Master Dogen’s Zazen Meditation Handbook: A Translation of Eihei Dogen’s Bendowa: A Discourse on the Practice of Zazen

Dogen’s famous text on Zen practice comes alive in the hands of a modern meditation master. –Carl Biefeldt, Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University and author of Dogen’s Manuals of Zen Meditation

This is the definitive English translation of a foundational work of Zen Buddhism–the Bendowa ( On the Endeavor of the Way ) by Eihei Dogen, founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan.

Written in 1231, it contains the master’s essential teachings on zazen, or seated meditation, which is the fundamental pathway to Buddhist enlightenment. The first part of the book introduces the notion of wondrous dharma and looks at the role of the individual to society and notions of time and interconnection. The second part of the work is cast in the form of a dialogue, the Q&A format offering answers to questions a Zen novice might pose regarding the paths to enlightenment:

How can passively sitting being a means of attaining enlightenment? Why is sitting so key to meditation? Can seated meditation be combined with other practices?
How can I maintain a practice that accords with my other responsibilities in life?

What sets this edition apart are the contemporary insights by modern Zen master Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, which tackle some of the difficulties readers face in comprehending Dogen’s guidance and demystify some of the terms and concepts central to an understanding of zazen practice and Buddhist philosophy. He discusses the notion of dharma as presented in the text and looks at Buddhist thought through the lens not of abstraction, but in terms of its concrete realities.