The Essential Dogen Quotes

“Those who are extremely stupid think that women are merely the objects of sexual desire and treat women in this way. The Buddha’s children should not be like this. If we discriminate against women because we see them merely as objects of sexual desire, do we also discriminate against all men for the same reason?”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“No matter how compelling or beautiful they may be, words appeal in the main to the linear, thinking mind that thinks in words.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Dogen’s teaching: We practice because we do not yet know who or what we are. But as a result of many causes, including the suffering we experience and the longing engendered by that suffering, we aspire to know. That aspiration leads many people to begin the practice of zazen. Dogen expressed this beautifully when he said, “Wisdom is seeking wisdom.” Perhaps we might paraphrase and say that wholeness is seeking wholeness, self is seeking self.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“There is a simple way to become a buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome actions, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors, not excluding or desiring anything, with no thoughts or worries, you will be called a buddha. Seek nothing else.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Like the sun illuminating and refreshing the world, this sitting removes obscurities from the mind and lightens the body so that exhaustion is set aside.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“In stillness, mind and object merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Waterbirds
come and go,
their traces disappear—
yet they never
forget their path.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Mind is skin, flesh, bones, and marrow. Mind is taking up a flower and smiling. There is having mind and having no mind. There is mind with a body and mind with no body. . . . Blue, yellow, red, and white are mind. Long, short, square, and round are mind. The coming and going of birth and death are mind. Year, month, day, and hour are mind. Dream, phantom, and empty flower are mind. Water, foam, splash, and flame are mind. Spring flowers and autumn moon are mind. All things that arise and fall are mind.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“attaining the way means attaining it completely with the whole body. With this awareness you should sit wholeheartedly.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“As long as you try to figure out buddha dharma with mind, you can never attain it even for myriad eons or thousands of lifetimes. It is attained by letting go of the mind and abandoning views and interpretations.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“With the body and mind that migrate through birth and death, you should arouse the aspiration for enlightenment to awaken others first. Even if you spare your body and mind from the way of arousing the aspiration for enlightenment in the course of birth, aging, sickness, and death, you cannot in the end keep them as your own possessions.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“A billion worlds can be sat through within a single sitting.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Loving fame is worse than breaking a precept. Breaking a precept is a transgression at a particular time. Loving fame is like an ailment of a lifetime.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“It is taught that all buddhas in the past, present, and future leave the household and attain the way. The twenty-eight ancestors in India and the six early ancestors in China who transmitted the Buddha's mind seal were all monks. They are distinguished in the three realms by strictly observing the precepts. Thus precepts are primary for practicing Zen in pursuit of the way. How can one become a buddha ancestor without becoming free from faults and preventing wrongdoing?”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“If you vow for a long time not to look at women, do you leave out women when you vow to save numberless sentient beings? If you do so, you are not a bodhisattva. How can you call it the Buddha's compassion? This is merely nonsense spoken by a soaking-drunk shravaka. Humans and devas should not believe in such a practice.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“What is the fault of women? What is the virtue of men? There are unwholesome men, and there are wholesome women. The aspiration to hear dharma and leave the household does not depend on being female or male.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“[Question:] Should zazen be practiced by laymen and lay-women, or should it be practiced by home leavers alone?

[Dogen's answer:] The ancestors say, "In understanding buddha dharma, men and women, noble and common people are not distinguished.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“It does not matter whether you are a layperson or a home leaver. Those who can discern excellence invariably come to trust in this practice.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Kind mind" is parental mind. Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the three treasures. Even poor or suffering people raise their children with deep love. Their hearts cannot be understood by others. This can be known only when you become a father or a mother. They do not care whether they themselves are poor or rich; their only concern is that their children will grow up. They pay no attention to whether they themselves are cold or hot but cover their children to protect them from the cold or shield them from the hot sun. This is extreme kindness. Only those who have aroused this mind can know it, and only those who practice this mind can understand it. Therefore, you should look after water and grain with compassionate care, as though tending your own children.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Beneficial action" is to benefit all classes of sentient beings skillfully, that is, to care about their distant and near future and to help them by using skillful means. In ancient times, someone helped a caged tortoise; another took care of a sick sparrow. They did not expect a reward; they were moved to do so only for the sake of beneficial action.

Foolish people think that if they help others first, their own benefit will be lost, but this is not so. Beneficial action is an act of oneness, benefiting self and others together.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Even when you are clearly correct and others are mistaken, it is harmful to argue and defeat them. On the other hand, if you admit fault when you are right, you are a coward. It is best to step back, neither trying to correct others nor conceding to mistaken views. If you don't react competitively, and let go of the conflict, others will also let go of it without harboring ill will. Above all, this is something you should keep in mind.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Praise those with virtue; pity those without it.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Kind speech" means that when you see sentient beings, you arouse the heart of compassion and offer words of loving care. It is contrary to cruel or violent speech.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Even when you give a particle of dust, you should rejoice in your own act because you authentically transmit the merit of all buddhas and begin to practice an act of a bodhisattva.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Know that to give to yourself is a part of giving.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Giving" means nongreed. Nongreed means not to covet.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“If you practice with genuine trust, you will attain the way, regardless of being sharp or dull.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“Between aspiration, practice, enlightenment, and nirvana, there is not a moment's gap; continuous practice is the circle of the way.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“If you speak of "achieving enlightenment," you may think that you don't usually have enlightenment. If you say, "Enlightenment comes," you may wonder where it comes from. If you say, "I have become enlightened," you may suppose that enlightenment has a beginning.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

“If you attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment, all sentient beings also attain it. The reason is that all sentient beings are aspects of enlightenment.”
― Dōgen, The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master