Dogen Talks

Zen Master Dogen

Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 26 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), also known as Dōgen Kigen (道元希玄), Eihei Dōgen (永平道元), Kōso Jōyō Daishi (高祖承陽大師), or Busshō Dentō Kokushi (仏性伝東国師), was a Japanese Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan.

Originally ordained as a monk in the Tendai School in Kyoto, he was ultimately dissatisfied with its teaching and traveled to China to seek out what he believed to be a more authentic Buddhism. He remained there for four years, finally training under Tiantong Rujing, an eminent teacher of the Caodong lineage of Chinese Chan. Upon his return to Japan, he began promoting the practice of zazen (sitting meditation) through literary works such as Fukanzazengi and Bendōwa.

He eventually broke relations completely with the powerful Tendai School, and, after several years of likely friction between himself and the establishment, left Kyoto for the mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the head temple of the Sōtō school today.

Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, considered his magnum opus), the Eihei Kōroku (Extensive Record, a collection of his talks), Japanese poetry, commentaries, and the Eihei Shingi, the first Zen monastic code written in Japan.

From Dōgen on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Universal Practice for Laymen and Monks

Serial: SR-00175

Whatever you do is practice; be careful not to practice for the sake of the self. Zazen as a way to find realization and get used to realization. Whether priest or layperson,...

Practice, Zazen, Bodhisattva, Dogen, Sixth Patriarch, Buddha Mind, Faith, Truth,...
Jul 25 1971
Tassajara

Zazen Practice and Listen to the Right Teacher

Serial: SF-05631

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #24, by Shundo David Haye =====

In the last years of Suzuki Roshi's life, very few talks were lost from the collections...

Sesshin, Dogen, Bodhidharma, Precepts, Bodhisattva Precepts, Observe, Precepts, Faith...
Aug 03 1970
City Center

Rules

Dogen, Posture, Balance, Doubt, Faith
Jan 18 1970
City Center

Stand Up By The Ground

Serial: SF-05209

Protection Master "Suzuki Roshi summer sesshin 1969 2nd night lecture

Sesshin, Second Night Lecture
September, 1969
Tassajara

Sesshin, Dogen, Time, Continuous, Freedom, Doubt
Sep 1969
Tassajara

Wherever You Are, Enlightenment Is There

Serial: SF-05184A

Sesshin: First Night Lecture, “I Don't Know Zazen”
September 1969
Tassajara

Knowing that we have buddha nature even while we are in the...

Dogen, Buddha Nature, Enlightenment, Five Ranks, Buddha Nature, Composure, Emotions,...
Sep 1969
Tassajara

OLD - Our Way to Attain Liberation

Serial: SF-05087B

Roshi's Lectures - 2 of them - Aug 18, 69 17/8 side 1(on cassette) - Dan Gourley #5

---------------------------------------

Monday Evening, August 18, 1969...

Dogen, Sixth Patriarch, Monastic Practice,
Aug 18 1969
Tassajara

At The End Of The Year We Clean Up Our House

Serial: SF-05970-B

Dec 1968 New Year Lecture

Beginner’s Mind, Dogen, Japan, New Year, Beginners, Transmission, Instruction, Priest...
Dec 29 1968
Sokoji

The True Dragon

Dogen, Baso, Dragons, Freedom, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Bodhidharma, soto, Instruction,...
Oct 12 1968
B
Sokoji

The Ten Powers Of A Bodhisattva

Serial: SF-05106

Sunday Morning, August 25, 1968
[This date is probably incorrect. Earlier (July 21, 1968), Suzuki mentioned that he had already explained the ten powers of a bodhisattva....

Bodhisattva, Dogen, Rinzai, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Five Ranks, Observe, Attachment,...
Aug 25 1968
Sokoji

Esalen Institute: First of two lectures

Serial: SF-05870

This is the first of two talks given at Esalen.

