Dōgen Zenji

(noun)

(1200 – 1253) A Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto who founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China. 

Related Terms

Examples of Dōgen Zenji in the following topics:

  • Japanese Buddhism

    • From the 12th and 13th centuries, art in Japan further developed through the introduction of Zen art, which reached its apogee in the Muromachi Period (1337 - 1573), following the introduction of the faith by Dōgen Zenji and Myōan Eisai upon their return from China.

  • Japanese Painting and Sculpture in the Kamakura Period

    • In 1215, Dōgen, a younger contemporary of Eisai's, journeyed to China himself, where he became a disciple of the Caodong master Tiantong Rujing.
    • After his return, Dōgen established the Sōtō school, the Japanese branch of Caodong.
    • The Sōtō school was further expanded by Keizan: Sōtō priests say that if Dogen is the father of Japanese Sōtō Zen, Keizan Jokin (1268-1325) is its mother.
    • Keizan's Soji-ji temple was a rival to Dogen's Eihei-ji.
    • Others say that Dōgen gave Sōtō Zen "high religious ideals" while Keizan ensured Sōtō's survival.

  • Art of Pure Land Buddhism

    • The more philosophical Zen schools were promulgated by monks such as Eisai and Dogen and emphasized liberation through the insight of meditation.