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The Essential Art of Meditation and the Authentic Tradition of Enlightenment The Fukan z.az.en gi is by no means merely a practical manual on the techniques of contemplation: it is also—and perhaps more conspicuously— a theological statement of the Zen approach to Buddhism and a literary appreciation of Zen training. The text falls into three fairly distinct and roughly equal sections. Of these, only the middle section offers concrete advice on the procedures to be followed in meditation. Here, as I have indicated, Dogen is largely content to follow Tsung-tse's Tso-ch'an i—albeit with occasional, sometimes interesting, omissions and additions. In contrast the introductory section, in which Dogen expounds the rationale of Zen mental cultivation, is wholly new. Similarly, though it retains much of the structure and some of the phrasing of his Chinese model, his conclusion, which constitutes a panegyric on the virtues of meditation and an exhortation to undertake its practice, again departs from Tsung-tse to elaborate Dogen's own understanding of Zen. These latter two sections, then, most clearly bear Dogen's stamp and most sharply distinguish his text from Tsung-tse's simple meditation manual. While the Fukan z.az.en gi may not be merely a practical guide to the techniques of ZflZfn, it is such a guide; and while it may not be particularly original in its presentation of these techniques, this in itself does not, of course, detract from its value as a manual or as a source for understanding Zen meditation as it was practiced in thirteenth-century China and Japan. On the contrary, their close correspondences with Tsung-tse's teachings place the practices described in the Fukan zazen gi within an established 5 no Teachings Buddhist contemplative tradition and give them a universality not always shared by some of Dogen's more theoretical interpretations of Zen training. To these interpretations, we shall turn in due course; but first let us consider only the central section of the Fukan aazen gi, in which Dogen explains the actual method ofzazen. This will give us some sense not only of the concrete features of his practice but also of their relationship to the earlier tradition. The literature of this tradition itself is far too vast to explore here, but we can gain at least some perspective by occasionally comparing what Dogen and Tsung-tse have to say with the classical account ofBuddhist meditation given in Chih-i's Tien-t'ai hsiao chih-kuan. For the sake of convenience, I shall generally follow the text of the Tenpuku Fukan z.az.en gi here, referring to Dogen's other writings only where they help to amplify a topic. The major revisions of the vulgate edition will be discussed in Chapter 6.1 Broadly speaking, the practical explanation of zazen describes two sorts ofactivities: (i) seated meditation itself, traditionally treated under the three aspects of body, breath, and mind; and (2) certain ancillary techniques that support the meditation. These latter may range from general considerations of lifestyle and attitude to specific mental and physical preparations for the practice proper. Though scholastic treatises like the Hsiao chih-kuan or Tsung-mi's Hsiu-cheng i devote considerable space to such topics, their treatment in the Fukan zazen gi, like that of the Tso-ch'an i from which it is taken, is extremely brief: we are told simply to seek quiet quarters, be moderate in our eating habits, and abandon involvement in worldly activities. Avoidance of the extremes of self-indulgence and deprivation is, of course, a basic principle of the Buddhist ethic of the middle way, but it is also common Buddhist practical advice to the meditator. The admonition here on the need for moderation in food and drink appears as the first of the five kinds of self-regulation recommended by the Hsiao chih-kuan: food, sleep, body, breath, and mind. The Fukan z.az.m gi follows Tsung-tse in mentioning only the amount consumed; but Chih-i adds a warning against eating improper foods, and elsewhere Dogen himself records an interesting list of such foods said to have been proscribed by his master, Ju-ching.2 Tsung-tse also recommends the second member of Chih-i's list, the regulation of sleep, but for some reason DSgen omits it. In his Japanese zazen gi, however, he offers at this point in the discussion what appears to be a commentary on the topic by...

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