2022/07/11

Jason Kander - Wikipedia Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD

Jason Kander - Wikipedia

Jason Kander

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Jason Kander
Jason Kander (cropped).jpg
Kander in 2016
39th Secretary of State of Missouri
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 9, 2017
GovernorJay Nixon
Preceded byRobin Carnahan
Succeeded byJay Ashcroft
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 44th district
In office
January 12, 2009 – January 14, 2013
Preceded byJenee Lowe
Succeeded byCaleb Rowden
Personal details
Born
Jason David Kander

May 4, 1981 (age 41)
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Diana Kagan
 
(m. 2003)
Children2
RelativesJohn Kander (grand-uncle)
EducationAmerican University (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service2003–2011
RankUS-O3 insignia.svg Captain
UnitMissouri National Guard
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981)[1] is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democrat, he served as the 39th Secretary of State of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. He had previously served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. Before entering politics, he was an intelligence officer in the Army National Guard, achieving the rank of captain.

He was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate for Missouri in 2016, narrowly losing the election to Republican incumbent Roy Blunt.[2] After the Senate election, Kander founded an organization called Let America Vote, a campaign dedicated to ending voter suppression.[3] He declared himself a candidate in the 2019 Kansas City mayoral election, but dropped out on October 2, 2018, after revealing that he suffered from PTSD and depression.[4] He currently serves as president of national expansion at VCP (Veterans Community Project), a non-profit organization serving homeless and at-risk veterans with tiny homes, wrap-around support services and emergency assistance.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Kander was born on May 4, 1981 in Overland Park, Kansas,[6] the son of Janet (née Secor), a juvenile probation officer, and Steve Kander, a police officer who later ran a small business.[7][8] His father is Jewish, and Kander himself was brought up in a Jewish household which he describes as "Reform but not very observant."[9][10] He was raised in Shawnee, Kansas with his younger brother, Jeff, and several troubled children that his parents fostered.[11][12]

He graduated from Bishop Miege High School in 1999, where he had been a member of the debate team.[13][14] He then attended American University, where he studied political science.[11] After the September 11 attacks, he enlisted in the Army National Guard. While earning his JD degree at Georgetown University Law Center, he earned his commission as a second lieutenant through the University's ROTC battalion.[15] After completing law school in 2005,[16] he volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan, where he served as an intelligence officer.[17] While serving, his main responsibilities included investigating groups and individuals suspected of corruptionespionagedrug trafficking, and facilitating Al Qaeda and the Taliban.[18]

When he returned home, Kander took a position as an instructor at the Missouri Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School at Fort Leonard Wood, where he taught hundreds of soldiers leadership skills in combat.[19][20] He also worked as an adjunct instructor in political science at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and as an attorney at local law firms.[21] In 2010, he was named one of ten finalists for the Army Reserve Association's Major General Strom Thurmond Outstanding Junior Officer of the Year Award.[22] He was honorably discharged at the rank of captain in 2011.[23]

Political career[edit]

Heartland Democrats of America[edit]

Heartland Democrats of America (HDA) was a political action committee founded in 2005 in Kansas City, Missouri by Kander and his wife, Diana.[11][24] He served as the treasurer until 2007.[25][26] HDA raised over one hundred thousand dollars from special interest groups and individuals in support of Democratic candidates and causes.[27] Notable supporters included current and former state and city elected officials, along with national figures, such as Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman and former Virginia governor; George Lakoff, an author and professor at the University of California, Berkeley; John Halpin, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress; and Mark Talisman, an author, Democratic activist, and president of the Project Judaica Foundation.[28]

HDA's mission was to "recognize the need for Democrats to engage in, expand, and ultimately win the 'values debate.' HDA members understand that progress cannot wait for the next campaign season, because Democrats need to start changing minds now. HDA champions strong Democratic values in Missouri and throughout America's Heartland. The era of the apologetic Democrat in middle America is being laid to rest forever – replaced by a unifying values message worthy of the hard-working people of middle America."[29] HDA was officially terminated in 2008.[30]

Missouri House of Representatives[edit]

Kander with former Kansas City Mayor Richard L. Berkley in July 2011

Kander was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2008, representing the 44th district. He easily defeated two other Democrats in the primary election, but was unchallenged in the general election.[31]

Serving on the Budget Committee, he fought against no-bid contracts and worked to pass balanced budgets without raising taxes. He helped pass legislation strengthening Missouri's human trafficking laws, as well as a law that enabled authorities to prevent kidnappings during custody battles. In addition to his legislative duties, he was appointed in 2009 to serve on the Missouri Veterans Commission, which oversees all services for the state's veterans.[18] In 2010, Kander worked with Republican State Representative Tim Flook to pass the first major ethics reform bill in Missouri since 1991.[32] Later that year, he ran for re-election to his State Representative seat and won 69.6% of the vote to defeat Republican Sally Miller.[33]

During his time in the Missouri House, Kander was the chief sponsor of 28 bills, none of which became law.[34]

Missouri Secretary of State[edit]

Kander visiting Fort Leonard Wood in November 2013

Kander announced his candidacy for the Missouri Secretary of State after Robin Carnahan announced she would not seek reelection.[35] He defeated MD Rabbi Alam in the primary election, winning the Democratic nomination.[36]

In the general election, Kander faced the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Missouri House, State Representative Shane Schoeller. Schoeller ran on a platform of implementing stricter voter identification rules. By contrast, Kander opposed harsher voter identification rules, instead focusing on reforming the state's campaign finance laws.[37]

On November 6, 2012, Kander narrowly defeated Schoeller and was elected Missouri Secretary of State.[38] At 32 years old, he was the youngest statewide elected official in the nation at the time, as well as the first millennial.[39][20]

While in office, Kander made ethics reform one of his top priorities. He admitted this could be "an uphill battle' given that Missouri has had some of the weakest ethics laws in the country and Republicans had supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. "I am realistic about the fact that it is not easy to get any legislative body to police itself. There is no interest group in Jefferson City called Big Ethics. I just remind legislators of both parties that this is something that the public expects of all of us," he said in 2014.[39]

2016 U.S. Senate election[edit]

On February 19, 2015, Kander entered the race to represent Missouri in the United States Senate against Roy Blunt, the Republican incumbent.[40] He won the Democratic primary against three other candidates on August 2, 2016. During the campaign, he positioned himself as a Washington, D.C. outsider and touted his experience as an Army Intelligence officer.[41] He accused Blunt of being well connected to DC lobbyists (Blunt's wife and three children are in fact lobbyists). Blunt in turn accused Kander of being too liberal.[42]

In September, Kander's campaign received national attention when it released an advertisement explaining his support for gun control measures. Titled "Background Checks", it showed him assembling an AR-15 rifle while blindfolded and then challenging Blunt to attempt the same thing. The advertisement quickly went viral, and as of November 2016, the original YouTube video had earned more than 1.3 million views.[43][44] Initially, Kander was well behind in the race, but polls started to show a tightening in the fall.[45] In response to this, Blunt campaign began attacking Kander for being a national co-chair for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[41]

