Reddit reviews Master Dogen's Shobogenzo, Book 1
We found 5 Reddit comments about Master Dogen's Shobogenzo, Book 1. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Zen Buddhist classicMaster Dogen Shobogenzo book 1
In order:
The first one is very neutral, and very good. In the other ones I assume that you have an inclination for Zen (which might or might not be the case).
Yeah, that overly simplistic "just sit" instruction of Zen is really not very useful for beginners and much of the language used is not as clear or direct.
Buddhism has become a big business lately, and there are many bullshit artists making tons of money on books and BS these days. (I read "Zen Confidential", and it totally falls into this trap. This guy spent 10 years in a Zen monastery in Cali and didn't really make shit for progress imo.) For some reason "Zen" has become super popular in the US, probably due to our cultural fertilization of Japan. Don't bother reading any of the modern stuff. (Anything past D.T. Suzuki I wouldn't really put much stock in.) I can certainly recommend the Shobogenzo by Dogen though as a timeless classic. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419638203/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419638203&linkCode=as2&tag=hardzen-20&linkId=AZEOP5C4QUQK5MMG]
I was seriously considering joining a monastery myself about a year or two ago and went to a bunch of different sects temples here in town. (I live in a big hipster city so there are a ton more than most places in the USA.) Personally I concur that the Theravadan approach is the best overall beginner approach to Buddhism for the majority of people. I sat in on at least 15+ meditation classes at Zen, Tibetan, Pure Land, Theravadan, and the style and feel of the classes are totally different. Personally I find Tibetan the most egregious offender and totally off kilter with what Buddha actually taught and more akin to a religion than philosophy. (Complete with visualizing deities and fucking them; something I doubt Buddha would have advocated for considering his battle with Mara!)
I definitely think emphasizing the Jhanas more as a benefit of meditation practice and goals would be more beneficial for presenting the material to a Western Audience rather than "just sit". Many people (even Buddhists) don't even know about the Jhanas! It's nuts!
The Tao Te Ching is also neat (if not strictly Zen) – the Taoist influence on Zen is pretty strong. For the poetry of it, I’m really fond of the translation by Jane English and Gia-Fu Feng, but in terms of a helpful explanation of the text, I really like Wai-tao’s translation included in Dwight Goddard’s compilation A Buddhist Bible. A Buddhist Bible is also an amazing compilation that I love (my copy’s gotten pretty beat up over the less-than-a-year that I’ve had it), but I’m not sure how helpful it is specifically in terms of understanding Zen.
(If you want to read really difficult but very integral Zen text, I’ve also started reading the Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross translation of Master Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye.)
Try picking up a copy of Dogen's Shobogenzo. I like the Nishijima and Cross translation here: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Dogens-Shobogenzo-Book-1/dp/1419638203
Sure, no prob!
I don't know if it helps, but zazen has been described as goalless meditation. Not reaching for any special state, just sitting. Maybe you already know that, and again I don't know how it compares to vipassana. :)
Shobogenzo is cool. The most popular version nowadays is the Kaz translation. At least in the San Francisco area. Brad Warner prefers his teacher's version, says the translation is more accurate. I've only read bits and pieces of both, but I think the Kaz version is easier to read. Feels more poetic I guess. Though only downside I've noticed is the chapter titles are in English, while most people refer to their Japanese titles (Uji vs Being Time, etc.).
Dogen also wrote Fukanzazengi which instructs how to practice zazen. It's pretty cool, and I remember a monk at SFZC reading parts of it when I took the intro class. Actually, I should really read it again.
This stuff should really be stickied, but that's a whole other can of worms, haha. Maybe r/zenbuddhism could put something together.