Overview

Offers a groundbreaking approach to a key text in Zen Buddhism. In Zen Time, Raji C. Steineck provides a robust contextualization of Dōgen's Uji, the most renowned text on time in Zen Buddhism. Situating the text within the historical context of the medieval Zen master's writing, Steineck illustrates how Dōgen shaped the rhythm of life in the Zen monastery to actualize his idea that time in itself is salvific. Dōgen was meticulous in his observation of the particulars of each temporal moment, regarding them as an opportunity to bring together interrelated tenets of Buddhist doctrine and practice. In contrast to readings that equate the Zen approach to time with ""living the moment"" and that pit qualitative understandings of time against quantitative understandings, Steineck shows how Dōgen was able to connect time's qualitative and quantitative aspects in a way that, despite its mystical elements, remains instructive in relation to contemporary secular and philosophical discussions. The book includes a translation of Uji in an appendix. An open access version of this book was published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Full Product Details

Author:   Raji C. Steineck (University of Zurich)
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
ISBN:  

9798855803617

Pages:   334
Publication Date:   02 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Conventions and Abbreviations Introduction Part I: Grounding the Conceptual Analysis 1. From uji to Philosophy and Back: Thoughts on Methodology Philosophical Transpositions Restating uji: A New Translation Time and Symbolic Form The Question of Cultural Appropriation Zen with Distinctions 2. Placing Dōgen in Time: Cultural Constellation, Chronology, Agenda Social and Cultural Conditions Religious Writing in Early Medieval Japan The Religious Field Dōgen's Life and Works Dōgen in Time 3. Time Expressed: Chronography in Dōgen's Works A Matrix for Chronographical Analysis Chronothesis Chronometrics and Chronotypology Numerical Chronometry and Its Uses Conclusion 4. Chronopolitics: Time Regimes and the Social Language of Time The Diurnal Rhythm in Monastic Life The Monthly Cycle The Annual Cycle The Social Meaning of Time Control and Commitment Conclusion Part II: Chrononoetics: Understanding Time 5. Building Blocks and Early Approaches Conceptual Heritage: Dōgen and the Tradition of Buddhist Thought on Time Setting the Stage: Trans-Temporal Unity in a Transient World 6. Time in ""What Is:Time"" ""What Is:Time"": Structure and Argument Central Concepts and Propositions Conclusion 7. Karma and the ""Consummate Now"" Synchrony and Sequence Karma and the ""Final Dharma Age"" Conclusion Part III: Conclusions and After-Thoughts 8. Dōgen's Concept of Time in Context What is:Time: A Brief Reconstruction and Conceptual Analysis Integrating Distinctions Dōgen and Time in Medieval Japan Dōgen and the History of Time 9. After-Thoughts: Dimensions of Contemporary Significance Theoretical: Dōgen and the Concept of Time Time's Measure and Attributes Practical: Time- and Task-Orientation Combined Spiritual: Trans-Temporal Synchrony, Holistic Connectedness Appendix 1: Translation of Uji (""What Is:Time"") Appendix 2: Titles of Dōgen's Writings and Other Original Sources Notes Bibliography Index of Names Index of Terms

Reviews

""This groundbreaking work offers a historically rich analysis of Dōgen and his writings. It uncovers the intricate workings of medieval monastic religious practices, explains in detail their doctrinal developments, and reconstructs Dōgen's ideas on existence and time in a coherent and original fashion. It is a must-read for established scholars and scholars-in-training in the fields of East Asian religions in general and Buddhism in particular, as well as philosophers interested in what has been termed 'classical Japanese philosophy.'"" — Steffen Döll, Hamburg University ""This is one of the finest and most comprehensive works of Dōgen scholarship that I have read in recent years, ranking with the best work of eminent scholars like Steven Heine. The author is steeped in the English, German, and Japanese scholarship to a prodigious, even astounding, level."" — Jason M. Wirth, Seattle University, author of Mountains, Rivers, and the Great Earth: Reading Gary Snyder and Dōgen in an Age of Ecological Crisis

Author Information

Raji C. Steineck is Professor of Japanology at the University of Zurich. He has published widely on Japanese intellectual history and philosophy.

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