In this episode, Professor Steven Heine and I discuss the mystery of “supreme wisdom” and how Dogen’s Chinese-style poetry reveals this “wisdom within words.” Professor Heine states in his latest book Wisdom Within Words that “The aim of Dogen’s writing is to open the reader's mind to reacting without hesitation or impediment to experiences that are unrestricted, but can, and should be disclosed through words and letters.”
In the podcast, we reference several poems, and two of them are very famous in the Zen world. The first verse below is by Dogen’s Chinese teacher Rujing. Dogen told his teacher that it’s “the most insightful Zen expression” he’s ever heard:
The bell looks like a mouth, gaping wide open,
Indifferent to the wind blowing in the four directions.
If you ask about the meaning of wisdom,
It answers with a jingling, tinkling sound.
In typical Dogen fashion, he pays homage to his teacher’s brilliant verse and also revises it to reflect his own poetic & profound understanding:
The bell is a voice articulating emptiness,
Playing host to the wind blowing in four directions.
Expressing its own eloquently crafted language,
Tintinnabulation: the ringing of the ringing. (verse: 118, p. 184)
The other verse from the book that we reference is:
Not attaining, not knowing is the Buddha’s true meaning.
Seek authentic teachings in ordinary places and you will find authentic teachings.
White clouds drifting freely are unobstructed by the vast sky,
So, why bother asking Shitou such a question?
To learn more about these three verses, listen to the podcast! And, if you like this podcast, then check out my first podcast with Professor Heine: The Mysticism of Dogen’s Zen. Thank you for listening!
Professor Steven Heine is a leading scholar in the field of Zen Buddhist history and thought, particularly the life and teachings of Dogen. He has authored and edited nearly three dozen books, including Dogen and the Koan Tradition, Did Dogen Go to China?, Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies, and Readings of Dogen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. Professor Heine has also taught and published extensively on Japanese and East Asian religion and society in worldwide perspectives. He is the Director of Florida International University’s Asian Studies Program. Professor Heine has published numerous books on Dogen, koans, and Chan/Zen poems:
Wisdom Within Words: "The Ringing of the Ringing"