From Uji to Being-Time (and Back): Translating Dōgen into Philosophy

Abstract

AbstractI seek to show that the declared aim of Dōgen’s writings, which were often edited versions of ritualised verbal teachings, was to guide disciples on the Buddha Way—a practical path to salvation that was clearly defined and delimited by an authoritative tradition. Dōgen, therefore, tried to preclude rather than foster the open-ended discussion of fundamental problems of human life that is otherwise usually associated with the concept of philosophy. Hence, Dōgen speaks a language of persuasion that is guided by aims and rules of discourse different from those of philosophy. This, or so I argue, is an aspect that is often lost when Dōgen’s thoughts are transferred into philosophical debates. The result is, in many instances, a rather facile alignment with the recipient’s own preconceptions. To substantiate my hypothesis, I start from factual observations concerning the modern philosophical reception of Dōgen’s teachings on time in Japan and the Anglophone world, focusing on the semantic shifts occurring in interpretations by prominent authors such as Tanabe Hajime, Ōmori Shōzō, Rein Raud, and others. I then turn to the theory of translation to analyse the seminal factors at play in this observed process of transformative reception. Finally, I reflect on how conceiving of the transfer of Dōgen’s thought into philosophical discourse as a process of translation can help to build interpretations that are both hermeneutically sound and philosophically interesting.