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Dōgen

Type Figure Region Japan Time 1200–1253 Also known as 道元禅师、Dōgen、永平道元

Dōgen (1200–1253), a Kamakura-period Japanese Zen monk and founder of the Sōtō school, studied in Song China (1223–1227), founded Kōshō-ji in Uji (12…

Timeline

  1. 1200–1243Kyoto · ZenDōgen was of Minamoto descent, born in Kyoto in 1200, ordained in 1213 (ascending Mount Hiei to study Tendai). From 1223 to 1227 he studied in Song China under Master Rujing at Tiantong Temple; after returning he founded Kōshō-ji in Uji in 1233 and Eihei-ji at Ōtani in Echizen in 1444, writing works such as Shōbōgenzō and establishing the foundations of Japanese Sōtō.
  2. 1251–1252Eihei-ji · Sōtō schoolIn the early 1250s Dōgen resided at Eihei-ji in Echizen, continuing to instruct disciples in 'just sitting,' refining monastic regulations, and writing documents such as Eihei Kōroku, as the Sōtō school consolidated its development in the Echizen region.
  3. 1253Kyoto · Sōtō schoolIn 1253 Dōgen left Eihei-ji due to illness and returned to Kyoto, passing away on the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month at the age of fifty-four. His disciples such as Kūun Kaizō continued the Dharma lineage, and Eihei-ji became the head temple of Japanese Sōtō.

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