The Character of Religious Didaction in Shobogenzozuimonki

Abstract

Shobogenzozuimonki is a document of the questions and answers exchanged between Dogen and his desciples, mainly Kaihei, during the years of Katei (1235-1238), when Dogen came back from his visit to the So Dynasty and founded Koshoji temple at Fukakusa. In the report, Dogen urges the common people to join the religious order, while reinforcing on the newly-established brotherhood of Ken-ninji the principles of priesthood. These dialogues prepared Dogen for the writing of Shobogenzo. On the other hand, Kaihei tried to confirm his understanding of Dogen's philosophy through them. What Shobogenzozuimonki emphasizes is the necessity of realizing the "nearest truth" of mujo (nothingness; mutability), abandoning the egotistical lust for fame and wealth, escaping greed and observing the Buddhist reasons, that is, practicing the original teachings of Buddha. This is in contrast to the fact that Shobogenzo namely achieves the theoretical completion of Dogen's worldview. Zuimonki is characterized by the dramatic representation of each particular scene, owing to its special style of recording questions and answers. This is also contrasting with the style of Shobogenzo which simply dictates Dogen's religious teachings for the instruction of the public. In spite of the difference, both books complement each other. The expression dori (reason), which frequently appears in the both, is still used oftener in proportion in Zuimonki.