Drifting pitifully in the whirlwind of birth and death,
As if wandering in a dream,
In the midst of illusion I awaken to the true path;
There is one more matter I must not neglect,
But I need not bother now,
As I listen to the sound of the evening rain
Falling on the roof of my temple retreat
In the deep grass of Fukakusa.
I came across this movie when surfing the web looking for materials on Dogen for one of my essays for my Masters in Buddhist Studies that I shall be finishing off this semester. An English subtitled version is available on both Amazon and Amazon Japan.
Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; also Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, or Eihei Dōgen 永平道元, or Koso Joyo Daishi) (19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan, having traveled to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there. Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment.
This topic of this film is an unusual choice, since Dogen was an unflamboyant type who devoted his life to the practice of peaceful (if purposeful) meditation, not the showier varieties of miracle-working found in the usual religious biopic. It is also an inspired one, since Dogen was a fearless spiritual seeker and brilliant writer whose deeds and words still engage. The film is generally faithful to what is known of his life, from the early deaths of his parents to his travels in China and his difficulties with the religious powers in Japan
The movie works by selecting a series of famous quotes and events which build a picture of the teachings of the man. The end result is a surprisingly moving movie and it has been recommended by many Zen teachers in the United States. It's not all about the man, to the detriment of his teachings.
To study the way of enlightenment is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.
When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind
as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away.
– Dogen (translation by Kazuaki Tanahashi)
You can pick up a copy by clicking on the Amazon link below and it contains a bonus featurette - The Zen of Dogen with Kazuaki Tanahashi, editor of the new complete Shobo Genzo
Zen
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