Dogen Talks

Zen Master Dogen

Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 26 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. He is also known as Dōgen Kigen (道元希玄), Eihei Dōgen (永平道元), Kōso Jōyō Daishi (高祖承陽大師), and Busshō Dentō Kokushi (仏性伝東国師).

Originally ordained as a monk in the Tendai School in Kyoto, he was ultimately dissatisfied with its teaching and traveled to China to seek out what he believed to be a more authentic Buddhism. He remained there for four years, finally training under Tiāntóng Rújìng, an eminent teacher of the Cáodòng lineage of Chinese Chan. Upon his return to Japan, he began promoting the practice of zazen (sitting meditation) through literary works such as Fukanzazengi and Bendōwa.

He eventually broke relations completely with the powerful Tendai School, and, after several years of likely friction between himself and the establishment, left Kyoto for the mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the head temple of the Sōtō school today.

Dōgen is known for his extensive writings like the Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, considered his magnum opus), the Eihei Kōroku (Extensive Record, a collection of his talks), the Eihei Shingi (the first Japanese Zen monastic code), along with his Japanese poetry, and commentaries. Dōgen's writings are one of the most important sources studied in the contemporary Sōtō Zen tradition.

From Dōgen on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Wherever You Are, We Have Zen Way Of Practice

Dogen, Shobogenzo, Genjokoan, Suffering, Pain, Don't Know Mind, Happiness,...
Aug 21 1971
City Center

Universal Practice for Laymen and Monks

Serial: SR-00175

Whatever you do is practice; be careful not to practice for the sake of the self. Zazen as a way to find realization and get used to realization. Whether priest or layperson,...

Practice, Zazen, Bodhisattva, Dogen, Sixth Patriarch, Buddha Mind, Faith, Truth,...
Jul 25 1971
Tassajara

Virtue of Mountain and River

Dogen, Shobogenzo, First Principle, Soto Zen, Rinzai, Faith, Breath, sitting, Pain,...
Jul 24 1971
Tassajara

Sewing Sesshin

Serial: SR-00122

Sunday, June 20, 1971
Sesshin Lecture No. ____
San Francisco

Sesshin, Okesa, Dogen, Attachment, New Year, Freedom, Bodhidharma, Lay, Concentration...
Jun 20 1971
City Center

Sewing and Wearing the Buddhist Robes and How It Relates to Our Practice

Serial: 71-06-19

Saturday, June 19, 1971

San Francisco Zendo

Dogen, Soto Zen,
Jun 19 1971
City Center

Be Kind with Yourself

Serial: SR-00112

Warm-hearted practice. Breathing and posture in zazen. We all have different circumstances, but in the monastery, we have one practice. Rules give freedom to practice.

...
Dogen, Zazen, Tatsugami, Freedom, Instruction, Monks, Posture, Priest, American...
Feb 23 1971
Tassajara

No Practice Will Destroy People

Dogen,
Dec 27 1970
City Center

Zazen Practice and Listen to the Right Teacher

Serial: SF-05631

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #24, by Shundo David Haye =====

In the last years of Suzuki Roshi's life, very few talks were lost from the collections...

Sesshin, Dogen, Bodhidharma, Precepts, Bodhisattva Precepts, Observe, Precepts, Faith...
Aug 03 1970
City Center

Japanese Way, American Way, Buddhist Way

Dogen, American, Freedom, Culture, Doubt, Interview, Demons, training, Building, Pain...
Jul 19 1970
City Center

Ekō Lecture 1

Serial: SR-00225

The First Morning Eko
Wednesday, July 8, 1970
Tassajara

[This is the first in a series of six lectures by Suzuki on the four ekos chanted at the conclusion of...

Eko, Dogen, Manjushri, Transmission, Chanting, Monks, Wisdom, Precepts, American,...
Jul 08 1970
Tassajara

Do Not Pass Your Days and Nights in Vain

Serial: SR-00221

Sandokai Lecture XIII: “Don't Spend Your Time in Vain”
Monday, July 6, 1970
Tassajara

[This lecture is concerned with the following lines of the Sandokai:...

Branching Streams, Sandokai, Sixth Patriarch, Dogen, difficulty, sitting, zen,...
Jul 06 1970
Tassajara

A Short Talk During Zazen

Branching Streams, Dogen,
Jun 28 1970
Tassajara

Helping Others

Serial: SR-00138

Sesshin Lecture, No. 2, Saturday, May 2, 1970
San Francisco

Sesshin, Dogen, Zuimonki, Building, Doubt
May 02 1970
City Center

Sincere Practice

Serial: SR-00140

How To Have Sincere Practice
Tuesday, April 28, 1970
San Francisco

Tatsugami, Dogen, Precepts, Monks, Intuition, Don't Know Mind, Posture, Buddha...
Apr 28 1970
City Center

Rules

Dogen, Posture, Balance, Doubt, Faith
Jan 18 1970
City Center

OLD - Fragment

Dogen,
Jan 18 1970
X

Fundamental Buddhist Point: To Adjust Ourselves To Our Surroundings

Serial: SR-00192

Adjusting to life at City Center. Cleaning and zazen. Do we need furniture to practice?

