Dogen Quotes on Mind
Eihei Dogen was a 13th-century Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and philosopher, the founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan. This page collects quotes attributed to Dogen on the topic of mind, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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“To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.”
Fascicle 1 ( Genjokoan ) of Shobogenzo , trans. Paul Jaffe (1996), in Yasutani, Flowers Fall (Boston: Shambhala), 101-107. -
Attributed to Dogen:
“Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.”
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“If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace.”
Shobogenzo Zuimonki(1238) | VI, 9 -
“Students, when you want to say something, think about it three times before you say it. Speak only if your words will benefit yourselves and others. Do not speak if it brings no benefit.”
Shobogenzo Zuimonki(1238) | VI, 2 -
“Students of the Way must not study Buddhism for the sake of themselves. They must study Buddhism only for the sake of Buddhism. The key to this is to renounce both body and mind without holding anything back and to offer them to the great sea of Buddhism.”
Shobogenzo Zuimonki(1238) | V, 2