it as a whole body-and-mind expe - rience.The teacher then tests the students’ direct insight in dokusan, pri - vate face-to-face interviews. Dokusan demands that one directly and dynamically present one’s own realization. Because of this, it can be said that there is no one answer to a koan. Seeing into a koan requires the embodiment of a certain state of consciousness. It is this direct seeing into a koan that the teacher looks for and tests to determine the clarity of the student’s insight. And it is this direct insight that is at the heart of realization. In my own training, my first encounter with Dogen’s singular way of dealing with koans happened within that intimate teacher-student relationship. Maezumi Roshi asked me to work with a set of miscella - neous koans I had already passed through with a previous teacher. I refused. Instead of arguing with me, Maezumi Roshi instructed me to sit shikantaza. Soon after, I came across Dogen’s “Genjokoan” (“The Way of Everyday Life”) and brought a few questions about it into face- to-face teachings. Maezumi encouraged me to sit with Dogen’s lines in zazen, treating them as koans. With time, reading other chapters of the Kana Shobogenzo, I began to develop a deepening appreciation of the way Dogen presented koans with an unprecedented degree of depth and 154 Sitting With Koans scope. Later still, as my traditional koan training evolved, it became increasingly clear to me that Dogen was a true master of the koan form, offering an amazing vista of the Buddhadharma through his koan treatment. As a Zen teacher, my chief interests in the two Shobogenzos are Dogen’s unique way of commenting on koans in the Kana Shobogenzo , as well as the choice of koans he collected in the Mana Shobogenzo , espe - cially as they may affect contemporary Western practitioners. Dogen’s Unique Commentary Style Dogen is a master of language. It is impossible to study his writings and not be moved by the poetry and creativity of his words. He brings to each koan his literary sophistication, an extensive familiarity with Buddhism, and an unparalleled appreciation of the dharma. In his teachings, he always communicates on multiple levels: with discursive language, poetic imagery, and with “intimate words,” mitsugo . Intimate words are a direct pointing to the truth, meant to be grasped in an instant and absorbed intuitively rather than in a linear, sequential way.