The Wholehearted Way

"The Wholehearted Way" is a translation of Eihei Dogen's "Bendowa, " one of the primary texts on Zen practice. Transcending any particular school of Buddhism or religious belief, Dogen's profound and poetic writings are respected as a pinnacle of world spiritual literature. "Bendowa, " or "A Talk on the Wholehearted Practice of the Way, " was written in 1231 A.D. and expresses Dogen's teaching of the essential meaning of "zazen" (seated meditation) and its practice. This edition also contains commentary on "Bendowa" by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, a foreword by Taigen Daniel Leighton, and an Introduction by Shohaku Okumura, both of whom prepared this English translation.