During the campaign, Kander received endorsements from Americans for Responsible Solutions,[46] Daily Kos,[47] the League of Conservation Voters,[48] Planned Parenthood Action Fund,[49] and the Sierra Club.[50]

Kander was defeated by Blunt in the general election, receiving 46.4% of the vote to Blunt's 49.2%. In spite of the loss, Kander received the most votes of any Democrat running statewide in Missouri that year, outperforming Clinton, gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster, and other Democrats.[2]

2019 mayoral election[edit]

Mayoral campaign logo

On June 25, 2018, Kander announced that he was running for mayor of Kansas City in 2019 to replace term-limited incumbent Sly James.[51][52]

Prior to his announcement, Kander had been repeatedly mentioned as a possible contender for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.[53][54][55][14][56] Speculation about his presidential ambitions had been fueled by his frequent visits to the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire,[57] and Kander himself had suggested he would consider exploring a bid after the 2018 midterm elections were finished.[58] His campaign for mayor effectively put that speculation to rest.[59] In January 2021, Kander confirmed that he had indeed been intending to run for president via Twitter.[60][61]

Kander dropped out of the race on October 2, 2018, citing symptoms of PTSD and depression.[4] He also announced that he would be stepping away temporarily from his work with Let America Vote as he receives treatment.

Cabinet speculation[edit]

In November 2020, Kander was named as a potential candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Biden administration.[62] Later in December, Denis McDonough was announced as the nominee.[63]

Other work[edit]

In 2017, Kander became a CNN contributor.[64] He hosts the Wonder Media Network podcast Majority 54 with Jason Kander & Ravi Gupta, where he and his guests explore how Democrats can talk about divisive issues with people who voted for Donald Trump.[65] In 2018, he authored his first memoir Outside the Wire: 10 Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage, reflecting on his time in the military, to launching his first political campaign, to where the Democratic Party should go following the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[66]

Kander has also lent his support to other Democrats running for office, such as Jon Ossoff,[67] Phil Murphy,[68] Conor Lamb,[69] Stacey Abrams,[70] and Kyrsten Sinema.[71]

Let America Vote[edit]

Let America Vote is a political action organization founded by Kander in 2017. Its mission is to end voter suppression and gerrymandering across the country.[3] The group raised approximately $2.4 million in its first year.[72][73][74] Notable members of its advisory board include human rights activist Martin Luther King III, actor Bradley Whitford, and former White House officials Josh EarnestJon Favreau, and Dan Pfeiffer.[75] In his capacity as president of Let America Vote, Kander also serves as chairman of the DNC's Commission on Protecting American Democracy from the Trump Administration. Congresswoman Terri Sewell serves as vice chair.[76]

Political positions[edit]

Campaign finance[edit]

He considers overturning Citizens United v. FEC a political priority.[34] In addition to helping pass ethics reform while a state representative, he forbade his office employees from taking gifts from lobbyists while Secretary of State.[77]

Education[edit]

Kander supports the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.[77]

For higher education, he supports capping interest rates on federal student loans and expanding Pell Grants to provide more aid to low-income students. He believes students who have graduated need to be able to refinance their loans at lower rates.[78]

Fiscal policy[edit]

Kander supports tax breaks for the middle class and closing tax loopholes for corporations.[79] He is in favor of increasing the federal minimum wage, and for ensuring equal pay for equal work. He is supportive of adding a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.[77]

Ahead of the August 7, 2018 referendum on Proposition A to adopt right-to-work laws in Missouri, Kander campaigned in opposition to the proposition.[80][81][82]

Foreign relations[edit]

Kander is skeptical of the Iran nuclear deal.[77] He is pro-Israel and has called on Congress to stop the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.[83]

Gun control[edit]

In 2009, Kander voted against a bill that would have extended to renters the Castle Doctrine (a doctrine that allows a homeowner to use deadly force against a perceived intruder). The bill would have also lowered the age requirement for a concealed carry permit and would have removed a ban on carrying a gun on a college campus. The National Rifle Association gives Kander an "F" rating and spent nearly $1 million against him in 2016 (the most money against any candidate that year outside of Ohio).[84][85][86]

Healthcare[edit]

Kander supports improving the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He has proposed changing the 30-hour workweek used to define full-time employees, allowing cheaper plans for people who do not require medical care, and repealing the long-delayed Cadillac tax. He is in favor of a public health insurance option, but also supports single-payer healthcare.[87][88] He believes states should take advantage of the Medicaid expansion the law provided.[79]

Kander is pro-choice but is in favor of retaining the Hyde Amendment.[77]

Judiciary[edit]

Kander was critical of Republican senators who refused to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, citing it as an example of Washington dysfunction. He believes senators should meet with all Supreme Court nominees.[77]

LGBT rights[edit]

Kander supports the 2015 United States Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that deemed the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.[89] While a state legislator, he co-sponsored the Missouri Non-discrimination Act (MONA); the bill never became law. Regardless, as Secretary of State, he implemented a non-discrimination policy for the office's hiring practices that would have conformed to MONA had it become law. He supports passing the federal Equality Act into law.[90]

National security[edit]

On immigration policy, Kander is supportive of the bipartisan immigration bill of 2013 that passed the Senate but was never considered by the House.[77] He is opposed to closing the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay but also voted against a measure to prevent Missouri from housing, transporting, or providing medical care to any prisoners suspected of terrorism.[91]

Trade[edit]

Kander opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, believing it hurts working-class families and encourages sending jobs overseas.[77] He is, however, in favor of modernizing the Cuban embargo to allow American farmers and ranchers to sell their goods into Cuba.[92]

Welfare[edit]

Kander is against privatizing Social Security. On Medicare, he believes the government should be using its marketplace clout to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. He also believes both programs can be strengthened by eliminating wasteful government spending in other sectors.[93]

Awards[edit]

On April 19, 2018, Kander was honored for his commitment to integrity in government with the James C. Kirkpatrick Excellence in Governance Award by the student government association at the University of Central Missouri. At the ceremony, he encouraged the audience to remain confident in the promise of America and to serve wherever they find the opportunity.[94]

Personal life and family[edit]

Kander married his high school sweetheart, entrepreneur and author Diana Kander (née Kagan) in 2003.[95][16][14] Diana and her family emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1989. The couple has one son named True, who was born in September 2013, and one daughter named Bella, who was born in September 2020.[16]

Kander is the grand-nephew of musical composer John Kander, whose best-known works include Cabaret and Chicago.[96] He is a distant relative of Lizzie Black Kander, author of The Settlement Cookbook.[97] He is an avid fan of the Kansas City Royals.[56][34]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Kander, Jason (2018). Outside the Wire: 10 Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage. Twelve Books. ISBN 978-1538747599.
  • Kander, Jason (2022). Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD. Mariner Books. ISBN 978-0358658962.

