Being-Time: A Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji

For the Zen student who feels that Dōgen is “too difficult,” or too lofty to be of use in their everyday practice, this book will engage you in a new, more intimate relationship with Dōgen’s teaching. Rev. Shinshu’s presentation is like having tea with a wise and generous friend and listening as they share the words of their teacher, confident those words will bring you joy and ease on your spiritual path. With “Being Time: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō Uji” Rev. Shinshu expresses the essence and vital practicality of one of Dōgen’s most profound teachings. She illustrates with a clear and personal style (and with confident experience incorporating Dōgen’s way into her own life) ways to approach “the big questions”: how do we fully engage our life in this world at this very moment? What is our karmic responsibility to our ancestors in the future? How do we transform our relationship to a perhaps difficult past so that it doesn’t hinder our life now? And what might be the most important question: how can we greet with openness and compassion that clerk at the grocery store who always has an attitude?This is a great book for anyone engaged in the Zen path, no matter how long you’ve travelled with Dōgen as your companion. I would absolutely recommend it to someone who is just beginning to explore Dōgen’s teaching. And I am confident that I will turn to Shinshu’s generous book over and over again, and look forward to renewing tea and conversation with her about her understanding of “Uji” and being-time many “times” in the future.Rev. Shinshu expresses it beautifully:“Even if we cannot completely understand Dōgen’s teaching, it will still impact our practice. His vision of life is vast, poetic, and concrete all at the same time. Sometimes it feels as if we are hanging on to a dragon’s tail, like a prayer flag flapping in the wind. We don’t know what or how, yet we just hang on, making our effort. This is just the nature of being a prayer flag waving from a dragon’s tail. No problem.”

What is time? What is space? What is self? What is reality? What is enlightenment? When?Profound expository. The best I've seen. Very slow reading. As often as I had to reread a sentence, a paragraph, a page, a chapter - I can't see how it could be deeply gasped by listening to an audiobook.

I knew this would be a mind opener after reading the forward which suggested it may challenge how I view things. This book explains well (and clearly) how to put into practice ideas about responding with skill to our surroundings. The references and footnotes have brought out new ideas and given me food for future reading on Dogen. Thanks to the author for using clear language and explaining ideas in word pictures that sink in. Her ideas cause insightful questions/problems on how I view things/time in a linear way. These problems could make my head explode, but most likely will only make me grow my compassion as a human. I will read this over for sure, and gift it to those who care to expand their practice.

Dogen can be confusing, contradictory, and inaccessible -- but also immensely rewarding. Sadly, many commentators add to the confusion, with imprecise and challenging interpretations. Not so with this extraordinary book. Shinshu Roberts brings an understanding and precision to the study of Dogen rarely found. This book should be in every Zen practitioner's library.

Being-Time (Uji): Dogen's writings aren't easy to read or understand. Like other writings by Dogen, Being-Time (Uji) is a slow, soak-it-in-as-you-go reading. I've always been time oriented and down-to-earth, so this particular section of Dogen's teachings appealed to me. Shinshu Roberts comments are very helpful and practical, and she is very detailed in her commentary and sources. (She even has an index!)

This is a beautiful book, a tribute to Dogen Zenji, and a guide for deepening the daily life of practice. It's not an easy read, but it is well worth the effort to listen and put into action the wisdom that unfolds on every page. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Although I cannot say this book is an "easy read", it seems to be a book that can have much for all levels of Zen students. Considering myself to be a relative beginner of interest in understanding Dogen's writings, Shinshu found a way to help me deepen my practice...in her use of practical living examples and words (a simple phrase like "when we are in accord with our situation" ). For those who know "where of what she speaks", it seems like this book could only bring an even deeper actualization of that experience and knowledge. My recommendation is to read slowly, turn the ideas slowly, and let the ideas seep down into the body and spirit. Ari gato, Shinshu

Thank you for this wonderful text on a difficult fascicle. Dogen’s Shobogenzo and United in particular has been a great fascination for me and I was happy to be able to read this book.

This is an amazing commentary on Dogen’s essay “Uji”. It’s accessible and profound. I’d recommend it to everyone with a serious interest in Dogen, Buddhism, and ideas about our relationship with life, death, and our experience of time. There is no better book on (one aspect of) Dogen’s Buddhism.

Um texto de Dogen complicado, como a maioria. Porém o comentário de Shinshu Roberts é bem claro e prático. Ajuda a compreender melhor o texto original. Recomendo.

Uji is probably Dogen's most difficult text and getting a good commentary on it is a bit tricky. Shinshu Roberts mainly does a pretty good job here overall given how hard the task at hand really is. Where the book really shines is when Roberts links Uji with examples of how to apply the teaching to daily practice and the timeless art of being mindful in the present moment. Some fascinating prospects on the nature of time and being's relationship to it are also pretty well explained and can help expend one's understanding Buddhism's praxis. At the same time, the author often writes in a style that is almost as inscrutable as Dogen's, making the book feel a little unsure as weither it wants to be a practice guide aimed at the average practionner or rather a scholarly discussion for Dogen experts. On the other hand Roberts does a great job at explaining Uji in the context of the other fascicles of Shobogenzo in order to try and elucidate it's meaning. Newcomers to Zen will probably want to favor more user-friendly Dogen exegesis such as Shohaku Okumura's Realizing Genjokoan or Kosho Uchiyama's Deepest Practice, Deepest Wisdom (which also includes a commentary on Uji), but more advanced practitioners will surely benefit from Robert's contribution as well.