III, 14
“

Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment.

— Dōgen

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment." in the context of "III, 14" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Dōgen" (Quotes, Shobogenzo Zuimonki (1238): Shobogenzo Zuimonki [Things Overheard at the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma], a collection of Dōgen's teachings compiled by Ejō between 1236 and 1238, as translated by Reiho Masunaga. (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press; New Ed edition, June 1975)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Dōgen

About Dōgen

Dōgen (道元; also Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, Eihei Dōgen 永平道元, titled as Dōgen Zenji Zen Master Dōgen 道元禅師) (19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan.