The Philosophy of Master Dōgen: Sitting Still & Moving Mountains

Dōgen Zenji was the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. His revolutionary views changed the trajectory of Buddhism forever.

Apr 24, 2024

Dōgen was one of the most famous Zen masters of all time.

Through a combination of direct teaching and prolific writing, Dōgen reshaped the landscape of Buddhism in Japan forever. His legacy lives on in the form of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism — one of the 3 primary schools still active in Japan.

Dōgen's lessons emphasized meditation as a daily practice and the integration of enlightenment into everyday activities.

He also had some pretty trippy views on time, consciousness, and the nature of reality.

Here's the story, philosophy, and legacy of one of the greatest Zen masters to ever live.

Meet Dōgen Zenji

Dōgen Zenji goes by many names — Dōgen Kigen, Kōso Jōyō Daishi, or Busshō Dentō Kokushi. He was born to a middle-class family in Kyoto, Japan, in the year 1200. His father was a courtier to one of the eminent aristocratic families in Kyoto.

While further details of Dōgen’s parents remain obscure, we know he was orphaned at a young age — sometime around his 8th birthday. After a few years living with an uncle in Kyoto, Dōgen eventually ran away to study Buddhism.

By 17, Dōgen was ordained as a monk in the Tendai School of Mahayana Buddhism at Mount Hiei.

Dōgen remained here for several years but felt disillusioned with the constant struggles of internal politics within the school. He noticed many senior members displaying an unseemly need for social prominence and advancement.

He also had a burning question about the true nature of enlightenment that nobody he encountered within the Tendai school could answer:

“As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth. If this is the case, why did the Buddhas of all ages — undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment — find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?”

This question stems from the Tendai understanding of enlightenment, which says that all humans are enlightened by nature and that any effort to achieve enlightenment through spiritual practice is fundamentally flawed.

Seeking to solve this paradox of initial enlightenment, Dōgen moved to China to study Chan Buddhism in 1223.

Chan is the original form of Zen Buddhism found in China. It stems from Mahayana Buddhism but also incorporates elements from Taoism. Practitioners of Chan Buddhism place special importance on sitting meditation (zazen) and the use of koans (gōng-àn).

Koans are short stories, dialogues, questions, or statements intended to provide ineffable insight into the nature of existence. They’re like a joke, but instead of the punchline being spontaneous laughter, they provoke spontaneous but short-lived glimpses of enlightenment.

In 1227, Dōgen returned to Japan, where he immediately began pushing the importance of zazen (sitting meditation). He was a prolific writer throughout his lifetime, but one of his earliest works after returning to Japan was the Fukanzazengi — AKA “Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen.”

Around this time, the ideas of the Tendai school Dōgen attended clashed with the ideas of Zen and Shin Buddhism (which were only newly introduced to Japan at this time). Frequent disagreements caused a lot of tension between Dōgen and his colleagues. He eventually left the Tendai school to set up his own in an abandoned monastery in the city of Uji, just south of Kyoto.

The first school he set up was called Kannon-dōri-in, which later evolved into Kōshōhōrin-ji — the first independent Zen temple in Japan.

About a decade later, Dōgen moved the temple and its now large following to the far north regions of Kyoto and renamed his monastery Eihei-ji — which remains the head temple of the Sōtō school today.

Dōgen spent the rest of his life at this temple, writing large bodies of text on the principles of Zen Buddhism and teaching his growing community of followers and students.

Dōgen’s Death

In 1953, Dōgen fell gravely ill. The illness consumed his body for months with no sign of slowing down. Eventually, he traveled to Kyoto to seek treatment but died shortly upon arriving in the city.

Dōgen wrote a poem shortly before his death:

Fifty-four years lighting up the sky.
A quivering leap smashes a billion worlds.
Hah!
Entire body looks for nothing.
Living, I plunge into Yellow Springs.

During his lifetime, Dōgen wrote many works. He was one of the few Zen masters to write in Japanese at the time, which made his teachings accessible to a broader audience. Many scholars agree that Dōgen was a major driving force behind the flourishing of Zen Buddhism in Japan.

