Praise for Dogen's Extensive Record
“This is a significant time in terms of understanding Dogen in the West, [with] Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura’s translation of the Eihei Koroku coming out. People are going to see an entirely different style in this collection of Dogen’s later teachings.” —Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University
“I can’t keep my hands off my copy of Eihei Koroku! A phenomenal job….it reads so well and is just what I’ve been needing. Dogen has become the bedrock for my own practice and now these Dharma Talks speak directly to the matter. I feel as though I were standing in that assembly, trying to field the ball and heave it back. This all smacks of the man himself, talking to real people. I fear I may be one of those who reads and relishes every word.” —Tonen Sara O’Connor, Dharma teacher of the Milwaukee Zen Center
“Thank you so much for the the translation of Dogen’s weighty tome. The many hours of dedicated work will be much appreciated by all of us now and in the future who value Dogen’s inspired writing and talks.” —Mel Weitsman, abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center
“I am filled with deep appreciation for your generosity and effort in making these teachings accessible to the West. The book is wonderfully edited and translated and it is completely reassuring to have such a clear eyed teacher bringing Dogen’s teachings to us.” —Dae Gak, Zen Master of Furnace Mountain Zen Center, Kentucky
“This massive work will be a valuable asset for all students of Zen and Buddhism in general. The Extensive Recordallows us to see Dogen lecturing and performing as a teacher. The translators, Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura, two Soto Zen teachers active in North America, have done an admirable job of rendering Dogen’s thirteenth-century Chinese into modern English. The text is remarkably easy to read while also remaining faithful to Dogen’s idiom. The translation and introductions meet high academic standards. Leighton provides extensive suggestions on how one might read Dogen’s Extensive Record as a tool for improving one’s daily practice. This translation allows Western readers to discover a new side of Dogen, the side he presented to his own students on a daily basis. It will reward careful study.” —William Bodiford, Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA