Dogen
Publié le 22/02/2012
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Dogen (1200–1253) a Buddhist monk who
in the late 1220s founded the Soto school of ZEN
BUDDHISM in Japan In 1223 Dogen left Kyoto for
China. He had already studied two schools of
BUDDHISM: Tiendai Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.
In China he attained enlightenment, or a deep
understanding of nature and the causes of sorrow.
In 1227 he returned to Japan to teach the path that
he had followed.
Dogen emphasized the practice of sitting in
MEDITATION (ZAZEN) without any purpose. From
his point of view, one did not sit in meditation to
attain enlightenment. Sitting in meditation was
itself enlightenment.
Dogen's teachings disagreed with Buddhist tradition
in important ways. He taught that all beings
are Buddha-nature and that Buddha-nature is
impermanence. Traditionally Buddhism had taught
that all beings have, not are, Buddha-nature, and
that Buddha-nature lies beyond impermanence.
Dogen's most important writing is the
Sh¯obh¯ogenz¯o or "The Treasury of the True DHARMA
eye." Today Soto Zen is one of the largest schools
of Japanese Buddhism.