Zen Enlightenment Origins and Meaning

Enlightenment, the cosmic experience of universal unity, is a notoriously elusive concept in Zen. Here, the renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan. Delineating the Buddhist origins, as well as the Taoist and yogic influences, he traces the historical path Zen has followed, with special emphasis given to the development of koan practice and the writings of the great Japanese Zen master Dogen (12001253). He then brings the experience to life by presenting, in his own words, the enlightenment experiences of a number of contemporary practitioners of Zen.

Heinrich Dumoulin holds a Ph.D. from the Gregorian University, Rome; a Litt.D. from the University of Tokyo; and an honorary Doctorate in Theology from the University of Wnrzburg. A resident of Tokyo since 1935, he was Professor of Philosophy and History of Religions at Sophia University in Tokyo from 1941 to 1976. His writings include Kamo Mabuchi: Ein Beitrag zur japanischen Religions und Geistesgeschichte (Tokyo, 1943); The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch (New York, 1953); Zen Geschichte und Gestalt (Bern, 1959), translated as A History of Zen Buddhism (New York, 1963); +stliche Meditation und christliche Mystik (Freiburg, 1966); editor, Buddhismus der Gegenwart (Freiburg, 1970), translated as Buddhism in the Modern World (New York, 1976); Christianity Meets Buddhism (La Salle, Illinois, 1974); Zen Buddhism in the 20th Century (New York, 1992); and many works in the Japanese language.