References[edit]

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  2. Jump up to:a b "Missouri Results"The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  3. Jump up to:a b Murphy, Doyle (February 7, 2017). "Jason Kander Launches Let America Vote to Fight Voter Suppression"Riverfront Times.
  4. Jump up to:a b Turque, Bill; Vockrodt, Steve (October 2, 2018). "Jason Kander ends campaign for Kansas City mayor to focus on depression, PTSD"Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
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  10. ^ Guttman, Nathan (July 3, 2017). "Does Jason Kander Have The Winning Formula For Democrats In The Heartland?"Jewish Daily ForwardKander, 36, was born in Kansas to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother...Kander describes his family as Reform but not very observant.
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  43. ^ Corasaniti, Nick (September 17, 2016). "In Missouri Senate Race, Challenger Makes His Point With a Blindfold and Rifle"The New York TimesISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
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  45. ^ "Emerson Poll: Trump Leads Clinton Nationally; Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri Remain Red; Colorado is Leaning Trump; Pneumonia Diagnosis Appears to Be Hurting Clinton" (PDF)Media.wix.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  46. ^ Vazquez, Maegan (September 15, 2016). "Blindfolded Veteran Assembles AR-15 to Make a Point About Gun Control"Independent Journal Review. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  47. ^ "Daily Kos: Jason Kander - 2016 endorsement"Daily Kos. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  48. ^ Blatt, Hannah (May 17, 2016). "LCV Action Fund endorses Jason Kander for U.S. Senate"League of Conservation Voters. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  49. ^ "Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorses Missouri's Jason Kander in Senate Race"Planned Parenthood Action Fund. August 11, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  50. ^ "Sierra Club endorses Jason Kander for U.S. Senate"Sierra Club. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  51. ^ Vockrodt, Steve (June 25, 2018). "Kander confirms bid for Kansas City mayor in a move already shaking up the ballot"The Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  52. ^ "Press release by Jason Kander for Mayor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  53. ^ Steinhouser, Paul (February 20, 2017). "Possible 2020 contender Kander says N.H. a 'poster child' in battle over voting rights"Concord Monitor. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  54. ^ Scher, Brent (August 15, 2017). "With Eye on 2020, Jason Kander Gets Behind Single-Payer"The Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  55. ^ Wise, Lindsay; Roarty, Alex; Lowry, Bryan (June 26, 2017). "President Jason Kander? He's making all the early moves"The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
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  58. ^ Taylor, Jason (April 27, 2018). "Former Missouri office holder calls for Greitens to leave, and his supporters to follow"Missourinet.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  59. ^ Resnick, Gideon (June 25, 2018). "Jason Kander, Rumored 2020 Democratic Candidate, Instead Opts to Run for Mayor"The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  60. ^ @JasonKander (January 5, 2021). "I very nearly did this exact thing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  61. ^ @JasonKander (January 5, 2021). "I thought it was pretty obvious" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  62. ^ Politico Staff. "Meet the contenders for Biden's Cabinet"POLITICO. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  63. ^ @Transition46 (December 10, 2020). "Working families, veterans, farmers and producers, and those fighting for their place in the middle class will have partners in government once again. This experienced group will help us make it through this pandemic and thrive once the crisis is over" (Tweet). Retrieved December 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
  64. ^ "Politician Jason Kander Puts Down 'Alt-Right' Leader Richard Spencer Over 'Cabaret' Tweet"Variety. March 20, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  65. ^ "Majority 54 with Jason Kander". Wonder Media Network. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  66. ^ "Outside the Wire". Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  67. ^ "Jason Kander and Jon Ossoff Launch Voter Registration Drive – Jon Ossoff for Congress". May 4, 2017.
  68. ^ @JasonKander (November 2, 2017). "New Jersey friends: @PhilMurphyNJ will make an outstanding governor. Commit to vote for him on Tuesday" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2017 – via Twitter.
  69. ^ "PA-18: Jason Kander (D. MO) Helps A Fellow Veteran Pull Off A Big Upset Victory In A Trump District"Daily Kos. March 9, 2018.
  70. ^ @JasonKander (June 5, 2017). "My friend @staceyabrams is one of the smartest people I've ever met and I'm so excited to support her bid to be Georgia's next Governor" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  71. ^ "AZ-Sen: Jason Kander (D. MO) Helps Kyrsten Sinema (D) Prevent Sheriff Joe From Becoming Senator Joe"Daily Kos. March 28, 2018.
  72. ^ Raasch, Chuck. "Kander raises $2.4 million for his voter-rights group so far"St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 30, 2017.
  73. ^ Nitcher, Emily. Not giving up on voter ID push, State Sen. Murante plans to introduce new legislationOmaha World Herald, December 20, 2017.
  74. ^ Nijhawan, Rishabh. Former Senate candidate Jason Kander condemns voter suppression at UC Berkeley event, Daily Californian, December 11, 2017.
  75. ^ "Advisors". Let America Vote. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  76. ^ "DNC Launches Commission on Protecting American Democracy from the Trump Administration". Democratic National Committee. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
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  78. ^ Keller, Rudi (April 26, 2016). "Kander uses Senate campaign to bring discussion of student debt to University of Missouri campus"Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  79. Jump up to:a b Ventimiglia, Jack (July 29, 2016). "Kander looks ahead to general election, takes shots at leading Republican, Blunt"The Daily Star-Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  80. ^ @JasonKander (August 4, 2018). "Working families in #KC deserve to see their wages go up, not down..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  81. ^ @JasonKander (August 5, 2018). "Trevor, explain to your friend that the yes campaign is backed by big corporations and the no campaign is backed by workers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  82. ^ @JasonKander (August 6, 2018). "Frustrating yes. So remind everyone to just vote @NoOnPropA" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  83. ^ Kander, Jason (April 5, 2016). "Op-Ed: Congress must act to stop the BDS movement". JasonKander.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  84. ^ Cagle, Ellen (October 6, 2016). "Kander supported Second Amendment while in office"PolitiFact. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  85. ^ "Jason Kander's Ratings and Endorsements - The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. August 2, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  86. ^ Spies, Mike (September 16, 2016). "The NRA Is Spending Big on Senate Races in Florida and Missouri"The Trace. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  87. ^ @JasonKander (July 27, 2017). "I've been for a public option since 2009" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2018 – via Twitter.
  88. ^ Raasch, Chuck (August 16, 2016). "Clinton emails include one noting McCaskill, others, wary of Obamacare costs"St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  89. ^ Gounley, Thomas (June 26, 2015). "Area politicians react to gay marriage ruling"Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  90. ^ Murphy, Colin (October 7, 2016). "U.S. Senate Hopeful Jason Kander Talks LGBT Equality"Boom Media. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  91. ^ McDermott, Kevin (February 23, 2016). "Missouri Senate candidate Kander breaks with Obama over Guantanamo Bay closure"St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  92. ^ Feldman, Anne (July 19, 2016). "Jason Kander Talks Food Labeling, Cuba Policy in Springfield"The Missouri Times. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  93. ^ Greenblatt, Alan (October 1, 2016). "Social Security Looms Over Senate Race"AARP Bulletin. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  94. ^ "UCM SGA presents Kander with Kirkpatrick Excellence in Governance Award"The Daily Star-Journal. April 26, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  95. ^ "Biography of the Missouri Secretary of State". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  96. ^ Newmark, Judith (June 24, 2012). "John Kander brings his memories to Muny's 'Chicago'"St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  97. ^ @JasonKander (December 16, 2017). "Ever seen this famous old cookbook?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