Some of Dōgen’s most famous literary works include:

Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye)
Eihei Kōroku (Dōgen's Extensive Record)
Fukanzazengi (Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen)
Bendōwa (Discourse on the Practice of the Way)

The Philosophy of Dōgen & Sōtō Zen Buddhism

Dōgen is the founder of Sōtō Zen, which emphasizes the practice of zazen, or seated meditation, as the primary path to enlightenment. This school of thought places less importance on koans as a tool to reach small, but significant glimpses of enlightenment.

Dōgen’s Sōtō Zen also emphasizes routine and discipline in integrating Zen practices into daily life — including cooking, eating, working, and interacting with others. The approach is to “live one’s experiences in daily life as expressions of enlightenment.”

Another core tenet of Dōgen’s practice is “the oneness of practice-verification” — which asserts that the act of seeking enlightenment is itself both the means and the manifestation of enlightenment itself.

Summary: Dōgen’s Philosophy in a Nutshell:

Non-Dualism — There is no difference between seeking enlightenment and being enlightened. Actions such as practice and aspiration to become enlightened are both manifestations of enlightenment itself.
Phenomenology — Direct experience and consciousness of phenomena are the primary means of understanding and engaging with reality. It is a presence that observes without the filter of conceptual thinking.
Existentialism — Authentic living and confronting existential realities such as impermanence and mortality are central to developing a deeper understanding of life and fostering a genuine expression of one's existence.
Pantheism — All things and phenomena are expressions of Buddha nature, suggesting a divine presence in everything, which transcends yet imbues the universe.
Process Philosophy — Time and existence are a continuous process where each moment is a new becoming.
Environmental Philosophy — All elements of the natural world possess intrinsic value and are integral to spiritual practice.

Zazen (Sitting Meditation)

Zazen means “sitting meditation” — it’s a core practice of all Zen schools of thought.

Dōgen put special importance on this practice above all others. He said — “Studying zen is zazen.”

More specifically, Dōgen refers to a form of zazen called shikantaza, which roughly translates as "nothing but precisely sitting"— with no other special instructions or attachments to rituals, objects, or particular types of thought or content. The goal is simply to sit, often, in a state of brightly alert attention to the present moment. Dōgen called this practice “without thinking.”

Shikantaza is a way to simply sit and be aware of things as they are without applying active effort to not think.

In order to engage in this form of zazen — according to Dōgen — one must learn to embrace effortless non-striving.

Seeking Enlightenment is Enlightenment

“When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.”

Dōgen taught that the search for enlightenment is enlightenment itself. Even simple actions can be seen through the lens of an enlightened person. So the idea is that if we live all aspects of our lives presently, even menial tasks like cooking, cleaning, or working — the process will unfold naturally.

“Between aspiration, practice, enlightenment, and nirvana, there is not a moment’s gap.”

Dōgen taught that in all moments we are whole, lacking nothing despite how we may feel in the moment.

Therefore, even zazen is not a practice that leads to realization. It is neither a means to an end nor a method for learning to concentrate. Dōgen instead teaches that zazen is “the dharma gate of enjoyment and ease.” In other words, it’s an expression of the oneness of all life as it manifests in human form.

In Sōtō Zen Buddhism, one doesn't sit to become enlightened; one sits as an expression of enlightenment. Instead of dedicating time to seeking enlightenment, one should seek to simply sit upright and be present in the moment.

Everything is Buddha Nature

One of the key differentiators between Dōgen’s Sōtō Zen and conventional Zen Buddhist teachings is that Buddha's nature is an expression of the universe. All things are Buddha nature, even rocks, trees, and grass. He suggests that all things in the universe are made up of one substance, which expresses itself in different forms.

Conventional Buddhism holds a more limited scope of the Buddha nature — suggesting it to be a permanent essence inherent in all sentient beings. Enlightenment is, therefore, a state of mind one must seek to attain for themselves.

