Another new Dogen book

[Ryumon]

The Roots of Goodness: Zen Master Dogen’s Teaching on the Eight Qualities of a Great Person

https://amzn.to/4lWhgDg

I don’t remember reading this chapter of the Shobogenzo, apparently it’s the 95th chapter. Looking at the sample of the book, it seems to be more or less about the precepts. Roshi, any thoughts on this?

Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat Lah

[Jundo]

Hi Ryu,

It is in all the modern translations ... and is said to be Dogen's last. Here is what the Tanahashi Version says ...
.

image.png

Gassho, J
stlah

[Shinshi]

There is an article in Spring 2025 issue of Tricycle that by the author - "The Eight Qualities of a Great Person". Not sure if it is behind a paywall or not.

https://tricycle.org/magazine/dogen-eight-qualities/

in "Treasury of the True Dharma Eye" I believe this is covered in Chapter 86 - "Eight Awakenings of the Great Beings".

Gassho,

Shinshi

[Jundo]

Nishijima Roshi has it as Fascicle 95 ...
.
image.png

Gassho, J
stlah

[Ryumon]

I guess that a book about this by Uchiyama will be interesting…

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah

[Kokuu]

If anyone wishes, they can listen to my recording of the fascicle here: https://soundcloud.com/amclellan70/95-hachi-dainingaku



Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Ryumon]

Commentary on Dogen’s Eight Qualities of a Great Person by Kosho Uchiyama.

As always, Uchiyama’s voice is both profound and truculent, giving a great overview of this teaching. Which, coincidentally, our dear leader discussed recently.

I would even suggest that this be a recommended book for beginners on our book list. it covers all the basic ideas of the dharma, in a very personable tone.

https://www.shambhala.com/the-roots-of-goodness.html

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah

[Jundo]

Commentary on Dogen’s Eight Qualities of a Great Person by Kosho Uchiyama.

As always, Uchiyama’s voice is both profound and truculent, giving a great overview of this teaching. Which, coincidentally, our dear leader discussed recently.

I would even suggest that this be a recommended book for beginners on our book list. it covers all the basic ideas of the dharma, in a very personable tone.

https://www.shambhala.com/the-roots-of-goodness.html

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah

Hi Ryu,

It is interesting how people can have a different experience of the same book. I am a HUGE Uchiyama Roshi fan, as you know, and consider some of his other books to be classics and among the best guides to practice anywhere, at the top of my recommendations to beginners or anyone.

But this one, I did not care for very much at all. My reason is that I found the book to consist of extremely long and winding talks by Uchiyama Roshi, mostly on topics about social issues in Japan in the decades when the book was written (e.g., "what's wrong with youth these days"), or his personal life story and opinions not particularly related to Zen. There are sections which are brilliant on Zen and Buddhist practice, but it is necessary to wade through many pages of not particularly Zen related digressions in order to get there. The content consists not of essays, but more transcriptions of oral talks he gave that tend to ramble on.
I wonder why you and I had such a different experience of the same book. Hmmm.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Ryumon]

I agree that the talks wander, and I don’t think there’s anything in the book saying when they took place. But in spite of all that, it’s full of wonderful nuggets, and it’s the type of teachings that anyone can understand, beginners or more experienced than students. it’s far from his best, and I expect there will be others of this type published because he probably recorded a lot of talks, but it’s certainly an enjoyable read, and he does have a lot to say.

if you ignore all the stuff about Japan, and, again, we don’t know when this took place – my guess is in the 70s - there’s plenty to chew on. I get lost in his mathematical stuff in Opening the Hand of Thought, but it’s still a great book.

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah

[Jundo]

Koushi just told me about ANOTHER Uchiyama Roshi book, apparently just released. It has to do with Uchiyama Roshi's increasing devotion to Kannon, especially in his final years when his health made Zazen practice sometimes difficult for him ...

Musings and autobiographically informed commentary on the human condition through the lens of the Kannon-gyo—chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra—connecting Zen and Pure Land Buddhism through the practice of venerating and chanting the names of buddhas and bodhisattvas.