====

Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD
by Jason Kander
 4.88  ·   Rating details ·  145 ratings  ·  94 reviews
From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about impossible choices—and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all.

In 2017, President Obama, in his final Oval Office interview, was asked who gave him hope for the future of the country, and Jason Kander was the first name he mentioned. Suddenly, Jason was a national figure. As observers assumed he was preparing a run for the presidency, Jason announced a bid for mayor of Kansas City instead and was headed for a landslide victory. But after eleven years battling PTSD from his service in Afghanistan, Jason was seized by depression and suicidal thoughts. He dropped out of the mayor’s race and out of public life. And finally, he sought help.

In this brutally honest second memoir, following his New York Times best-selling debut Outside the Wire, Jason Kander has written the book he himself needed in the most painful moments of his PTSD. In candid, in-the-moment detail, we see him struggle with undiagnosed illness during a presidential bid; witness his family buoy him through challenging treatment; and, giving hope to so many of us, see him heal. (less)
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Published July 5th 2022 by Mariner Books
ISBN0358658969  (ISBN13: 9780358658962)
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Kimberly 
Jun 19, 2022Kimberly rated it it was amazing
Shelves: goodreads-giveaway
I would like to thank HarperCollins Publishers and the author, Jason Kander, for this galley proof of Invisible Storm. This book is RIVETING. Suffering from PTSD, the author put the brakes on his promising political career and took a step back to find a way to heal himself and his family. Mr. Kander is a very gifted man and I hope we will see him on the national political stage again. Then there's the issue of PTSD in our service people and what we do, or don't do, to help those suffering from its effects. Important in many ways. (less)
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Sahitya
Jul 07, 2022Sahitya rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2022-read, 5-star, politics-feminism-religion, favorites, non-fiction
I’ve known about Jason since before I had even decided to learn about American politics because Missouri was the first state I lived in the US, but I don’t recollect how I actually got introduced to him. So it’s been many years of watching his interviews, following his journey on social media, donating to Let America Vote, cheering him both during a prospective national campaign and the run for Kansas City mayor, and later wishing him all the best in his healing process from ptsd. I had also loved his previous book Outside the Wire, so there was no question that I was gonna read this one. I was very excited when I got the advance copy but waiting till I could buy the audiobook because I definitely wanted to hear it all in his own voice. And I’m glad I waited.

This is not an easy book to get through because the struggles both Jason and Diana go through are brutal but Jason keeps it honest and funny. I can never understand the kind of life he has lived or the kind of drive he has had to do something better for the world, but there are still tiny parts of his issues that resonated with me because I’ve had those days myself and it’s validating to know that I’m not alone in this. And which is why I think this is a very important book because there are too many people these days with mental health issues and while many know that it’s okay to seek help, it’s not easy to do it and there’s always something that’s stopping us, and listening to someone prolific like Jason share his process of healing from his trauma is very eye opening and helpful and I hope it’ll help not just veterans who are suffering from ptsd, but anyone who has issues. I also really appreciated getting Diana’s perspective because I didn’t know anything about secondary ptsd and I think it’s something that everyone should know more about, especially if you have family members who are struggling.

The book also raises rightful concerns about the conditions of service members after they return from combat and how nothing is done to make them get out of the intense survival mode and acclimate to civilian life. I’m deeply appreciative of Jason’s work with VCP and I hope his dream of working towards zero veteran homelessness comes true. And whether he runs for office again or not, I’m excited to follow all the work that he is doing with his nonprofit, podcast and as a party leader at 40. Hopefully he’ll also write more books because he is an inspiring progressive leader and his voice is much needed in an ever depressing world. (less)
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Jason Starr
May 30, 2022Jason Starr rated it it was amazing
Brilliant, brave, and consistently gripping memoir on Jason Kander’s service in Afghanistan, experience with PTSD, and presidential bid. Don’t miss this one!
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Marshall
Jun 17, 2022Marshall rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2022
“Anger never travels alone. It’s like a bouncer, protecting the fears and vulnerabilities we’re afraid to voice.” (Diana Kander)
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Stephanie 
Mar 21, 2022Stephanie rated it really liked it
Several years ago, I became a big fan of Jason Kander, mostly as a result of hearing him interviewed and later by listening to his podcast Majority54. I was not his only fan: in President Obama’s last interview as President, Jason’s was the first name he gave when asked who gave him hope for the future of our country,

His story is incredible and inspirational…also tragic in some ways. In his first book, ​​Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned In Everyday Courage, he recalled his career as an Army intelligence officer, including some harrowing tales from his time in Afghanistan.

He won a seat in the Missouri Legislature at age twenty-seven. In a famous campaign ad in 2016, when he was running for Senate, he rejected conventional political wisdom and stood up to the NRA campaign ad in which he argued for gun reform while assembling a rifle blindfolded.

Although many people encouraged him to run for national office, he ran for mayor of Kansas City instead. It seemed he was headed for a certain victory, but due to his ongoing battle with PTSD, he became depressed and suicidal and dropped out of the race. . But after eleven years battling PTSD from his service in Afghanistan, Jason was seized by depression and suicidal thoughts. He dropped out and sought much-needed help.

Invisible Storm is the book he needed when he was at his lowest, and I am sure many people will benefit from his brutally honest writing about his undiagnosed illness, his struggle with treatment, and his emergence from despair. It is tragic to read and be reminded of the effects the war continues to have on our veterans, but the way he has bravely healed from the years of struggle is heartening. Four stars. (less)
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Katey
May 01, 2022Katey rated it it was amazing
This book illustrates the toll combat can take on service members and their families. Jason Kander writes about his process of recovery and learning to live with PTSD. I appreciated him detailing his experience in trauma therapy and hope it can help reduce stigma around mental health. This book is brutally honest, and I think it can inspire hope in others who are struggling. I couldn't put it down, read it in less than a day. (less)
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Lisa Jakub
Jul 05, 2022Lisa Jakub rated it it was amazing
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Invisible Storm. Jason Kander has managed to write a book that bridges the military/civilian divide. With skilled storytelling and deep vulnerability, he shares his experience in a way that is both entertaining and informative. Without a doubt, this book will save lives.
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Nick Reinartz
Jun 21, 2022Nick Reinartz rated it it was amazing
It’ll be hard to effectively put into words what this book meant to me. While he lived a significantly higher profile life, the peeks behind the curtain at his personal life could just as easily been about me.

