Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions,
Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language

a 2020

Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language

KUBOVČÁKOVÁ, Zuzana

Basic information

Original name

Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language

Name in Czech

Jazyk zenového mistra Dógena: Revize a reinterpretace Dógenovho jazyka

Authors

KUBOVČÁKOVÁ, Zuzana

Edition

14th Annual Conference on Asian Studies: Voiced and Voiceless in Asia, 2020

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Konferenční abstrakt

Field of Study

60202 Specific languages

Country of publisher

Czech Republic

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

Book of Abstracts for the 14th Annual Conference on Asian Studies: Voiced and Voiceless in Asia

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

Keywords (in Czech)

zen buddhismus; Dógen; koan; Udži; Šóbó genzó

Keywords in English

Zen Buddhism; Dogen; koan; Uji; Shobogenzo

Abstract

V originále

The figure of Zen master Dōgen 道元 (1200—1253), founder of the Japanese Sōtō school of Buddhism, has in the last decades been in the center of interest of both Japanese and Western scholars given especially his innovative and original, yet also intriguing and often paradoxical teaching. While on the one hand, Dōgen was a traditional, almost a conservative Buddhist teacher and Zen master in that he attached value to the practice of seated meditation (shikan taza 只管打坐) that he is particularly famous for, he was also surprisingly unrestrained and unconventional in his use of language. The topic of Dōgen’s use of language is seldom ignored by scholars, yet only rarely explored in greater detail compared to the message of his writings. In this paper, my intention is to illustrate Dōgen’s rhetorical innovations and verbal creativity, which enabled him to formulate an original teaching that distinguishes him from his contemporaries and the other personages in Japanese Buddhism. I will propose a set of aspects regarding Dōgen’s original use of language, ranging from tendencies that would today be labelled as morphological, semantic and/or rhetorical. Based on examples from Dōgen’s masterpiece Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Shōbōgenzō 正法眼蔵), I will also illustrate how he innovatively employed Chinese words and expressions in a Japanese language context and how he created new meanings by the various approaches he employed.

Links

MUNI/21/KUB/2017, interní kód MU

Name: Překlad vybraných částí Dógenova spisu Šóbógenzó (Acronym: Šóbógenzó)

Investor: Masaryk University

Citovat

KUBOVČÁKOVÁ, Zuzana. Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language. In 14th Annual Conference on Asian Studies: Voiced and Voiceless in Asia. 2020.

@proceedings{1697058,
   author = {Kubovčáková, Zuzana},
   booktitle = {14th Annual Conference on Asian Studies: Voiced and Voiceless in Asia},
   keywords = {Zen Buddhism; Dogen; koan; Uji; Shobogenzo},
   language = {eng},
   title = {Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language},
   url = {https://kas.upol.cz/fileadmin/users/124/ACAS2020_Book_of_Abstracts.pdf},
   year = {2020}
}

TY  - CONF
ID  - 1697058
AU  - Kubovčáková, Zuzana
PY  - 2020
TI  - Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language
KW  - Zen Buddhism
KW  - Dogen
KW  - koan
KW  - Uji
KW  - Shobogenzo
UR  - https://kas.upol.cz/fileadmin/users/124/ACAS2020_Book_of_Abstracts.pdf
N2  - The figure of Zen master Dōgen 道元 (1200—1253), founder of the Japanese Sōtō school of Buddhism, has in the last decades been in the center of interest of both Japanese and Western scholars given especially his innovative and original, yet also intriguing and often paradoxical teaching. While on the one hand, Dōgen was a traditional, almost a conservative Buddhist teacher and Zen master in that he attached value to the practice of seated meditation (shikan taza 只管打坐) that he is particularly famous for, he was also surprisingly unrestrained and unconventional in his use of language. The topic of Dōgen’s use of language is seldom ignored by scholars, yet only rarely explored in greater detail compared to the message of his writings. In this paper, my intention is to illustrate Dōgen’s rhetorical innovations and verbal creativity, which enabled him to formulate an original teaching that distinguishes him from his contemporaries and the other personages in Japanese Buddhism. I will propose a set of aspects regarding Dōgen’s original use of language, ranging from tendencies that would today be labelled as morphological, semantic and/or rhetorical. Based on examples from Dōgen’s masterpiece Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Shōbōgenzō 正法眼蔵), I will also illustrate how he innovatively employed Chinese words and expressions in a Japanese language context and how he created new meanings by the various approaches he employed.
ER  -

KUBOVČÁKOVÁ, Zuzana. Intimate Language of Zen Master Dōgen: Revisions, Reinterpretations, and Reinventions in Dōgen’s Language. In \textit{14th Annual Conference on Asian Studies: Voiced and Voiceless in Asia}. 2020.

Detailed Information on Publication Record