Dogen, Eiheiji, Zazen, Culture, Building, sitting
Dec 21 1969
City Center

Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 5

Serial: SR-00202

Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 5
Wednesday, December 3, 1969
Tassajara

Sesshin, Bodhisattva, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Oneness, Ceremony, Precepts, Wisdom...
Dec 03 1969
Tassajara

Practice Should Not Be Perfect, So Descendants Have Something To Do

Serial: SR-00203

Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 4
Tuesday, December 2, 1969

Sesshin, Dogen, Building, difficulty, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Zazen, Breath...
Dec 02 1969
Tassajara

Lotus Sutra, Lecture No. III-1

Serial: SR-00212

[Third Lotus Sutra Series]1
Monday Evening, October 20, 1969
Zen Mountain Center

Introduction to third series of talks on the Lotus Sutra. Zen as practical...

Lotus Sutra, Mahayana, Dogen, Mahayana, Lotus Sutra, Precepts, Ego, Sutra, Priest,...
Oct 20 1969
Series 3, Talk 1
Tassajara

OLD - Fragment of Q & A

Serial: SR-00210

File name: 69-10-14-X: fragment of Q & A (titled by pf) A fragment of about 2 minutes found after chanting on tape for 69-10-14.

This is contiguous with the talk on...

Dogen, Transmission, Suffering, Monks, sitting, Silence, Priest, zen, War
Oct 14 1969
X

Why I Came to America

Serial: SR-00157

"Why I became a priest"

Memories of his father as a temple priest. Wanting to be an unusual priest himself, to teach people. Training at a temple with Oka...

Priest, Meiji, Japan, Dogen, Priest, training, New Year, Ceremony, Enemies, Monks,...
Sep 16 1969
Sokoji

Pure Silk, Sharp Iron

Serial: SR-00246

Sitting cross-legged - and then what? Having the right state of mind. Chinese and Japanese culture. His absent-mindedness, impatience. Virtue of endurance.

Zazen, Dogen, Culture, Ego, Transmission, training, Patience, Forms, Pain, War,...
Sep 14 1969

Wherever You Are, Enlightenment Is There

Serial: SF-05184A

Sesshin: First Night Lecture, “I Don't Know Zazen”
September 1969
Tassajara

Knowing that we have buddha nature even while we are in the...

Dogen, Buddha Nature, Enlightenment, Five Ranks, Buddha Nature, Composure, Emotions,...
Sep 1969
Tassajara

Stand Up By The Ground

Serial: SF-05209

Protection Master "Suzuki Roshi summer sesshin 1969 2nd night lecture

Sesshin, Second Night Lecture
September, 1969
Tassajara

Sesshin, Dogen, Time, Continuous Practice, Freedom, Doubt
Sep 1969
Tassajara

OLD - Our Way to Attain Liberation

Serial: SF-05087B

Roshi's Lectures - 2 of them - Aug 18, 69 17/8 side 1(on cassette) - Dan Gourley #5

---------------------------------------

Monday Evening, August 18, 1969...

Dogen, Sixth Patriarch, Monastic Practice,
Aug 18 1969
Tassajara

Not Always So

Serial: SR-00124

August Sesshin Lecture
Thursday, August 7, 1969
San Francisco

Sesshin, Dogen, Interdependence, Freedom, Gratitude, Composure, Posture, Emptiness,...
Aug 07 1969
Sokoji

The Most Important Precept

Precepts, Dogen, Eiheiji, Sanctuary, Hate, Suffering, Truth
Aug 01 1969
Tassajara

Eulogy For Trudy Dixon Given During Her Funeral Ceremony

Serial: SR-00028

Words from the funeral eulogy for Trudy Dixon. Magnanimous mind

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Dogen, Buddha Mind, Buddha Mind, Passions, Compassion...
Jul 11 1969
Sokoji

Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen

Serial: SR-00033

July 1969
San Francisco

Morning.

Dogen, Buddha Nature, Evil, Freedom, Priest, Ego, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center,...
Jul 1969
Sokoji

Direct Experience of Reality

Baso, Dogen, lecture, Sutra, Forms, Pain, sitting
Jun 22 1969
Sokoji

OLD - Direct Experience of Reality

Dogen, Sutra, Death, sitting
Jun 22 1969
Sokoji

How should we establish our system of practice in San Francisco

Serial: SR-00019

Tuesday Evening, June 17, 1969
San Francisco

Just sit, and follow the teacher's instruction. Story of four kinds of horse. Humans go to the moon, but don't...