PTSD is a hell of a monster, and in this book Jason shared many of the darkest parts of living with it that he and many other veterans (myself included) and survivors of other traumas live with. In particular the focus on all the reasons we can’t possibly have PTSD, because someone else had it worse.

Additionally I absolutely loved Diana adding her own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Her story about secondary PTSD has helped my family tremendously, even before the release of this book. Having her views and thoughts about the moments Jason was dealing with, and how they impacted her mental health, is incredibly eye opening.

Thank you both so much for writing this book, and for helping to provide hope for me and my family.

I was provided an advance copy of the book after pre-ordering. (less)
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Alicia Ott
Jun 18, 2022Alicia Ott rated it it was amazing
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read Jason Kander’s first book, Outside the Wire, and thought, “Those situations in Afghanistan were traumatic stress.” When I read Invisible Storm, I was not shocked to see Kander writing about his plethora of symptoms. Ironically, as he writes in this book, he wasn’t able to recognize what was happening. I am grateful he is sharing the mindset, the mental and physical symptoms, and the supports necessary for recovery from posttraumatic stress (to achieve posttraumatic growth).

Kander does a fantastic job of conveying the trauma mindset and the negative, intrusive thinking patterns. The ideas of not being “deserving” and the “should” statements combine to leave survivors feeling inadequate and searching for external validation, meaning, value, and self-worth. As an author, Jason Kander captured this with his narratives on political aspirations and his drive for success. “Emotions can’t hit a moving target.” Jason Kander was definitely on the move (in an upward political trajectory).

With incredible detail, Jason Kander described his mental and physical symptoms of PTSD. Just like so many other survivors, he did not associate current pain with past stress. The mind and body are not separate, which led to chronic back pain for him.

Kander was able to treat his PTSD symptoms with cognitive therapy at the VA. (He also added nutrition and exercise.) Something to really emphasize is Kander’s support network of family, friends, colleagues, etc. As he mentions in the book, traumatic events lead veterans to believe they are isolated. In discussing his fellow vets’ struggles, Kander proves isolation can be a death sentence for veterans. Changes to mental health access within the VA system, since Kander’s first attempts at seeking treatment, are encouraging.

I particularly appreciated the input of Jason’s wife, Diana Kander, throughout the book. This provides even more depth to the discussion on trauma. Survivors need not experience the traumatic stress first-hand. Secondary trauma is real and debilitating. The Kanders expressed the difficulty so many others face in acknowledging the sensations, feelings, and experiences are indeed PTSD. Both wrote about believing they had not earned such a diagnosis. Invisible Storm helps to rip the bandage off our expectations of how people develop PTSD, who it affects, and what it looks like.

I am a trauma therapist. I would recommend Invisible Storm to anyone and everyone. I believe it has special relevance and value for healthcare workers, veterans, emergency services personnel, and their spouses. It’s an excellent depiction of high-functioning trauma with very real, vivid articulation of the mental and physical responses to traumatic stress. (less)
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Katie / Thebookwormteacher
Jun 21, 2022Katie / Thebookwormteacher rated it it was amazing
Thank you for the advanced readers copy!
When I approach NetGalley, I simply skim through my typical genres and, if something stands out to me, I will request it. I often don’t go in there intentionally looking for a specific ARC. I used this same approach when I requested Invisible Storm. The title grabbed my attention because I’m a military spouse (not something I often talk about on this platform), and I thought “wow, I’m super curious about his perspective/experiences.” To be honest, I had no idea who Jason Kander was/is. Staying up-to-date on politics has not always been something I’ve done, although I’ve gotten better over the past years thanks to my husband and @sharonsaysso.
I finished this memoir in three days. That’s pretty good for me right now while living with a toddler and being pregnant. I felt Jason was honest with his experiences, and transparent when it came to the “ monster” that is PTSD. My favorite sections were probably his interactions with his therapist (who sounds like an amazing guy). I also loved the snippets that his wife brought in. People often forget how impactful another person’s trauma can be on those close to them.
We have had four, possibly five if I’m miscounting, suicides in our brigade this past year alone. One specifically that was very shaking to me, and was a clear indicator of how we have continued to fail taking care of those who experience a high level of stress on a day-to-day basis.
Jason was very honest about how he played the comparison game with his trauma. Saying how since he didn’t do XYZ like so-and-so, he has no reason to feel the way that he’s feeling. Your feelings are valid. Your experiences are valid. It’s time we treat instead of comparing.
This is a longer review than I have typically been doing lately, but for some reason this memoir just hit me a little harder than others. Probably because I just spent the beginning of the week at a division change of command ceremony where I was sitting amongst 50+ soldiers, and the only thing I could think about was who here is experiencing this “monster” and no one knows about it.
4.5 rounded up to 5 (less)
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Jennifer
Jun 25, 2022Jennifer rated it it was amazing
“The doctor sat back in his chair. ‘Barack Obama told you that you could run for President?’ He tapped his notebook a couple of times with his pen, then pursed his lips, ‘So how often would you say you hear voices?’”

So begins Jason Kander’s “Invisible Storm A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD”.

Jason Kander is a bit of an enigma. He attended and did well in both a prestigious college and law school but felt more at home training with his cohorts in the National Guard on his time off. He is a progressive Democrat and a combat veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan. These attributes, combined with his earnest “desire to serve” catapulted him into the Democratic party’s stratosphere. After his tour, he became a Missouri Congressman. He then became the Missouri’s Secretary of State and just narrowly lost a Senate race in 2016. He was the future of the Democratic party, so it was a bit surprising when, in 2018, he announced that he was running for the mayoral race in Kansas City. It was downright sobering when he announced, weeks before the election, that he was dropping out of the race to focus on healing from PTSD.

This memoir candidly details the havoc PTSD wrought on Kander and his family, even as it looked from the outside that everything was perfect. Kander’s wife, Diana, shares her perspective throughout the book too. It is eye opening. I appreciate Kander’s honesty as he describes the anger, shame, guilt, and comparison he dealt with. It also shines a light on how difficult it is for our veterans to get the mental health help they need. He sought and received help from the VA but it was a difficult process.

This book is riveting. I was so intrigued as I read about his ascension in both the military and then the political world. The stories Kander includes about his tour overseas or his campaign across America are well written and captivating. Most enjoyable, though, were the snippets of his time healing with his family and friends. It’s beautiful and I wish every PTSD sufferer can have that too.

