Dōgen and the Kōan Tradition

Steven Heine is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is author of Existential and Ontological Dimensions of Time in Heidegger and Dogen and editor of Masao Abe's A Study of Dogen: His Philosophy and Religion, both published by SUNY Press. He has also written A Blade of Grass: Japanese Poetry and Aesthetics in Dogen Zen and A Dream within a Dream: Studies in Japanese Thought.

Illustrations

Tables

Preface

Chinese and Japanese Eras

Abbreviations

Part I. Methodological Issues

1. Text and Untext: On the Significance of Koans

Introduction to the Two Texts
Postmodernism and Zen Discourse
Satori Dialogues in Relation to Sung Zen Genres
Multiple Implications of the Term "Koan"
Significance of the Koan as a Zen Symbol
A Zen Problematic: Textuality and Untextuality

2. Mythology and Demythology: The Aporetics of Koan Studies

Two Sets of Problematical Issues
Nishitani's View of "Self-Surpassing" Zen
Five Main Aporetics of Zen Studies
The Function of Literary Criticism
The Koan as Religious Symbol
Discourse Analysis in Dogen and Koan Studies

Part II. Interpretive Studies

3. Inter and Intra Textuality: A Tale of Two Shobogenzo Texts

On Contextualizing Dogen's Texts
Conventional View of Dogen and the Koan Tradition
Rethinking the Conventional View
Contrasting Dogen and Ta-hui
The Two Shobogenzo Texts

4. Narratology and Tropology: Skin, Flesh, Bones, Marrow/Marrow, Bones, Flesh, Skin

On Resolving the Aporetics of Koan Studies
Section A. "Skin, Flesh, Bones, Marrow"
Rethinking the Conventional View
On the Formation of Zen Genres
Roots and Branches
Section B. "Marrow, Bones, Flesh, Skin"
The Elements of a Tropological Interpretation
Dogen's KS Text in Comparison with Koan-roku Texts
Conclusions: Does the Koan Have Buddha-Nature?
Appendix I. Translations of Kana Shobogenzo Fascicles
Appendix II. On the Mana Shobogenzo

Glossary of Sino-Japanese Terms, Names and Titles

Notes

Bibliography

Index