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Dōgen
(1200 - 1253)
Japanese monk and philosopher
Japanese monk and philosopher
Dōgen was a 13th-century Japanese Zen master, founder of the Sōtō school, and influential Buddhist philosopher.
Born Kigen Dōgen in 1200, he traveled to China to study Chán Buddhism before returning to Japan in 1227. Dōgen established the Kōshōhōrin-ji monastery and later founded Eihei-ji, the head temple of the Sōtō school. His magnum opus, the Shōbōgenzō, is a profound collection of essays on Zen practice, metaphysics, and ethics. Emphasizing zazen (seated meditation), Dōgen taught that practice and enlightenment are inseparable. His philosophical insights reshaped Japanese Buddhism, and his works continue to be studied by practitioners worldwide.
1253
Dōgen