Even if you’re not a combat veteran or into politics, you can glean so much from Kander’s story. We’ve all been through a collective trauma these past two plus years with the pandemic and it’s important to deal with that. Kander was able to get the help he needed and is doing well now. It’s incredibly hopeful to think that if he was able to get better, then we can too.

I’m grateful to Net Galley for the early copy of the book. (less)
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April
Jun 13, 2022April rated it it was amazing
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Invisible Storm

I have been listening to Jason Kander on his podcast Majority54 for a while now and I even voted for him during his run for Senate here in Missouri. It’s interesting to me that someone can seem so normal and on the very cusp of a huge undertaking like running for US president but be in such turmoil on the inside. Truly, some of us can hide what is really going on inside our heads so well; but as Jason said in the book you can’t outrun the Monster. I think that so many people, especially men, find it difficult to admit they have a problem. Reading the stories of what he did during his deployment and how that bled into his actions once he was home and how it deeply affected his wife really makes you stop and evaluate your own actions and how what you do has such a ripple effect. I enjoyed the parts that Diana offered from her perspective, it also had me evaluating how I’ve reacted to similar situations in my past. I think it took a lot of courage to write about something so personal and from reading I feel that Jason will have a hard time accepting the praise that will surely come from those that read this book (that’s just the Monster Jason, don’t let it trick you!). I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone, we all know someone that is suffering (whether they’ve displayed it outwardly or keep it all inside) and I think that reading this may help plant the seeds for them to seek help or give their loved ones a way to reach out and suggest they seek help. My favorite line in the book was “Nobody builds avocado cellars”; and I think that whole paragraph really sums up how we should be treating trauma and mental health. On the podcast they always end with “Everyone has a platform, remember to use yours today” and I feel like this book is an excellent example of just that. Way to use your platform Jason, and thank you. (less)
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Teddy Sims
Jul 05, 2022Teddy Sims rated it it was amazing
I highly recommend Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD. Jason Kander’s book resonated with me and told a story of a recovery and love. Kander describes his experience in Afghanistan and its lasting effects. Unbeknownst to Kander, he spent the next decade suffering from PTSD. Fortunately, Kander sought help and transformed his life, relationships, and marriage. Kander details these experiences with honesty and transparency. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of PTSD, and I know there’s no reason to try and compare or qualify trauma. Invisible Storm changed the way I think about service, sacrifice, recovery and love. I hope it changes the way you see the world too.
(less)
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Katherine Gates
Jun 25, 2022Katherine Gates rated it it was amazing
Jason Kander was the Democratic Party's rising star until he suddenly stopped and fell out of the limelight. This is not a story of failure though, this is a story of how asking for help saved his life.

I first "discovered" Jason Kander like many others through the Majority 54 podcast. His soothing voice and confidence felt very much like a young Obama and he very clearly cared for people in this nation and helping others. I was riveted by every Podcast episode and often prompted family and friends to listen. But then, after season 1, he was gone. This book is the story of his mental health battle and how he dealt with it which included dropping out of the limelight to take time to heal for himself.

As a military spouse, I was already piqued with interest at this book but knowing that the author himself decided to contribute all of his royalties to combat veteran suicide and homelessness, I was 100% onboard and decided to preorder. Through Jason's amazing team, I was able to receive an advanced reader copy and let me tell you. This book. did.not.disappoint. I laughed; I cried ugly tears; I walked away with hope for soldiers and for America. This book is really fascinating to hear the interworking's of a political campaign, war stories from soldiers, and how mental health touches so many and affects so many differently. I especially loved hearing Diana Kander's side (the author's wife) and how PTSD affected her as well. As JK states "Mental health is physical health and physical health is mental health."

10/10 recommend this book! (less)
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Jay Craven
Jul 05, 2022Jay Craven rated it it was amazing
"A long overdue conversation for our veterans—and everyone else. This work shines a bright light on mental health issues and hopefully normalizes seeking—and accepting—help. I know this account of struggle and healing will help and encourage many who combat trauma and the effects of trauma—no matter its source.

A very personal and introspective journey that takes the reader from confusion, misunderstanding, and even naivety to confronting a very real and present problem that impacts more of us—and those we love—than we dare admit." (less)
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Katie
Jun 11, 2022Katie rated it it was amazing
It's interesting to read this book after following Jason's career for so long. I was one of the people he describes in this book, one who saw him as a natural and a rising star in the Democratic party. He details his difficulty in coping with his return from a tour in Afghanistan and how he tried to outrun his symptoms by throwing himself into politics. I've read a lot of Soldier memoirs and a lot of books about PTSD. Invisible Storm is unique in that Jason gets into the nitty gritty of his treatment, acknowledging the hard work involved in recovery from PTSD. Diana also offers insight into the challenges of being partnered with someone experiencing a trauma response. Finally, Jason offers hope that treatment can be effective and that posttraumatic growth is possible. As a military psychologist, I consider this a must read for veterans and clinicians. (less)
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Mari Manoogian
Jun 12, 2022Mari Manoogian rated it really liked it
Jason Kander’s latest book is a refreshingly authentic memoir, a rarity in politics. As a young legislator, I really appreciate just how vulnerable his writing is. While it goes without saying that sharing his struggles with PTSD, and his feelings of guilt surrounding his military service, is a kind of bravery that all too often isn’t seen in public life, I also found his commentary about the experiences he had in the statehouse and while running for office more broadly to be incredibly honest. Most books about politics don’t share just how hard it is to balance taking care of yourself, including spending time with family, and maintaining friendships and a semblance of a normal life. It takes strength to share the hard things, and I hope that this book, and the way Jason’s strength is reflected in his writing, impacts others in the same way that it has impacted me. (less)
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Tremaine Dion McKinley
Jun 12, 2022Tremaine Dion McKinley rated it it was amazing
It's hard to express how important a book like this is, no matter what your connection to PTSD is or where you are in your mental health journey. If my book review or recommendation serves any purpose; let it first be a challenge to you to continue to learn yourself inside and out. Second, let it be a "thank you" to Team Kander, a family and group of activists that already had my utmost respect as role models and public figures. Jason and Diana walk us through what it really looks like to look "The Monster" in the eye and face it head-on. I couldn't have picked this book up at a better time for myself, but honestly, the best time for anyone to read "Invisible Storm" is ASAP. (less)
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Elizabeth Pierce
Jun 01, 2022Elizabeth Pierce rated it it was amazing
Reading Invisible Storm by Jason Kander was a fascinating journey to try and understand how PTSD can affect everyone around the person that has experienced the trauma and not just the person with PTSD.  I really appreciated Diana Kander's additions to the book in helping understand how a spouse or partner can also be affected and in just how that plays out in day to day life.

