First Dogen Book

By Bob Myers

Eight centuries after it was written, Zen Master Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō remains one of the most profound-and famously difficult-works in all of Buddhist literature. First Dogen Book brings four of its essential fascicles into clear, modern English: Bendōwa ("Dialog on the Way of Commitment"), Uji ("A Particular Hour"), Sōshi Seirai I ("Why the First Patriarch Came from the West"), and the iconic Genjō Kōan ("Truth Unfolding"), the most celebrated essay Dōgen ever wrote.

Where most versions force a choice between accuracy and readability, this translation strikes a perfect balance: faithful to the original Japanese, yet natural and alive on the page. Each fascicle appears first as clean, uninterrupted text, then is explored in its own heavily footnoted companion chapter-the fruit of extensive research into Dōgen's language, his sources, and the major existing translations-walking through the text passage by passage and showing why each rendering was chosen.

Whether this is your first encounter with Dōgen or your fifth translation of him, First Dogen Book opens the door.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1440419213
• ISBN13: 9781440419218
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"