Praise for Visions of Awakening Space and Time
“This richly woven study brings us new insights into the dynamic role of Earth in Mahayana Buddhist understandings of enlightenment. Leighton reveals a transmission of the Buddha Dharma in which the utter reality of the phenomenal world is not to be questioned, nor is impermanence to be transcended. Time and space are rather to be experienced as the spiritually nourishing womb of our awakening. Right now, when ecological crises imperil the future of conscious life, and when, at the same time, Gaia theory invites us to understand ourselves as intrinsic parts of a living Earth, this work of scholarship is good news indeed.” —Joanna Macy
“A premier translator of two of Dogen’s major works, Eihei Shingi and Eihei Koroku, has now turned his sights to an analysis of Dogen in East Asian theoretical contexts with illuminating results. This very thoughtful, informative, and highly original study makes a significant contribution to both Dogen and Lotus Sutra studies by showing how Dogen’s Zen is rooted in Mahayana worldview, and also how the Lotus Sutra was a key resource for Japanese Zen. Leighton does an outstanding job of juxtaposing the seminal Lotus Sutra with the main writings of Dogen, along with other prominent thinkers in Zen and Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. He also sheds important light on contemporary applications and interpretations of Buddhist theory.” —Steven Heine, author of Dogen and the Koan Tradition
“Among the eminent Buddhist figures of premodern Japan, perhaps none has drawn more attention in the West than the Zen master Dogen (1200-1253). In a fresh approach, this volume moves beyond Dogen’s explicitly Zen heritage to explore his indebtedness to the imagery and rhetorical strategies of the Lotus Sutra in articulating his vision of practice. Leighton is sensitive to the playfulness and creativity of Dogen’s hermeneutics. His study will be welcomed by readers interested in the Mahayana as literature and in situating Dogen within the broader intellectual currents of his day.” —Jacqueline I. Stone
“This book is an exploration of Dogen’s writings on space and time, especially as they relate to the central message of the Lotus Sutra . It demonstrates unity of practice and book learning in Japanese Zen and the unity of the Zen tradition and Buddhist teaching traditions such as Tendai and Kegon. Anyone interested in philosophical or literary aspects of Dogen’s teachings and their relationship to Buddhist scriptures will find much to savor. Buddhist practitioners who wish to know how traditional scriptures can speak to contemporary concerns will find much to digest. ” —William Bodiford, author of Soto Zen in Medieval Japan.