Reading through this book the explanations on how Jason came to the military and exactly what he did while he was in Afghanistan.  The military position that he held has proven to be just as important as any other position in the army, even though he was not on the 'front line' so to speak, he was still doing his part to help those that were on the front line.  The way he used his military experience to assist him with his political campaigning was interesting to read as well.  He definitely has a relentlessness to him that helped him to be a good politician, but those attributes as he writes in the book also helped him to hide his PTSD.  Reading the book kept me wondering on how he was functioning in the day to day with so little sleep . . .

His writing about how he approached therapy and how he was finally able to get through to the VA and get treatment was powerful and I sincerely hope that other people will seek help in the same way.  This first person account of mental health is desperately needed to help normalize the stigma of mental issues and that it is ok to seek treatment/help for your mental health just as you would for any other sort of health issue.

As I said before Diana's words really helped to understand how she was affected by his mental health/PTSD.  You can tell through both of their writings that they have a strong marriage and that they truly love & respect each other.  Which is super important when you are going through the sort of issues they went through for the last 3 years.

After reading this book, I spent a few days with a retired Army Chaplain who returned from Iraq a year ago and you could tell that he had some serious mental health issues and that he was hiding. Having read this book before meeting him, helped me to have more understanding and compassion for more of what he is not saying, than what he is saying.  

Thank you for writing this book.  It is important work and the words matter a great deal to others out there that don't even realize what they are dealing with. Hopefully someone in their life will help them recognize their suffering and urge them to seek help.  Invisible Storm just might be the catalyst that someone in their world has read and will convince them to read as well. (less)
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Joe
Jun 08, 2022Joe rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
I feel lucky to have received an advance copy of this book. Jason Kander has written an important book on a very serious subject matter. Written with equal parts seriousness, sincerity, and humor, I was captivated from beginning to end. Highly recommended!
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Sharron
Jun 04, 2022Sharron rated it it was amazing
*Received an advance copy.

I've been a fan for many years and gave his other book five stars too (bought his book with True for my great niece & nephew, but never got to read it). This lived up to expectations! It is amazing and inspirational.

However, it's a can't put down book, because I had to read it quickly as possible to get past the gut wrenching story. Feel horrible that they lived it for a decade!

Diana's parts are just as horrifying, sad, and powerful. (less)
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Trina Rataiczak
Jun 04, 2022Trina Rataiczak rated it it was amazing
Absolutely gripping! A rollercoaster of emotions. Moving, tearful, honest and raw. Jason’s account of his time serving is so detailed and well written. The emphasis on how important it is to seek help as well as how we carry the guilt of “not doing enough” is an important message. I’m sure this will be a life changing book to many people suffering with PTSD, especially our amazing veterans.
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Allie Gordon
Jun 12, 2022Allie Gordon rated it it was amazing
This book made me hugely emotional. I cried several times throughout, but overall it made me feel inspired, hopeful, and grateful that Jason Kander shared his story of post-traumatic growth. You don't have to be in/around the military to benefit from reading, and I can't recommend it enough! (less)
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Jennifer Cassell
May 28, 2022Jennifer Cassell rated it it was amazing
I’ve been a fan of Jason Kander since his Senate run. His descriptions of PTSD are right on, and I admire his ability to explain how The Monster works. Fantastic writing.
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Alan Eyre
May 19, 2022Alan Eyre rated it it was amazing
Excellent story of a lucky brave man who realizes he has mental health issues and commits to facing them.
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Mark G
Jul 05, 2022Mark G rated it it was amazing
Honesty and perspective. Invisible Storm by Jason (and Diana) Kander exudes honesty and renders perspective. From the Prologue to the Epilogue, Jason is holding nothing back in telling his struggle and continuing journey with PTSD as well as the mental and physical symptoms that coincide with it. Such honesty is refreshing to hear in any setting, but is crucial in any discussion surrounding mental illness. For those that have not experienced trauma or mental illness, Invisible Storm provides a perspective into how such a condition develops, and often, envelops an individual as well as those around them.

As someone who's struggled with mental illness, I can't fully explain why, but reading this felt validating. It's not that my story was the same as Jason's, or that my symptoms always took on the same form. But when he spoke about how he felt, I knew instantly what he meant. I was reminded to ""feel the feelings."" I've sought help, and am doing very well now, but to hear Jason discuss with directness the thoughts and feelings he still struggles with reinforced for me the continued maintenance our mental health requires (like exercising to maintain one's physical health).

While Jason does not shy from telling the ugly truth when recalling his time in Afghanistan, back home, and on the road as a politician with The Monster (PTSD) that followed him along, we are also provided with the perspective of his ""teammate"" and ""soulmate,"" Diana. This multiple-perspective approach to telling Jason and Diana's struggle with PTSD provides insight into how the individual and the family are affected. Hearing both tell their recollection of a phone call home from Afghanistan or a time along the campaign trail brought a level of gravity to the storytelling that emphasized the impact mental illness can have on and around the individual.

Our treatment of mental illness has progressed lightyears beyond where it might've been a century or even decades ago. At the same time, we are still weighted down by stigmas, unknown warning signs, unshared resources, and an unwillingness to open up about what so many of us are experiencing. The honesty and perspective laid out in Invisible Storm sets an example and provides a guide on how to progress and grow with mental illness. That kind of example and guide is useful not only to those still suffering, but also to those they may inevitably interact with. (less)
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Shannon Wise
Jun 20, 2022Shannon Wise rated it it was amazing
Shelves: history-politics, won, middle-east, memoir, read-in-2022, military
I don't remember how i found Jason Kander on Twitter. But I do know that I felt he was the future of the Democratic party. He offered hope and direction to what I perceived to be a party that was fighting the very change it promoted. I wondered why he didn't run for President against Trump. Now I know. And what a harrowing story it is.

The thing that, for me, made this book so amazing, is that I identified with so much of what Mr. Kander was going through. The inability to feel happiness. The guilt and shame that you don't deserve the life you have. The anger, anxiety, and fear that accompanies you everywhere you are. I was not in the military. I never was in a war. But I have PTSD. And that is why I think this book is so important for everyone to read. Mr. Kander gives you an insider's view of what it is like to have PTSD and the havoc it creates in your mind.

Anyone who looks at my Goodreads shelf or knows me, knows that I read a lot of books about war. I've read a lot of books about coming home from war. I have never encountered a book so honest about what we don't do for our veterans. And what we should do for them. Mr. Kander's wife, Diana, also contributed parts to this book, which I really appreciated. Seeing PTSD from her point of view and the effect it had on her, made me understand how it affects the other people in your life.

I think this is an important book for everyone to read. The military and this country does a piss poor job of assimilating vets who return from combat. We expect them to pretend it never happened. And our disconnect from the war makes that even more difficult for those who come home. We don't want to acknowledge that men and women who come home from war and not the same people we sent to fight. This book forces that acknowledgement. From the outside, Mr. Kander seemed like the wunderkind that could save us. From the inside, it nearly killed him. What a brave person he is to bear his PTSD for all of us to see. Read this book. It's a lesson in compassion we all need.

