Zen Buddhism: Dogen

How are the teachings of a thirteenth-century master relevant today? Twenty contemporary writers unpack Dogen's words and show how we can still find meaning in his teachings.

The Song of the Wind in the Dry Tree is a book of commentaries given by Zen Master Philippe Coupey from two 13th-century Japanese texts. In Part I, he's chosen twelve poems from the Sansho Doei, a collection of poetry composed by Master Dogen Zenji between 1245 and 1253.

This monumental work is considered to be one of the most profound expressions of Zen wisdom ever put on paper, and also the outstanding literary and philosophical work of Japan. It is a collection of essays by Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), founder of Zen’s Soto school.

One of the greatest religious practitioners and philosophers of the East, Eihei Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) is today thought of as the founder of the Soto school of Zen. A deep thinker and writer, he was deeply involved in monastic methods and in integrating Zen realization into daily life.

Zen is about questioning. Zen continuously questions. This does not necessarily involve finding answers, but finding a space in which to sustain uncertainty, being willing to remain present and upright in the middle of investigations.

Eihei Dogen, the 13th century Zen master who founded the Japanese Soto School of Zen, is renowned as one of the world’s most remarkable religious thinkers.

It’s easy to regard time as a commodity—we even speak of “saving” or “spending” it. We often regard it as an enemy, when we feel it slipping away before we’re ready for time to be up. The Zen view of time is radically different than that: time is not something separate from our life; rather, our life is time.