Master Dogen's BUSSO in 100 Words BUTSU means 'Buddha' and SHO means 'nature' so BUSSHO means Buddha-nature. In turn the word 'Buddha' means 'awake' and the word 'nature' means 'born' (from the Latin 'natus') so 'Buddha-nature' literally means 'awakeness born' or 'awareness arises'. Therefore to think of 'Buddha-nature' as something that we 'have', 'have the potential to have', or 'will have' is a misunderstanding.

Master Dogen’s KANKIN in 100 words In KANKIN Master Dogen talks about reading sutras. The word sutra literally means 'thread' but is more commonly used as a name for a Buddhist text. In the manufacture of cloth there are threads that go vertically down the weave (the warp) and threads that go across (the weft). We can view a sutra as a thread of the teachings that, like the warp, has come down the generations and should thus be revered.

Master Dogen's KOKYO in 100 Words In KOKYO (the eternal mirror) Master Dogen uses the metaphor of reflection to explore the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity. When we (subject) look in the mirror we see another version of ourselves (object) behind the glass (although of course we know this apparent duplication of self to be an illusion). To imagine that 'mind' ultimately exists apart from 'body', that 'I' exist apart from 'others', or that 'attainment' (of the Buddhist state) exists apart from 'practice' (of the Buddhist state) is also an illusion. So KOKYO is a caution against seeking anything that exists outside of our daily practice. Photo by Dominik Dombrowski on Unsplash

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Wednesday this year so we will be taking a short midwinter break. Our meetings will restart at 1830 GMT on Wednesday 7th January 2026. Offering thanks to everyone for their sincere efforts during 2025 and looking forward to seeing you all again in the new year. Best wishes, Keith 🙏

Master Dogen’s SHIN-FUKATOKU in 100 Words SHIN-FUKATOKU is a quotation from the Diamond Sutra and in the Nishijima & Cross translation of Shobogenzo is translated as “mind cannot be…

Master Dogen’s HOKKE-TEN-HOKKE in 100 Words In FUKANZAZENGI (Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen) Master Dogen says that sitting in Zazen is “the practice and experience which perf…

Master Dogen’s SHISHO in 100 Words SHISHO means ‘the certificate of succession’. When a Buddhist teacher recognises that their student understands the Buddhist teachings the stude…

Master Dogen’s BUSSO in 100 Words In BUSSO (Buddhist Ancestors) Master Dogen presents a list of the Buddhist Ancestors stretching from those prior to the historical Buddha down to his own tea…

Master Dogen’s SANSUIGYO in 100 Words SAN means mountains, SUI means water and GYO means (Buddhist) teachings so in SANSUIGYO Master Dogen is once again exploring how the natural world (mount…

Master Dogen’s DEN-E in 100 Words DEN means “transmission” and E means “robe,” so DEN-E means “the transmission of the robe.” Although the content of this chapter is very similar to that of t…

Master Dogen’s KESA-KUDOKU in 100 Words In KESA-KUDOKU Master Dogen describes the merit (KUDOKU) of wearing the Buddhist robe (KESA) saying that to wear the Buddha’s robe is to wear (or…

Master Dogen’s UJI in 100 words U means ‘existence’ and JI means ‘time’, so UJI means ‘existence-time’. In turn, ‘existence’ indicates the &#82…

Master Dogen’s SHOAKU-MAKUSA in 100 words In SHOAKU-MAKUSA (Not Doing Wrong) Master Dogen encourages us to recognise that talking about ‘doing right’ is not the same as doing right and …

Master Dogen’s KEISEI-SANSHIKI in 100 words The ‘voices of the river valley’ and the ‘form of the mountains’ are references to the natural world. On one hand the word ‘voices’ suggests that nature …

An interpretation of Zen Master Dogen’s FUKANZAZENGI What is the purpose of Zazen if we already have the Buddha nature? Thinking about Buddha nature is not realising Buddha nature. The ancestors re…

Master Dogen’s RAIHAI-TOKUZUI in 100 words Beneath these apparently complex words lies a simple teaching. RAHAI (‘prostration’) is a physical gesture that suggests submission or humility; TOKU (att…

Master Dogen’s SENJO in 100 words Throughout his writings Master Dogen insists on the unity of body and mind. He teaches that Buddhism is neither purely idealistic nor purely materialistic but inst…

Master Dogen’s SOKU-SHIN-ZE-BUTSU in 100 words It is easy to misinterpret the phrase ‘Mind here and now is Buddha’. Firstly, we should relinquish the idea that there is an enduring ‘mind’ that exis…

Master Dogen’s JU-UNDO-SHIKI in 100 words Master Dogen established the first Zazen hall in Japan on his return from China. This talk outlines the rules for the ‘Hall of Heavy Cloud’ focusing on the…

Master Dogen’s IKKA-MYŌ-JU in 100 Words In one of his more straightforward lectures Master Dogen explores Great Master Sōitsu’s statement “The whole universe throughout all its te…