''Fukan zazengi'' (), also known by its English translation ''Universal Recommendation for Zazen'', is an essay describing and promoting the practice of

zazen ''Zazen'' (literally " seated meditation"; ja, 座禅; , pronounced ) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. However, the term is a general one not unique to Zen, and thus technicall ...

written by the 13th century Japanese

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

monk Eihei Dōgen. The date of its composition is unclear, and the text evolved significantly over the author's lifetime. It is written in

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

rather than the

Classical Japanese The classical Japanese language ( ''bungo'', "literary language"), also called "old writing" ( ''kobun''), sometimes simply called "Medieval Japanese" is the literary form of the Japanese language that was the standard until the early Shōwa pe ...

Dōgen used to compose his famous

Shōbōgenzō is the title most commonly used to refer to the collection of works written in Japan by the 13th century Buddhist monk and founder of the Sōtō Zen school, Eihei Dōgen. Several other works exist with the same title (see above), and it is som ...

. It is traditionally thought to have been composed in 1227, shortly after Dōgen's return to Japan from his years of study in China. This is based on a statement to that effect in his essay

Bendōwa , meaning ''Discourse on the Practice of the Way'' or ''Dialogue on the Way of Commitment'', sometimes also translated as ''Negotiating the Way'', ''On the Endeavor of the Way'', or ''A Talk about Pursuing the Truth'', is an influential essay writt ...

from 1231. However, a manuscript of ''Fukan zazengi'' discovered in modern times that was produced by Dōgen's own hand ends with a

Colophon (publishing) In publishing, a colophon () is a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book such as an "imprint" (the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication). A colophon may include the device (logo) of a pr ...

stating it was written in 1233. This version, known as the Tenpuku manuscript, also has a number of major differences from the more widely known version, the "vulgate version". The vulgate version, which is included in the

Eihei Kōroku ''Eihei Kōroku'' (), also known by its English translation ''Dōgen's Extensive Record'', is a ten volume collection of works by the Sōtō Zen monk Eihei Dōgen. The bulk of the text, accounting for volumes one through seven, are "Dharma hall d ...

, likely has an even later date. Carl Bielefeldt, a scholar of Dōgen's work, believes it could not have been composed before 1242 based on similarities with the

book ''

Zazen shin ''Zazen shin'' (), rendered in English as the ''Acupuncture Needle of Zazen'', ''Lancet of Zazen'', or ''Needle for Zazen'', is a book of the Shōbōgenzō by the 13th century Sōtō Zen monk Eihei Dōgen. It was written on the 19th of April in 12 ...

'', which was composed in that year. There is also a Shōbōgenzō book entitled

Zazen gi ''Zazen gi'' (), also known in various English translations such as ''The Standard Method of Zazen'' or ''Principles of Zazen'', is a book of the Shōbōgenzō by the 13th century Sōtō Zen monk Eihei Dōgen. The book appears tenth in the 75 fasc ...

, composed sometime between 1243 and 1246, that appears to draw material from the vulgate ''Fukan zazengi'' and thus suggesting it would not have been written afterwards. Regardless of the exact date of its first composition, it is clear the material went through many rounds of editing over the author's lifetime. Much of the section describing the actual practice of zazen is copied from the ''

Zuochan yi The ''Zuòchán Yí'' or ''Principles of Zazen'' (), is a short Chan Buddhist meditation manual attributed to a monk named Changlu Zongze (c. 11th century) during the Northern Song dynasty (CE 960 - 1126) which exemplifies the practice of seated m ...

'', a meditation manual written by

Changlu Zongze Changlu Zongze ( ) (died c. 1107) was a Chinese Chan Buddhism, Chan Buddhist monk noted for writing the ''Chanyuan Qinggui'', or ''The Rules of Purity in the Chan Monastery''. Written in 1103, it was the earliest comprehensive book of monastic rule ...

in the early 12th century.

References

{{Eihei Dōgen Soto Zen Zen texts Early Middle Japanese texts Zazen 13th-century books Kamakura-period books about Buddhism Dōgen