Hidden Treasure - The True Dharma Eye

The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans,

Translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and John Daido Loori

The notion that koans don't belong to the Soto Zen tradition can't withstand the fact that Soto's founder, Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), compiled this monumental collection.

Dogen collected the three hundred koans contained in this work called in Japanese Shobogenzo (not to be confused with that other, more famous Shobogenzo he's known for) during his famous travels in China between 1223 and 1227, and it remained in obscurity for centuries-until its discovery in 1934.

It's unlike the other great koan collections in that it's just the koans themselves, without the traditional titles, commentaries, and capping verses-but these are supplied here by Dogen's dharma descendant John Daido Loori, making this a "new entry into this profound and ancient practice" (Tricycle).

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John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change.

Kazuaki Tanahashi, a Japanese-trained calligrapher, is the pioneer of the genre of “one stroke painting” as well as the creator of multicolor enso (Zen circles). His brushwork has been shown in solo exhibitions in galleries, museums, and universities all over the world. Tanahashi has edited several books of Dogen’s writings and is also the author of Brush Mind.