Beschrijving

The Shōbōgenzō (“Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”) is the central philosophical and spiritual work of the Japanese Zen master Eihei Dōgen. Across its four volumes, it presents more than ninety fascicles (chapters) that explore the nature of reality, practice, and enlightenment from the perspective of Sōtō Zen. Rather than offering systematic doctrine, Dōgen writes in a fluid, often poetic style, emphasizing that awakening is not separate from everyday experience and that practice and enlightenment are fundamentally one.

Each fascicle takes up a theme—such as the meaning of meditation, the function of time, the inseparability of body and mind, or the expression of Buddha-nature—and turns it inside out through paradox, metaphor, linguistic play, and reinterpretation of Buddhist scriptures. Dōgen frequently shows that conceptual thinking cannot grasp ultimate truth; instead, awakening is realized directly through wholehearted practice, especially zazen (seated meditation). His reflections on impermanence, presence, and interdependence challenge readers to experience reality without relying on fixed ideas.

As a whole, the four-volume Shōbōgenzō serves both as a philosophical masterpiece and as a practical guide for Zen practitioners. It teaches that enlightenment is not a distant goal but the living activity of this very moment, revealed through attention, compassion, and disciplined practice. The work continues to shape Zen thought worldwide, offering a transformative way of seeing that connects meditative insight with the ordinary acts of daily life.