Dogen (1200-1253) was the founder of Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan and one of the most notable figures in Japanese religious history. This book attempts to clarify how and when Dogen's various works were composed and compiled in relation to the unfolding of Dogen's career.

"Did D=ogen go to China? is a well-written piece of sound scholarship that fills a glaring lacuna in D=ogen studies. Heine builds on his deep expertise of D=ogen's life and work as well as of k=oan literature to tackle central issues in the hagiographical accounts of D=ogen's life. He displays a solid knowledge of all relevant sources and rethinks D=ogen's life in the context of the latest research. This volume constitutes an invaluable contribution to D=ogen scholarship."--Gereon Kopf, author of Beyond Personal Identity: D=ogen, Nishida and a Phenomenology of No-Self "An indispensable vademecum to the work of the Soto Zen master. ...A short review cannot do justice to Heine's intricate argument, which will keep the specialists busy for years to come. Suffice it to say that he brings us face to face with the flesh-and-blood Dogen and his multifarious creative activities, and thus provides an anchorage and a perspective for which puzzled readers of the Shobogenzo will be profoundly grateful."--Monumenta Nipponica "[Heine's] expert analysis is a touchstone of historical and textual research, and required reading for all serious students of Zen."--Religious Studies Review "Because the majority of scholarly publications on Dogen are plagued by ahistorical methodologies, this book is a breath of fresh air. Thoroughly grounded in historical and textual-critical methodologies, Heine provides a comprehensive, detailed analysis of teh diversity of Dogen's writings. ...Heine's book should be read by any scholar seeking a more historically grounded understanding of Japanese Buddhism. ...Highly recommended." --Choice "...a gathering of insights drawn from multiple angles of vision and from opposing perspective."--William Harmless, SJ, Creighton University

Establishes the significance of Chinese influences on Dogen's Zen, which has been generally overlooked or misrepresented in Western scholarship Brings cutting edge Japanese scholarship on Dogen to a Western audience

Steven Heine is Professor and Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University. He specializes in the history of thought of Zen Buddhism and its transition from China to Japan, especially the life and works of Zen Master D=ogen. He has published twenty books and numerous articles on East Asian religion and society. Dr. Heine was recently awarded the Kauffman Professorship in Entrepreneurship Studies at the Florida International University Business School.

Establishes the significance of Chinese influences on Dogen's Zen, which has been generally overlooked or misrepresented in Western scholarship Brings cutting edge Japanese scholarship on Dogen to a Western audience