Banmei Takahashi’s “Zen”

based on the life of Japanese Zen Master Dogen
(19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253).

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道元禅師
• Dōgen Zenji (also Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, or Eihei Dōgen 永平道元, or Koso Joyo Daishi) (19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there. Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment.

….Banmei Takahashi’s “Zen” is that rare serious film about this form of Buddhism, which has had a huge cultural influence but is little understood — let alone practiced — by ordinary Japanese. Perhaps it’s a sign that, after decades of a single-minded focus on materialism, the culture is returning to its spiritual roots; or that one Baby Boomer director (Takahashi is 60) is getting religious in his old age.

…Despite some moments of CG silliness the movie does manage to provide good dramatic pacing considering the amount to time in the movie that’s dedicated to Zazen (admittedly not the most compelling thing to watch), the major events of Dogen’s life are all covered, up to his death. The movie portrays him dying in Zazen as the monks continue to sit the rest of the period out of dedication to his practice. This portrayal diverges from the historical account but it’s emblematic of the way a Zen master is supposed to die: either standing or sitting in perfect samadhi.

Overall Zen is entertaining and contains enough of a historical outline of Dogen’s life that it’s a worthwhile movie. I give it four out of five enso’s.

正法眼蔵
Shōbōgenzō

(lit. “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”) The term Shōbōgenzō has three main usages in Buddhism: (1) It can refer to the essence of the Buddha’s realization and teaching, that is, to the Buddha Dharma itself, as viewed from the perspective of Mahayana Buddhism, (2) it is the title of a koan collection with commentaries by Dahui Zonggao, and (3) it is used in the title of two works by Dogen Kigen…

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If you do not realize the fruit at this moment, when will you realize it?

If you do not cut off delusion at this moment, when will you cut off delusion?

If you do not become a buddha at this moment, when will you?

If you do not sit as a buddha at this moment, when will you practice as an active buddha

Diligently examine this in detail…

Genjo Koan is perhaps the best known section of Eihei Dogen’s masterwork, Shobogenzo (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye).

“The depth of the drop is the height of the moon”