Action and non-action in Dōgen’s teaching
This talk was given at the Festival of Great Master Dōgen at Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple in August 2015. Great Master Dōgen was a thirteenth century Japanese monk, and has a very important place in our tradition as he brought the Sōtō Zen school of Buddhism from China to Japan.
This talk looks at two themes that run throughout Dōgen's teaching. The first of these is his emphasis on "actualisation"; understanding what it means to be Buddha is, on its own, not enough; we must actualise this understanding by living as Buddha in our daily lives. This is the aspect of "action".
We come to an understanding of "action" through the practice of meditation. In meditation we allow thoughts, feelings and emotions to arise and pass away without trying to suppress them or indulge them. We refrain from intervening or "doing" anything, and this is the aspect of "non-action". These two aspects are emphasised in many chapters of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, as well as in the Fukanzazengi and other writings.
Duration: 29:48.