Shōbōgenzō
Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253) brought what is now called the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism to Japan from China. He wrote the first important Buddhist works in Japanese, rather than in Chinese. He founded the Temple of Eiheiji. His masterwork, the Shōbōgenzō, is a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment. It is considered to be both a literary and religious classic.
A dear friend lives in Weed, California, very near the City of Mt. Shasta where a local book store sells the translation. He bought it for me and it’s still on its way to me.
Meanwhile, I discovered that Shasta Abbey Press offers a free digital copy online.
Although this book was written for the guidance of monks and nuns, it is instructive and enlightening for others interested in the observance of Mahayana Buddhism and in the history of Buddhism.
One cannot summarize a work of 1,114 digital pages, one that stands on its own in its completeness. I will, however, present here the subject-titles of some of the 95 fascicles:
6. On ‘Your Very Mind Is Buddha’ 7. On Washing Yourself Clean 9. On ‘Refrain from All Evil Whatsoever’ 18. On ‘The Mind Cannot Be Grasped’ 21. On Buddha Nature 32. On Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion 36. On Learning the Way Through Body and Mind 38. On Expressing What One Has Realized 40. On Functioning Fully 45. On What the Mind of an Old Buddha Is 47. On the Vines That Entangle: the Vines That Embrace 49. On the Real Form of All Thoughts and Things |
52. On the Heart-to-Heart Language of Intimacy 53. On the True Nature of All Things 55. On Washing Your Face 60. On Seeking One’s Master Far and Wide 62. On Everyday Life 82. On the Spiritual Merits of Leaving Home Life Behind 85. On Giving Rise to the Enlightened Mind 88. On the Absolute Certainty of Cause and Effect 93. On Life and Death 94. On the Mind’s Search for Truth 95. On ‘Each Buddha on His Own, Together with All Buddhas’ |
In an attempt to further interest the reader, I offer the ten precepts of Mahayana Buddhism which are referenced in this work:
1. Not killing 2. Not stealing 3. Not indulging in sexual greed 4. Not speaking falsehood 5. Not misusing intoxicants 6. Not talking of the faults of others |
7. Not praising oneself nor slandering others 8. Not begrudging the dharma or materials 9. Not being angry 10. Not slandering the Three Treasures : the Buddha, the Dharma & the Sangha (spiritual community) |
These ten Precepts seem very like the Ten Commandments given to Moses by YHWH. Both these guides for pious behavior tell you what not to do, but only The Commandments tell you what to do:
Honor your father and mother.
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
In addition, the Commandments make reference to God but the Precepts do not. Any Buddha is not a god, but an ‘enlightened one.’
Thanks for pointing to the digital copy. I especially liked “On Washing Yourself Clean” which I’ve copied and hung on the wall of our bathroom!
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