Dogen, Time, Four Noble Truths, Lotus Sutra, New Year, Continuous, Emptiness, soto,...
Jun 28 1968
Esalen

Nature of Our Practice

Serial: SF-05141-B

Tuesday, December 5, 1967, Lecture B
Evening Sesshin Lecture
Tassajara

Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Dragons, Daily Life, Observe, Freedom, training,...
Dec 05 1967
B
Tassajara

The More We Study Our Way, The More Difficult It Is To Explain It

Serial: SF-05142

SR018 - Track 1 - Roshi's Lecture sesshin #4 12/4/67 Evening - copied

Sesshin, Dogen, Observe, Ceremony
Dec 04 1967
Evening
Tassajara

Putting Power In Your Hara

Serial: SF-05133-A

Afternoon Sesshin Lecture
Friday, December 1, 1967, Lecture A
Zen Mountain Center

Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Buddha Mind, Big Mind, Separation, New Year,...
Dec 01 1967
A
Tassajara

Genjo Koan no 4

Serial: SF-05136

Track 1 17/8 - Suzuki lectures - beginning missed, one or two sentences; beginning: This is the last lecture of sesshin. We have talked of emptiness and form, but have not...

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Time, Faith, Emptiness, Continuous, Dragons
Aug 24 1967
A
Tassajara

Buddhism Is Not a Special Teaching; Enlightenment Is Not a Particular Stage

Serial: SF-05134D

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #17, by Shundo David Haye =====

About half way through this sesshin talk, you can start to hear crickets in the background, getting...

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Enemies, Continuous, Doubt, Religion, Peace
Aug 23 1967
Tassajara

Genjo Koan no 2

Serial: SF-05134C

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #16, by Shundo David Haye =====

This third talk from the historic inaugural sesshin at Tassajara in 1967, given the day after the...

Sesshin, Dogen, Priest, Emptiness, Dragons, Describe, confusion, Hate
Aug 21 1967
Tassajara

Genjo Koan

Serial: SF-05134A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #14, by Shundo David Haye =====

The acquisition of Tassajara in 1967 was a huge leap for Zen Center. Suzuki Roshi had long been...

Genjokoan, Dogen, Sesshin, Emptiness, New Year, Interview, Freedom
Aug 20 1967
Morning
Tassajara

In the first instruction of ten instructions in Gakudō-yōjin-shū

Sesshin, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Sixth Patriarch, Platform Sutra, training, Instruction,...
Dec 17 1966
A
Sokoji

The Need for Training in Buddhism without Self-Seeking Mind

Serial: SF-05121B

Original recording

Sesshin, Dogen, training, Buddha Nature, Hate, Observe, Instruction, Doubt
Dec 17 1966
B
Sokoji

This Fascicle of Shobogenzo

Serial: SF-05097-F

Sesshin Lecture 1966 Tape #2 Track 2: Suzuki 1pm lecture Friday

Sesshin, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Blue Cliff Record, Attachment, Instruction, Freedom,...
Aug 19 1966
C
Sokoji

Shobogenzo

Serial: SF-05097-D

Sesshin Lecture 1966 Tape #2
Track 1 contd: Most of Suzuki's 6pm Lecture, Thursday evening continued on track 4
Track 4 continuation and finish of 6pm lecture of...

Sesshin, Sixth Patriarch, Dogen, Subject-and-Object, Attachment, Buddha Nature,...
Aug 18 1966
C
Sokoji

Genjo-Koan: Paragraphs 11-13

Serial: SF-05098-C

Sunday morning lecture by Suzuki Roshi
June 19 1966 (19 added later?)

Other notes on box:
Incomplete (muddled) late on then ends.
"Other side"...

Genjokoan, Dogen, Continuous, Peace, Evil
Jun 19 1966
D
Sokoji

Genjo-Koan: Paragraphs 1–11

Serial: SF-05098-D

Sunday morning lecture by Suzuki Roshi
June 19 1966 (19 added later?)

Other notes on box:
Incomplete (muddled) late on then ends.
"Other side"...

Dogen, Genjokoan, Family Practice, Observe, Doubt, Discrimination, Attachment, Hate,...
Jun 19 1966
A
Sokoji

Genjo-Koan: Paragraphs 7-9

Serial: SF-05098-A

Sunday morning lecture by Suzuki Roshi
June 19 1966 (19 added later?)

Other notes on box:
Incomplete (muddled) late on then ends.
"Other side...

