Expressing the Truth

Master Dogen's DOTOKU in 100 Words DO means 'to speak' and TOKU means 'to be able' so DOTOKU means 'to be able to speak'. There is a common understanding in Zen Buddhism that reality cannot be expressed in words and yet Master Dogen uses language in creative ways that somehow allow him to express an understanding of the inexpressible. He regularly celebrates those who speak about the truth from a position of practising and experiencing such truth.

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/06/10/expressing-the-truth/

FREE ONLINE MEDITATION

Join us at 18:30 (GMT/BST) today for 30 minutes of Zazen (seated meditation) and a short discussion about the practice. #Meditation #Buddhism #Zazen zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/06/10/free-online-meditation-11/

Preaching a Dream in a Dream

Master Dogen's MUCHU-SETSUMU in 100 Words MU means 'dream', CHU means 'in' and SETSU means 'preach' so MUCHU-SETSUMU means 'preaching a dream in a dream'. A memory of something we did yesterday can feel little different to something we dreamed about doing the night before. Because our fleeting experiences of reality are ultimately beyond full expression our abstract accounts of life are like dreams.

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/preaching-a-dream-in-a-dream/

FREE ONLINE MEDITATION

Join us at 18:30 (GMT/BST) today for 30 minutes of Zazen (seated meditation) and a short discussion about the practice. #Meditation #Buddhism #Zazen zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/free-online-meditation-10/

Learning the Truth with Body and Mind

Master Dogen's SHINJIN-GAKUDO in 100 Words SHINJON means 'body and mind' and GAKUDO means 'learning the truth' so SHINJIN-GAKUDO means 'learning the truth with body and mind.' When we reflect on the nature of our lives we tend to do so objectively or subjectively (as 'body' or 'mind'). It is almost impossible for us to consider ourselves in objective and subjective terms simultaneously and yet there are times when we are so…

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/05/20/learning-the-truth-with-body-and-mind/

FREE ONLINE MEDITATION

Join us at 18:30 (GMT/BST) today for 30 minutes of Zazen (seated meditation) and a short discussion about the practice. #Meditation #Buddhism #Zazen zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/05/20/free-online-meditation-9/

No Zazen 13th May 2026

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/05/12/no-zazen-13th-may-2026/

Brightness

Master Dogen's KOMYO in 100 Words KOMYO means 'brightness' and is used literally to describe light or metaphorically to indicate clarity. We might imagine that clarity has an absolute nature and that we need to attain some state of perfection in order to experience it but Master Dogen uses the term more broadly. In his view 'clarity' describes our ability to see things just as they are.

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/05/06/brightness/

FREE ONLINE MEDITATION

Join us at 18:30 (GMT/BST) today for 30 minutes of Zazen (seated meditation) and a short discussion about the practice. #Meditation #Buddhism #Zazen zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/05/06/free-online-meditation-8/

Cedar Trees

Master Dogen’s HAKUJUSHI in 100 Words The Cedar Trees is very famous koan. In the story a monk asks a master what Master Bodhidharma’s intention had been in coming to China. The master avoids discussion about Master Bodhidharma's intentions and replies "The cedar trees in the garden." The monk takes this response to mean that he had been wrong to ask about Master Bodhidharma's intentions and that the master was encouraging him to consider a materialistic…

https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/cedar-trees/