Master Dogen's Shobogenzo (Gudo Nishijima)

A Monumental Achievement! If you have not read Books 1 through 4 of this translation of the 95 chapter edition of Shobogenzo, do it now! If you have read them, do it again! Gudo Nishijima and Mike (Chodo) Cross's four volume translation of the 13th century Zen master Eihei Dogen's masterpiece marked the first English language translation of the entire 95 chapter version of Shobogenzo - The True Dharma-Eye Treasury (excepting the nearly useless translation by Kosen Nishiyama and John Stevens). By opting for a more "literal" rather than "interpretive" rendition, the translators have realized a monumental achievement by furnishing English readers with a reliable text that is certain to be invaluable for generations. This set is also packed with a wide selection of reference material, or "Aids to the Reader", including a translation of The Heart Sutra, Dogen's Fukanzazengi, and a generous selection of passages from the Lotus Sutra, Glossaries, a variety of tables offering data... Read more

A master piece from a real master. A must for zen practitioners and buddhist of all lineages.

Zen has become such a buzz-word in the last few decades, that it is now almost meaningless in the eyes of the wider public. The first volume of the Shobogenzo is everything but meaningless, on the contrary, here we get the chance to meet one of the greatest minds the spiritual culture of Buddhism has produced so far. It's definitely not an easy read, Nishijima's translation of the Shobogenzo is the kind of text that has to be read time and again for the rest of your life. The true potency of the diverse content can only manifest itself within the actual practice of Zen. Words alone can only ever be a very weak finger pointing at the moon, not the moon itself. As far as fingers go, this first volume of the Shobogenzo is truly the real thing. A must-buy for anyone interested in Zen philospophy and the school of Soto-Zen in particular.

This English translation of Shobogenzo is the best there ever was or will be. Not only does Gudo Nishijima know his stuff when translating ancient Japanese to English (with invaluable assistance from student Chodo Cross who makes the prose clear and easy to read without sacrificing a bit of the original), he has been living the message of Shobogenzo for more than six decades. Nishijima doesn't just cherry pick his favorite chapters. He gives you the whole thing - including the controversial stuff many modern scholars would like to avoid! This is the version of Shobogenzo referenced in my own book Hardcore Zen, which is also available from Amazon.

Although book 2 of the highly regarded 4 volume translation of Master Dogen's Shobogenzo is listed as available, unfortunately it is out of print and Amazon advised it cannot be obtained. Nor can I find it anywhere else. The publishers still have books 1, 3 and 4 available. It would be good to see a reprint of book 2 so the whole set was available again.