Rinzai, Soto Zen, Dogen, Zazen, New Year, Concentration, Big Mind, Priest, Pain,...
Jun 17 1969
Sokoji

How To Take Our Bodhisattva's Vow

Serial: SR-00017

Tuesday Morning, April 29, 1969
San Francisco

Bodhisattva Vow, Dogen, Agama Sutra, Precepts, Mahayana, Sutra, Observe, Freedom, Vow...
Apr 29 1969
Sokoji

At The End Of The Year We Clean Up Our House

Serial: SF-05970-B

Dec 1968 New Year Lecture

Beginner’s Mind, Dogen, Japan, New Year, Beginners, Transmission, Instruction, Priest...
Dec 29 1968
Sokoji

OLD - Fragment of Q & A

Dogen,
Oct 14 1968
X

The True Dragon

Dogen, Baso, Dragons, Freedom, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Bodhidharma, Instruction, Zazen...
Oct 12 1968
B
Sokoji

The Ten Powers Of A Bodhisattva

Serial: SF-05106

Sunday Morning, August 25, 1968
[This date is probably incorrect. Earlier (July 21, 1968), Suzuki mentioned that he had already explained the ten powers of a bodhisattva....

Bodhisattva, Dogen, Rinzai, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Five Ranks, Attachment, Posture,...
Aug 25 1968
Sokoji

Esalen Institute: First of two lectures

Serial: SF-05870

This is the first of two talks given at Esalen.

Dogen, Time, Four Noble Truths, Lotus Sutra, New Year, Continuous Practice, Emptiness...
Jun 28 1968
Esalen

Nature of Our Practice

Serial: SF-05141-B

Tuesday, December 5, 1967, Lecture B
Evening Sesshin Lecture
Tassajara

Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Dragons, Daily Life, Observe, Freedom, training,...
Dec 05 1967
B
Tassajara

The More We Study Our Way, The More Difficult It Is To Explain It

Serial: SF-05142

SR018 - Track 1 - Roshi's Lecture sesshin #4 12/4/67 Evening - copied

Sesshin, Dogen, Observe, Ceremony
Dec 04 1967
Evening
Tassajara

Putting Power In Your Hara

Serial: SF-05133-A

Afternoon Sesshin Lecture
Friday, December 1, 1967, Lecture A
Zen Mountain Center

Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Buddha Mind, Big Mind, Separation, New Year,...
Dec 01 1967
A
Tassajara

OLD - Genjo Koan No. 4

Serial: SR-00195

Thursday, August 24, 1967
Zen Mountain Center Sesshin Lecture
Tassajara
Edited by Brian Fikes

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Faith, Nirvana, Lay, Emptiness, Suffering, Pain, Death...
Aug 24 1967
A
Tassajara

OLD - Genjo Koan No. 4

Serial: SR-00195A

Thursday, August 24, 1967
Zen Mountain Center Sesshin Lecture
Tassajara
Edited by Brian Fikes

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Breath, Emptiness, Hate, Forms, Building
Aug 24 1967
A
Tassajara

Genjo Koan no 4

Serial: SF-05136

Track 1 17/8 - Suzuki lectures - beginning missed, one or two sentences; beginning: This is the last lecture of sesshin. We have talked of emptiness and form, but have not...

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Time, Faith, Emptiness, Continuous Practice, Dragons...
Aug 24 1967
A
Tassajara

OLD - Buddhism Is Not a Special Teaching; Enlightenment Is Not a Particular Stage

Serial: 67-08-23

Wednesday, August 23, 1967
Sesshin Lecture No. 4 [sic]
Zen Mountain Center, Tassajara
Edited by Brian Fikes

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan,
Aug 23 1967
Tassajara

Buddhism Is Not a Special Teaching; Enlightenment Is Not a Particular Stage

Serial: SF-05134D

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #17, by Shundo David Haye =====

About half way through this sesshin talk, you can start to hear crickets in the background, getting...

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Enemies, Continuous Practice, Doubt, Religion, Peace...
Aug 23 1967
Tassajara

Genjo Koan no 2

Serial: SF-05134C

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #16, by Shundo David Haye =====

This third talk from the historic inaugural sesshin at Tassajara in 1967, given the day after the...

Sesshin, Dogen, Priest, Emptiness, Dragons, confusion, Hate
Aug 21 1967
Tassajara

OLD - Genjo-Koan No. 2

Serial: 67-08-21

Monday, August 21, 1967
Zen Mountain Center, Tassajara
Edited by Brian Fikes

Dogen, Genjokoan,
Aug 21 1967
Tassajara

Genjo Koan

Serial: SF-05134A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #14, by Shundo David Haye =====

The acquisition of Tassajara in 1967 was a huge leap for Zen Center. Suzuki Roshi had long been...

Genjokoan, Dogen, Sesshin, Emptiness, New Year, Interview, Freedom
Aug 20 1967
Morning
Tassajara

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