Dogen, Genjokoan, Composure, Liberation, Faith
Jun 19 1966
B
Sokoji

Sesshin Lecture: Genjo-Koan, Paragraphs 1–2

Serial: SF-05096-B

May Sesshin (25 26 added later) 1 or 6pm lecture plus lecture the following morning.
SR 009

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Precepts, Mahayana, Freedom, Observe, Balance, Attachment...
May 26 1966
Sokoji

Genjō Kōan, 5-13

Serial: SF-05096-A

May Sesshin (25 26 added later) 1 or 6pm lecture plus lecture the following morning.
SR 009

Dogen, Genjokoan, Enemies, Faith, realization, Addiction, Peace
May 25 1966
Sokoji

The Way-Seeking Mind

Serial: SF-05116-C

March sesshin, only 1pm lecture. Evening lecture goofed up during recording.
SR 007

Dogen, Forgiveness, Addiction, Greed, Interview, Attachment, Conversation, Lay...
Mar 26 1966
A
Sokoji

Shushōgi, Section 1

Serial: SF-05095-B

Sesshin Lecture: SHUSHOGI, Section 1
Sunday, March 13, 1966, Lecture B
Sokoji, San Francisco

Tape operator's comments and bells at beginning of tape, left...

Sesshin, Dogen, Shushogi, Attachment, Balance, Describe
Mar 13 1966
B
Sokoji

Genjō Kōan, 1–3

Serial: SF-05095-C

Sesshin Lecture: Genjo-Koan, Paragraphs 1–3
Sunday Morning, March 13, 1966, Lecture A
Sokoji, San Francisco

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Duality, Faith, Buddha Nature, Attachment, Discrimination...
Mar 13 1966
A
Sokoji

Genjo Koan continued

Serial: SF-05095-A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #11, by Shundo David Haye =====

In the spring of 1966, having previously spent a number of years primarily lecturing on the Blue...

Dogen, Genjokoan, Sangha, Happiness
Mar 13 1966
Sokoji

To Study The Self

Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Bell, training, Faith
Feb 19 1966
pm
Sokoji

Where There is Some Limitation, There is Universality

Serial: SF-05114B

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #9, by Shundo David Haye =====

This talk is found on the same reel as the one previously discussed (https://suzukiroshi.engagewisdom....

Sesshin, Dogen, Buddha Nature, Faith, Evil, confusion, Freedom, Doubt
Feb 18 1966
Sokoji

In the Prajnaparamita Sutra

Serial: SF-05113-B

5pm lecture begins this side

Heart Sutra, Sengai, Dogen, Emptiness, Family Practice, Beginners, Transmission,...
Jan 21 1966
5:00PM
Sokoji

Most Of You Are Beginners

Serial: SF-05124-D

One-Day Sesshin Afternoon Lecture
Saturday, December 11, 1965, Lecture A
Sokoji, San Francisco

Sesshin, Sixth Patriarch, Dogen, Precepts, Precepts, Observe, Beginners, Enemies,...
Dec 11 1965
A
Sokoji

Beginner's Mind

Serial: SF-05122

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #1, by Shundo David Haye =====

When this particular, otherwise unremarkable, reel was photographed as part of Engage Wisdom’s...

Beginner’s Mind, Dogen, Precepts, Beginners, Precepts, Enemies, Posture
Nov 11 1965
Los Altos

Study Yourself

Serial: SF-05123B

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #4, by Shundo David Haye =====

"I always felt his best Zen talks were the ones he gave on Thursday mornings in my home. They were...

Dogen, Genjokoan, Rinzai, Monastic Practice, Instruction, Hate, Doubt
Sep 09 1965
Los Altos

Calmness

Serial: SF-05123A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #3, by Shundo David Haye =====

In this talk, which became the Calmness chapter of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (p121), Suzuki Roshi...

Dogen, Zazen, Composure
Aug 26 1965
Los Altos

Forgotten the Value of Religion

Serial: SF-05101A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #5, by Shundo David Haye =====

The oldest recordings of Suzuki Roshi made at Sokoji, the home of the San Francisco Zen Center at the...

Sesshin, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Inmost Nature, Religion, Don't Know Mind, Buddha...
Jul 27 1965
1:00pm
Sokoji

Religious Problems Concerning Such As Psychology Or LSD

Serial: SF-05112A

Tape 1 Summer sesshin 1965, Monday 1st day of sesshin (?) July 26th 1965 Tape 1 Side 1: 1pm lecture

Sesshin, Dogen, Time, Continuous, Precepts, Peace, Beginners, Balance, confusion,...
Jul 26 1965
1:00pm
Sokoji