Dogen (1200 – 1253), also known as Dogen Zenji, Dogen Kigen, and Eihei Dogen was a Japanese Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan. Originally ordained as a monk in Kyoto, he was ultimately dissatisfied with the teaching and traveled to China to seek out what he believed to be a more authentic Buddhism. He remained there for five years, and upon his return to Japan he began promoting the practice of zazen (sitting meditation) through literary works such as Fukan zazengi and Bendwa. He eventually left Kyoto for the mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the head temple of the Soto school today. Dogen is known for his extensive writing including his most famous work, the collection of 95 essays called the Shobogenzo.
Quotes by Dogen…
When we first seek the truth, we think we are far from it. When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original self. If we watch the shore from a boat, it seems that the shore is moving. But when we watch the boat directly, we know it is the boat that is moving. If we look at the world with a deluded body and mind, we will think that our self is permanent. But if we practice correctly and return to our true self, we will realize that nothing is permanent.