Dōgen

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/d-gen

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Dōgen born?January 19, 1200, Kyoto, Japan
2. When did Dōgen die?September 22, 1253, Echizen Province, Japan
3. What is the key philosophical concepts?Shikantaza ('just sitting'), practice-realization non-duality, and 'ueshi' (being-time)
4. What is the major monastic foundation?Eihei-ji Monastery, established as the central temple for Sōtō Zen
5. Who was Dōgen?Dōgen was a Japanese monk born in 1200 who taught people to sit quietly and be present.
6. What is shikantaza?Shikantaza means "just sitting". It is a way of sitting where you stay alert and let thoughts come and go without trying to control them.

Chan Buddhism: The Chinese precursor to Japanese Zen Buddhism, emphasizing meditation and direct experience.
Tathāgata-garbha: The concept of 'Buddha-nature', the inherent potential for enlightenment within all sentient beings.
Impermanence (Mujō): The Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena are in a constant state of change and are not lasting.