In this workshop, we’ll introduce Genjokoan, one of the most important philosophical texts written by Dogen Zenji, a Buddhist poet, teacher, philosopher and founder of the Soto Zen school.  

Genjo means “to fully manifest or express”; koan as it’s used here means “the heart of the matter.” Genjokoan therefore means “fully manifesting the heart of the matter” or fully expressing the meaning of our life. It’s often translated “actualized the fundamental point.”  I call it “the koan of everyday life.”   

Our practice, when sitting zazen and in life, is to fully express and respond to the present moment, to reality-as-it-is, individually, in community and in harmony with the world.  In zazen, as we become intimate with ourselves and our conditioning: we see the ways in which we are caught up in attachment and aversion. When we experience moments of awakening, they have the potential to become another form of attachment. Dogen’s teaching is for us to be fully present to all of these aspects of ourselves, without causing harm to ourselves and others.   

Here’s a link to the translation of the Genjokoan we’ll be studying. Dogen’s use of language is original and is intended to move us beyond our conventional way of thinking. When you read Genjokoan, allow the words to penetrate your consciousness, like reading poetry.   

We will continue working with this study text during Monday evening practice in the month following the workshop.

The workshop will be help at Shakti Yoga in Maplewood NJ. Please register for the workshop here (TBD).