Dōgen describes the Buddha nature as “vast emptiness.” In Mahayana Buddhism, the concept of śūnyatā asserts that all phenomena are devoid of intrinsic existence. Dōgen expands on this idea by suggesting that the ultimate reality (emptiness) and the phenomenal appearances (forms) are not two separate realms but are instead fundamentally intertwined. It’s the impermanence of all existence — both sentient and insentient forms — that is an expression of the Buddha nature itself.

"I am earth, water, air, fire. I am you. You are me."

Essentially, none of us are separated from everything else around us that is, has been, or ever shall be. It's merely our ego that makes it feel like we're something separate from everything else. We have our identities, our jobs, our friends, and our likes and dislikes that tell us that we possess individuality and separation from everything else. Dōgen says that when we genuinely understand the Buddha nature, we understand the connection between all things and become content with our impermanence.

"Therefore, the very impermanency of grass and tree, thicket and forest is the buddha nature. The very impermanence of men and things, body and mind, is the buddha nature. Nature and lands, mountains and rivers, are impermanent because they are the Buddha nature. Supreme and complete enlightenment, because it is impermanent, is the buddha nature."

Compassion

Dōgen adopted many of his teachings in Sōtō Zen Buddhism from Chan Buddhism — which he studied for several years in China. One of the core principles of this teaching that permeates the Sōtō Zen school is the role of compassion in the search for enlightenment.

Dōgen emphasized the need for kindness and mutual care within the community to be able to transcend our own individual limitations.

"The whole pure assembly should abide in mindfulness that everyone in the study hall is each others parent, sibling, relative, teacher, and good friend. With mutual affection, take care of each other sympathetically, and if you harbor some idea that it is very difficult to encounter each other like this, nevertheless display an expression of harmony and accommodation."

Minimalism & Non-Attachement

Dōgen’s shikantaza (just sitting) form of zazen demonstrates his approach to cultivating non-attachment from all things — even the formalities involved with disciplined spiritual practice. He believed that commitment to Zen meant casting off the body and mind. There is no need for incense offerings, homage prayers, nembutsu, or silent sutra readings. He believed we should cut the importance of these attachments and learn to sit humbly and single-mindedly.

Many of Dōgen’s teachings reflect a critical view of materialism. He taught that enlightenment and true happiness are not found through the accumulation of goods or status but through the realization of one's true nature and the interconnectedness of all beings.

Time Being (Uji)

Dōgen wrote an essay titled “Uji” — which means something along the lines of "Being-Time" or "The Time-Being," as part of his greater work the Shōbōgenzō.

In this essay, Dōgen asserts that all existence is momentary and that each moment contains the entirety of being, demanding our full attention and presence. He argues that each moment of time is not just a passage; it’s an active, dynamic occurrence in which all existence unfolds.

He also stresses the impermanent nature of time. Each moment is unique and never repeats; once gone, it’s gone forever. This highlights the preciousness of each moment and the potential for awakening that it holds.

Dōgen also rejected the conventional understanding that time is linear. He suggested that the past, present, and future are all deeply connected — that our present actions influence both past interpretations and future possibilities.

"Do not think that time merely flies away... See that long and short time are intertwined and interdependent."

Aspiration For Enlightenment

Contrary to conventional Buddhism of the time, Dōgen believed the aspiration to become enlightened is itself intrinsically linked to enlightenment.

In his famous essay "Bendōwa" and other writings within the "Shōbōgenzō," Dōgen argues that aspiration and genuine practice are not separate stages or experiences from enlightenment itself.

This perspective transforms the notion of aspiration from a goal-oriented activity (aiming for future attainment) to an expression of enlightenment in the present moment.

"There are those who arouse the aspiration for enlightenment in a dream and attain the way. There are those who arouse the aspiration for enlightenment and attain the way while intoxicated. There are those who attain the way when they see flowers flying or leaves falling. Others attain the way among peach blossoms or green bamboo; Some attain the way in a deva realm or in the ocean. They all attain the way."

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