Realizing Genjokoan - Annotated by Shohaku Okumura (Paperback)

Edition: Annotated
Number of Pages: 296
Genre: Religion + Beliefs
Sub-Genre: Buddhism
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Wisdom Publications
Age Range: Adult
Author: Shohaku Okumura
Language: English

About the Book

Eihei Dogen Zenji, the 13th-century Zen master central to bringing Zen from China and helping it take root in Japan, is renowned as one the world's most remarkable religious geniuses. His works are both richly poetic and deeply insightful and philosophical, pointing to the endless depths of Zen exploration. And almost precisely because of these facts, Dogen is often difficult for readers to understand and fully appreciate. "Realizing Genjokoan" is a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and approach of this great thinker, taking us on a thorough guided tour of the most important essay -- the Genjokoan -- in Dogen's most significant work, called the Shobogenzo. Indeed, the Genjokoan is regarded as the pinnacle of Dogen's writings, encompassing and encapsulating the essence of all the rest of his work. Our tour guide for this journey is Shohaku Okumura, a prominent teacher in his own right who has dedicated his life to translating and teaching Dogen.

Book Synopsis

Dogen, the thirteenth-century Zen master who founded the Japanese Soto school of Zen, is renowned as one the world's most remarkable religious geniuses. His works are both richly poetic and deeply insightful and philosophical, pointing to the endless depths of Zen exploration. And almost precisely because of these facts, Dogen is often difficult for readers to understand and fully appreciate.

Realizing Genjokoan is a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and approach of this great thinker, taking us on a thorough guided tour of the most important essay-Genjokoan-in Dogen's seminal work, the Shobogenzo. Indeed, the Genjokoan is regarded as the pinnacle of Dogen's writings, encompassing and encapsulating the essence of all the rest of his work.

Our tour guide for this journey is Shohaku Okumura, a prominent teacher in his own right, who has dedicated his life to translating and teaching Dogen.

This volume also includes an introduction to Dogen's life from Hee-Jin Kim's classic, Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist, with updated annotations by Okumura.

Review Quotes

"A clear and concise commentary on one of Dogen's most difficult pieces."--Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen

"An unequaled introduction to the writings of the great Zen master Eihei Dogen that opens doors to Dogen's vast understanding for everyone from newcomer to adept."--Jisho Warner, co-editor of Opening the Hand of Thought

"Dogen's masterpiece is beautifully translated and clarified in an equally masterful way. An obvious labor of love based on many years of careful study, reflection, and practice that succeeds in bringing this profound text to life for all meditators."--Larry Rosenberg, author of Breath by Breath

"This book is a treasure. Though many quite useful translations of Genjokoan are already available, as well as helpful commentaries, this book goes beyond. I have been considering Genjokoan for thirty-five years, and still I enjoyed many helpful revelations in this book. For all people interested in Zen, this book on Genjokoan will be a valuable and illuminating resource. Please enjoy it."--from the foreword by Taigen Dan Leighton, editor and co-translator of Dogen's Extensive Record

About the Author

Shohaku Okumura is a Soto Zen priest and Dharma successor of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi. He is a graduate of Komazawa University and has practiced in Japan at Antaiji, Zuioji, and the Kyoto Soto Zen Center, and in Massachusetts at the Pioneer Valley Zendo. He is the former director of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco. His previously published books of translation include Shobogenzo Zuimonki, Dogen Zen, Zen Teachings of Homeless Kodo, and Opening the Hand of Thought. Okumura is also editor of Dogen Zen and Its Relevance for Our Time and SotoZen. He is the founding teacher of the Sanshin Zen Community, based in Bloomington, Indiana, where he lives with his family.

Taigen Dan Leighton, Soto Zen priest and successor in the Suzuki Roshi lineage, received Dharma Transmission in 2000 from Reb Anderson Roshi and is Dharma Teacher at Ancient Dragon Zen Gate in Chicago. After residing for years at San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara monastery, Taigen also practiced for two years in Kyoto, Japan. Taigen is author of Zen Questions: Zazen, Dogen, and the Spirit of Creative Inquiry, Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression, and Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. He has edited and co-translated several Zen texts including: Dogen's Extensive Record: A Translation of Eihei Koroku, Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community, and The Wholehearted Way, and has contributed to many other books and journals. Taigen teaches online at Berkeley Graduate Theological Union, from where he has a PhD. He has taught at other universities including Saint Mary's College, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and in Chicago at Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary and Loyola University Chicago. Taigen has long been active in social justice programs, including Peace and Environmental Activism.