道元禅師

Dōgen Zenji

1200-1259

b. Kyoto Prefecture

“To study the Way is to study the Self.

To study the Self is to forget the self.”

Regarded as the most instrumental figure in Japanese Zen buddhism. Dogen, disillusioned with teachings he found in Japan at the time, travelled to China in search of a more authentic form of Buddhism. He remained there for five years, upon his return, Dogen founded the Sōtō school of Zen which emphasised zazen or sitting meditation. Eventually he left Kyoto and wandered northward into the countryside, finally establishing Eihei-ji Temple in Fukui prefecture, regarded as the foremost Sōtō Zen temple in Japan.

Sōtō Zen emphasises ‘Shikantaza’ a unique form of mediation in which no attention is placed on the breath or counting. Instead, it focusses on an objectless awareness, ‘Just sitting’ or ‘ Think not thinking’. A very demanding form of meditation, as thoughts wander into the mind, the practitioner gently nudges them aside to achieve complete clarity.

“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”