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Offers a groundbreaking approach to a key text in Zen Buddhism.
In Zen Time, Raji C. Steineck provides a robust contextualization of Dōgen's Uji, the most renowned text on time in Zen Buddhism. Situating the text within the historical context of the medieval Zen master's writing, Steineck illustrates how Dōgen shaped the rhythm of life in the Zen monastery to actualize his idea that time in itself is salvific. Dōgen was meticulous in his observation of the particulars of each temporal moment, regarding them as an opportunity to bring together interrelated tenets of Buddhist doctrine and practice. In contrast to readings that equate the Zen approach to time with "living the moment" and that pit qualitative understandings of time against quantitative understandings, Steineck shows how Dōgen was able to connect time's qualitative and quantitative aspects in a way that, despite its mystical elements, remains instructive in relation to contemporary secular and philosophical discussions. The book includes a translation of Uji in an appendix.
"This groundbreaking work offers a historically rich analysis of Dōgen and his writings. It uncovers the intricate workings of medieval monastic religious practices, explains in detail their doctrinal developments, and reconstructs Dōgen's ideas on existence and time in a coherent and original fashion. It is a must-read for established scholars and scholars-in-training in the fields of East Asian religions in general and Buddhism in particular, as well as philosophers interested in what has been termed 'classical Japanese philosophy.'" — Steffen Döll, Hamburg University
"This is one of the finest and most comprehensive works of Dōgen scholarship that I have read in recent years, ranking with the best work of eminent scholars like Steven Heine. The author is steeped in the English, German, and Japanese scholarship to a prodigious, even astounding, level." — Jason M. Wirth, Seattle University, author of Mountains, Rivers, and the Great Earth: Reading Gary Snyder and Dōgen in an Age of Ecological Crisis
Acknowledgments
Conventions and Abbreviations
Introduction
Part I: Grounding the Conceptual Analysis
1. From uji to Philosophy and Back: Thoughts on Methodology
Philosophical Transpositions
Restating uji: A New Translation
Time and Symbolic Form
The Question of Cultural Appropriation
Zen with Distinctions
2. Placing Dōgen in Time: Cultural Constellation, Chronology, Agenda
Social and Cultural Conditions
Religious Writing in Early Medieval Japan
The Religious Field
Dōgen's Life and Works
Dōgen in Time
3. Time Expressed: Chronography in Dōgen's Works
A Matrix for Chronographical Analysis
Chronothesis
Chronometrics and Chronotypology
Numerical Chronometry and Its Uses
Conclusion
4. Chronopolitics: Time Regimes and the Social Language of Time
The Diurnal Rhythm in Monastic Life
The Monthly Cycle
The Annual Cycle
The Social Meaning of Time
Control and Commitment
Conclusion
Part II: Chrononoetics: Understanding Time
5. Building Blocks and Early Approaches
Conceptual Heritage: Dōgen and the Tradition of Buddhist Thought on Time
Setting the Stage: Trans-Temporal Unity in a Transient World
6. Time in "What Is:Time"
"What Is:Time": Structure and Argument
Central Concepts and Propositions
Conclusion
7. Karma and the "Consummate Now"
Synchrony and Sequence
Karma and the "Final Dharma Age"
Conclusion
Part III: Conclusions and After-Thoughts
8. Dōgen's Concept of Time in Context
What is:Time: A Brief Reconstruction and Conceptual Analysis
Integrating Distinctions
Dōgen and Time in Medieval Japan
Dōgen and the History of Time
9. After-Thoughts: Dimensions of Contemporary Significance
Theoretical: Dōgen and the Concept of Time
Time's Measure and Attributes
Practical: Time- and Task-Orientation Combined
Spiritual: Trans-Temporal Synchrony, Holistic Connectedness
Appendix 1: Translation of Uji ("What Is:Time")
Appendix 2: Titles of Dōgen's Writings and Other Original Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Terms