Mike explains the opening of Genjo Koan through four points of view; for Dogen, being awake simply means being here

Four points of view

Master Dogen didn’t write a book. The Shobogenzo is just a collection of his essays or talks, and there are different versions. In some versions, Genjo Koan is the first, but in our book, it’s the third, because Nishijima Roshi arranged the chapters in order of the date when Master Dogen wrote the essay or gave the talk. He wrote Genjo Koan in the middle of autumn in 1233.^[1]

In the chapter, he talks from four points of view, which he often uses when explaining Buddhism. First, an idealistic point of view: an idea or an outline of the principle he wants to talk about. Second, some down-to-earth material explanation, often maybe a story about people, or a situation. The third is often difficult to understand, because Dogen tries to synthesize the idealistic and materialistic points of view, to get closer to a realistic description. And the fourth is a kind of overall, often poetic grasping of what he’s talking about.^[1]

The first paragraph

In this first paragraph, he says that from the first point of view, we distinguish between opposite situations: to be enlightened or deluded, alive or dead, a Buddha or an ordinary person. When we analyse something in our mind, we divide it into opposites. From the second point of view, he says that in life, we can’t always find these opposites. A Buddha and an ordinary person both have two legs, two arms, two eyes. They both drink tea, eat food, sleep.^[2]

And he says that the teaching of the Buddha is not inside the area where we analyse the world, where we discriminate between opposites. It’s connected with the state at this moment. We can think about life or death, but in reality, we are either living or dead. Now we’re living, now we’re dead, now we’re Buddhas, now we’re ordinary people. A direct, non-analytical teaching based on the present moment.^[2]

Then he says that from the fourth point of view, the world is just as it is. Sometimes we’re thinking, sometimes involved in the physical world, sometimes just living in the present. Sometimes things are as we want them, sometimes not. That’s a fact. So that first paragraph contains a kind of statement of his whole philosophy.^[2]

The second paragraph

In the second paragraph, he talks about how, if we try hard to live in reality, we delude ourselves. So if we make a very strong effort to be present here, “I’m here,” it doesn’t work. It’s a delusion. But if we just allow ourselves to be where we are, then we are awake in reality. So he’s talking about trying to be something from an idea.^[3]

He says that people who know what it is to be deluded are Buddhas. People who think they have an idea of what reality is and talk about it enthusiastically may be deluding themselves. But people who realize what it’s like to be deluded can just simply be present. In other words, we need to realize that we’re deluded sometimes before we can just be simply awake. This is what he says. And he says that some people who are awake can slowly become clearer and clearer about what is real, and other people become more and more deluded.^[3]

A simple state we all know

He then says that to be awake, or to be a Buddha, we don’t need to notice that. Even though we might not notice it, we carry on experiencing the state of being awake. Being awake, or being Buddha, to Dogen simply means being awake, being here. Not lost in our thoughts, or trapped by our emotions, but just being here. It’s a very simple state, which we all know. We enter it and leave it. But people who know the difference between being here and being somewhere in our mind or trapped in our emotions are able to be in reality and slowly to become clearer about when we’re here.^[4]

Excitement and everyday life

Roman: It seems the greater the Buddhist teachers, including Master Dogen, the more confident or excited they seem to be when explaining the truth. But you said that if they do it, they don’t know the truth. It sounded like that.

It’s connected with intention. Reality is not extraordinary. It’s just here. As the ancient teachers used to say, it’s carrying water. While we are up here talking about very abstract ideas of Buddhism, maybe Eli’s in the kitchen making the food. So she’s in reality, and we’re not. But we can realize the fact. This is just a talk. Reality is quite normal: making tea, cutting the vegetables, cooking soup. But sometimes some of us need it to be explained to us. If we explain it to somebody excitedly, we miss the point. It’s simpler than that. It’s just being normal, being here. Make sure that the soup is not burning.^[5]

In one koan story, the student asks the master, “What is the central truth of Buddhism?” The master says, “Have you finished eating?” “Oh yeah.” “Go and wash your bowl.” That’s reality. But we find it very difficult to be in everyday simple life, because we are very intelligent. We tend to give different value to different activities, so we could say, “We’re talking about very, very important philosophy about life and truth, but she’s in the kitchen cooking, that’s not so important.” But Master Dogen said the cook is the most important person.^[5]

Roman: So it shouldn’t be separate from everyday life. When Master Dogen explains very difficult philosophical concepts, it doesn’t mean he forgets what everyday life is.

I guess so. It doesn’t say should or shouldn’t. You can write about Buddhism as much as you want. Just don’t forget that it’s half past five and you need to eat some tea.^[6]

Direct experience and the flow

In the next paragraph, he says that when we are experiencing what’s in front of us wholly, it’s very direct. It’s not dual like looking at something else, where we can be conscious of ourselves looking at it. Whole experience is complete.^[6]

In the next paragraph, he says that the Buddha taught that we are finding out who we are, and to find out who we are is to forget who we are. When we forget who we are, we can become one with everything. When we can become one with everything, we let go of my body and my mind, and of the world. So he’s talking about the state when we act fully. We don’t think about ourselves. You can say the ego disappears. This is a common experience when we’re in the flow, as a musician or a sports person, or in the office. The separation between us and the world is not important. It’s not there.^[7]

Looking for reality somewhere else

In the next long paragraph, he explains that when we start looking for reality, we’re looking for it somewhere else. We don’t realize that what we’re searching for is where we are. It’s easy for us to believe that we have something called a mind, something called a body, and that our mind continues without end, separate from our body. But he says that when we come back to reality, to this place, we can see that the world is not centered on us. We’re part of something large. You’re not at the center of it.^[7]