Fascicle 1 (Genjokoan) of Shobogenzo, trans. Paul Jaffe (1996), in Yasutani, Flowers Fall (Boston: Shambhala), 101-107.
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To study the Buddha way is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the myriad dharmas. To be enlightened by the myriad dharmas is to bring about the dropping away of body and mind of both oneself and others. The traces of enlightenment come to an end, and this traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly. When a person starts to search out the dharma, he separates himself far from the dharma. When the dharma has already been rightly transmitted in oneself, just then one is one's original self.

— Dōgen

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To study the Buddha way is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the myriad dharmas. To be enlightened by the myriad dharmas is to bring about the dropping away of body and mind of both oneself and others. The traces of enlightenment come to an end, and this traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly. When a person starts to search out the dharma, he separates himself far from the dharma. When the dharma has already been rightly transmitted in oneself, just then one is one's original self." in the context of "Fascicle 1 (Genjokoan) of Shobogenzo, trans. Paul Jaffe (1996), in Yasutani, Flowers Fall (Boston: Shambhala), 101-107." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Dōgen" (Quotes, Shōbōgenzō (1231–53): Original Japanese text published by Komeisha, English translation (Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III, Vol. IV) published by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai.) 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.