The Kannon-gyo is chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra, and its focus is the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara, known in China as Guanyin, and in Japan as Kannon or Kanzeon. The text describes the many ways in which calling out the bodhisattva’s name—Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu—can relieve suffering.

Most schools of Zen Buddhism, and especially the Soto school, eschew such practices as chanting the names of buddhas and bodhisattvas, along with venerating such figures.

The eminent Soto Zen master Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, however, while doing hard physical labor early in his career, could not practice zazen—that is, formal sitting meditation. He came to appreciate the Kannon-gyo and the practices related to it. In particular, he took to reciting Kannon’s name, as recommended in the text of the Kannon-gyo.

Later in life, Uchiyama Roshi suffered from illness that again prevented him from practicing formal Zen, so he returned to the Kannon-gyo and the practice of chanting. He went so far as to assert that chanting Kannon’s name is completely equivalent to zazen, that the two practices are simply two sides of the same coin—a revolutionary idea seemingly at odds with Zen.

Chanting practice is especially accessible, as it can be done while working, traveling, or suffering from illness, and other activities that would ordinarily get in the way of formal Zen practice.

With these practices, the Kannon-gyo, and Kannon herself as a backdrop, Uchiyama Roshi muses about the purposes of religion, the goals of religious practice, and the meaning of enlightenment—and their relation to suffering itself.

I will simply note that, throughout the history of Zen, especially "on the Continent" in China, Korea, Vietnam and even for some folks in Japan, common ground and deep meaning could be found in Zazen and Zen practice interlaced with Pure Land devotional practices to Amida. So, much the same for Kannon.

image.png

https://wisdomexperience.org/product/the-sound-that-perceives-the-world/

Gassho, J
stlah

[Ryumon]

I saw that listed for release next month. It seems a bit odd compared to his other writings.

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah

[Ryumon]

Thinking more about this other book. Presumably, he could no longer do sitting zazen, but the idea of doing zazen in a chair or lying down was anathema to him. Of course, the book will tell about this, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of his generation didn't think that zazen not sitting cross-legged wasn't real zazen.

Gassho,

Ryūmon (Kirk)

Sat Lah

[Jundo]

Thinking more about this other book. Presumably, he could no longer do sitting zazen, but the idea of doing zazen in a chair or lying down was anathema to him. Of course, the book will tell about this, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of his generation didn't think that zazen not sitting cross-legged wasn't real zazen.

Gassho,

Ryūmon (Kirk)

Sat Lah

I will guess that is what it was (before reading the book). There is sometimes a strict reliance, even fetishizing, of the Lotus Posture in some traditional corners of Japanese Zen, even in that Lineage. Even Nishijima Roshi had to be brought with some reluctance to an understanding that not everyone can cross the legs in Lotus. Now, in Japanese Zazen groups, one will sometimes see chairs, but they are still a definite minority and not for priests. However, I do know some priests in Japan who have taken to sitting in chairs. If you read Opening the Hand of Thought and other Uchiyama Roshi books, you see his recommendation to "come back to the posture."

It is a bit of a Japanese cultural tendency to fetishize and to be inflexible on the right form, and many Zen priests confuse the Lotus pose with Zazen's efficacy.

At Treeleaf, we recommend sitting with what is, including reclining if needed (we will have a period of reclining Zazen for all during our upcoming Zazenkai.) I think that Buddha would agree.

image.pngimage.png

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Ryumon]

Regarding the first book, I said there was nothing in the book specifying when these talks were given. In one of the latest chapters, he mentioned that he is in his mid 60s. He was born in 1912, so this sets the date sometime in the mid to late 70s. That helps to understand his comments about Japanese society.

to be honest, it is an editorial error to not include the date and even the location of these talks, let ainey mention they are transcribed talks rather than articles or a complete book. I’m almost at the end, and it’s still a very enjoyable book, in spite of the occasional ramblings.

Gassho, Ryūmon (Kirk) Sat Lah