Dogen’s Teachings: A Contemporary Theory of the Motherland
In yesterday’s discourse, we observed the profound landscape inhabited by Dogen (1200–1253)—the progenitor of the Soto school, the largest sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan. We examined his resolve to navigate the tribulations of the early thirteenth century, a period when the very structures of governance were undergoing a total upheaval, and we sought to understand where he searched for his ultimate answers. When one gains insight into a single life, history reveals far more than the eye initially perceives; for me, this process is nothing less than a dialogue with history.
In the Japan of that era, the aristocratic system that had wielded actual power since the capital moved to Kyoto in 794 had reached a state of total collapse. It was a time that saw the dramatic ascent of the warriors who until then had been merely tasked with guarding the nobility or suppressing provincial unrest to ensure it did not disturb the peace of the Kyoto court. To those caught within the swell of a particular epoch, its hegemony may feel absolute. Yet, any system, no matter how seemingly immutable, inevitably meets a sudden end. Thus, hegemony shifted from the aristocrat to the warrior, and Dogen lived through this precarious transition as a new age began to take form.
Dogen, born of the most influential aristocratic lineage in Kyoto, perceived that the capital no longer offered any hope or future. To understand the state of his heart is to confront a question that strikes deep into the lives of those of us living today: the presence of one’s motherland.
When reflecting upon history, I find myself most deeply moved by the lives of those who hold a sincere heart for their motherland. Of course, the history of any nation or people is a rhythmic repetition of prosperity and decline. Consequently, no matter how much one loves their country, the real is often a landscape of immense desolation and extreme corruption—a world so ravaged it becomes difficult to behold. Today, the current state of Japan is indeed difficult to witness, yet what is vital is that we cannot use this as a justification for the folly of abandoning one’s motherland.
This remains unchanged, whether in the past or the present.