Flowers Fall : A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen's Genjokoan

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Summary: A way in to Dogen, by a modern Zen master.
Review: I practice Zen and have always gotten the feeling that I'm supposed to find Dogen's writing poetic and wise, but I've mainly found it to be obtuse, paradoxical gobbledy-gook, and I'm suspicious that many who rave about Dogen don't actually understand him either. This book helped me to see that Dogen may actually deserve his reputation as THE master of Soto Zen. The commentator, Yasutani Roshi, is perhaps best known for his classic introductory lectures on Zen training in "The Three Pillars of Zen." If you've ever wondered what the heck you think you're trying to do on that zafu, when the whole point is that you already HAVE the buddha nature, you might find this helpful. I liked Yasutani's attention to the tensions between Rinzai and Soto approaches to Zen (with some pointed scolding of the Soto folks) and the relationship between practice and enlightenment. I highly recommend this for folks who've been practicing Zen for a while and want a taste of Dogen.

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Summary: Reviews Wither and Die
Review: Very simply, for those interested in Dogen and his "Genjo-Koan", there is no other meaningful commentary available in English. This one is originally written in Japanese and has a Japanese sensibility, but is well translated and delves deeply into the nuances of Dogen's masterpiece. One can quibble with Yasutani's interpretations, but at the end of the day Dogen is just a mirror in which the face of the commentator is reflected -- everyone can and will have their theory about what our favorite Soto Zen Master was actually saying in his cryptic, exuberant, philosophical tour de force. Yasutani has more than one axe to grind but that just adds spice to the mix. All in all, a must-read for the Dogen and Genjo-Koan student.

Rating:
Summary: Reviews Wither and Die
Review: Very simply, for those interested in Dogen and his "Genjo-Koan", there is no other meaningful commentary available in English. This one is originally written in Japanese and has a Japanese sensibility, but is well translated and delves deeply into the nuances of Dogen's masterpiece. One can quibble with Yasutani's interpretations, but at the end of the day Dogen is just a mirror in which the face of the commentator is reflected -- everyone can and will have their theory about what our favorite Soto Zen Master was actually saying in his cryptic, exuberant, philosophical tour de force. Yasutani has more than one axe to grind but that just adds spice to the mix. All in all, a must-read for the Dogen and Genjo-Koan student.