Did Dogen Go to China?: What He Wrote and When He Wrote It

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Oxford University Press, USA, May 25, 2006 - History - 298 pages
Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Soto Zen sect in Japan, is especially known for introducing to Japanese Buddhism many of the texts and practices that he discovered in China. Heine reconstructs the context of Dogen's travels to and reflections on China by means of a critical look at traditional sources both by and about Dogen in light of recent Japanese scholarship. While many studies emphasize the unique features of Dogen's Japanese influences, this book calls attention to the way Chinese and Japanese elements were fused in Dogen's religious vision. It reveals many new materials and insights into Dogen's main writings, including the multiple editions of the Shobogenzo, and how and when this seminal text was created by Dogen and was edited and interpreted by his disciples. This book is the culmination of the author's thirty years of research on Dogen and provides the reader with a comprehensive approach to the master's life works and an understanding of the overall career trajectory of one of the most important figures in the history of Buddhism and Asian religious thought.
 

Contents

PART II Theory of Periodization
89
Timeline of Kamakura Religious Figures
231
Chronology of Buddhism in China and Japan
233
Dogen Chronology
235
Five Factions of Soto Zen
237
Shobogenzo Editions
241
Comparison of 75 and 60Fascicle Texts
247
Dogens Citations of Juching
249
Notes
253
Bibliography
277
Index
295
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About the author (2006)

Steven Heine is Professor and Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University. He specializes in the history of thought of Zen Buddhism and its transition from China to Japan, especially the life and works of Zen Master Dōgen. He has published twenty books and numerous articles on East Asian religion and society. Dr. Heine was recently awarded the Kauffman Professorship in Entrepreneurship Studies at the Florida International University Business School.

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