I won a copy of this book from Goodreads. I received no compensation in exchange for my review. The opinions expresses herein are mine and mine alone. (less)
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Allison Norberg
Jun 28, 2022Allison Norberg rated it it was amazing
Shelves: non-fiction-history
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Conner
Jun 22, 2022Conner rated it it was amazing
This memoir by Jason Kander is one of the most vulnerable pieces of writing I have ever read. I first started following his career in 2016 when I moved to Missouri, learning about him as a candidate for the Senate that year. Through his rise to national prominence, I have always found his perspective to be one sorely needed in this country - his understanding of the need to seek connection with all people, and to make an effort to go everywhere, is one that could serve anyone in politics today.

In "Invisible Storm," Kander pulls back the curtain on what was going on inside throughout that entire process. He first explores the beginnings of his connection to the Army in great detail, and how serving in that role helped to define him as a person. Through stories about his time serving in Afghanistan, we learn in much greater detail how the experiences of war began to affect him, both while serving abroad and especially after returning home. The interludes from his wife, Diana, provide an important perspective on how the changes that PTSD brought about had an impact on those around him. We see the inside of the process of treatment from day 1, with a transparency I was overwhelmed with at times. And, we find hope through witnessing his growth and transformation into the man he is today, with a renewed sense of purpose in his new roles. Above all, this memoir is a human story - a reminder for all of us that until we address the various traumas we experience in life, we cannot hope to be truly present for those we love. For someone who lives such a public life, Kander's decision to share the details of his experience is particularly powerful as an example of humility and vulnerability, and will hopefully inspire others to take the often difficult step of addressing their own traumas. (less)
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Mary Waite
Jul 05, 2022Mary Waite rated it it was amazing
Invisible Storm by Jason Kander, grabs your attention in the prologue and does not let up. I read the entire book in two sittings. I struggled to put it down and found the narrative absorbed my attention for days afterwards.
As a mental health professional, I was skeptical that this autobiography would be able to accurately describe Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Kander’s description of PTSD is remarkable in that he both vividly describes his experience in a way that is easy to understand while clinically accurate. This alone makes this book not only different than a typical memoir but also a game changer in the world of PTSD.
Also, I was concerned that the story of Kander’s political past would overshadow the importance of his high profile departure from public life to get life saving treatment. I can honestly say this concern was completely unnecessary. If you take everything in this book about politics out, it still remains a well written and important book. However, it is a party of Kander’s story and it makes it all the more remarkable.
The addition of Diane Kander’s writings alongside her husband’s recollections provides a valuable perspective. This book is as much about their marriage as it is about Kander’s journey with PTSD. No one experiences mental illness alone and their willingness to open their struggles to the reader is de-stigmatizing on its own.
Personally, this book resonated with me as a wife and daughter of service members who spent time serving during foreign wars. The epilogue is alone eye opening and will stay with me for a long time.
This book will save relationships but more importantly it will save lives. I highly recommend everyone take the time to read this book. Buy a copy and gift it to the veterans and their families in your life. (less)
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Ch 9 Dōgen on the Language of Creative Textual Hermeneutics

Chapter 9 Dōgen on the Language of Creative Textual Hermeneutics

Steven Heine

The Oxford Handbook of  JAPANESE PHILOSOPHY

====

 Perhaps the most useful and thought- provoking analysis of Dōgen’s philosophy of language produced in Western scholarship remains one of the earliest essays on the topic, written by Hee- Jin Kim, “The Reason of Words and Letters: Dōgen and Kōan Language.” This article was originally delivered as a lecture in the early 1980s, and it was published a few years later in a conference volume edited by William LaFleur.1 Kim, who was already well known at the time for pioneering the field of Dōgen studies in the West with a monograph comprehensively covering Dōgen’s life and thought released a decade earlier,2 was particularly inspired by a seminal study in Japanese of the Zen master’s method of appropriating passages from Chinese Chan-r ecorded sayings texts in addition to Mahāyāna sutras. Kagamishima Genryū, the leading specialist in research on Dōgen during the post-W orld War II period in Japan, published that work in 1965.3

By carefully examining various examples from Dōgen’s major collection of epistles and sermons dealing with Chan prose and poetic comments on kōans, the Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) that was composed over a twenty-y ear period from the early 1230s when he opened his first temple in Kyoto to the end of his career in the early 1250s when he resided at Eiheiji Temple in the Echizen mountains, Kim demonstrates various ways that Dōgen creatively uses language to disclose the dharma. In his interpretations, written in the vernacular Japanese of Kamakura- era Japan, of kōan cases reflecting the puzzling and paradoxical repartee and philosophical games of one- upmanship evoked by Song- dynasty Chinese masters, Dōgen exhibits a kind of alchemical capacity to alter literature significantly by twisting and even distorting 

Kim, 1985.

Kim, 1975.

Kagamishima, 1965.

conventional expressions in order to uncover the underlying theoretical significance embedded in speech acts.

By refashioning words and phrases from Chinese sources through drawing out philosophical puns and wordplay based on Japanese syntax and pronunciations, Dōgen adopts an expansive view of the role of language in the quest for enlightenment. This was quite different from or even opposed to the mainstream approach to Zen meditation in Song China that stressed a minimalist use of words in deference to the powerful significance of silence. Kim suggests that, as “a superb master of language, appreciating it not for its rhetorical use-v alue, but rather for its appeal to reason and rationality” because “the interior and exterior of language were the very fabric of existence,” Dōgen is able to “change word order, shift syntax, indicate alternate meanings, create new expressions, and revive forgotten symbols.”4

I wholeheartedly agree, and I wish to apply and extend the core of Kim’s theory to highlight that Dōgen uses language as coterminous with, instead of as a means— or, contrariwise, an obstacle— to the realization of Zen enlightenment, which represented the more typical approaches to the role of discourse. This method of magnifying the impact of rhetorical eloquence does not at all reflect what Heidegger has referred to as the inauthentic mode of “idle chatter” or speaking a great deal without revealing very much. Nor is the approach a matter of moving rhetorically in arbitrary and chaotic directions without an underlying conceptual plan or pattern.

Rather, by drawing from Chinese literary styles and motifs contained in the first great kōan collection published in 1128, the Biyanlu (Jp. Hekiganroku, Blue Cliff Record 碧巖

錄), Dōgen is in accord with the Chan notion of “live words,” which are compelling and fulfilling in their intricacy, as opposed to “dead words,” which are merely descriptive in a way that leaves little to the imagination. Dōgen’s approach also recalls classic Daoist philosopher’s Zhuangzi’s notion of ever- resourceful “goblet words,” or the words of no- words in that their meaning is not fixed but fluid and flexible. This linguistic function allows one to communicate endlessly and productively without having exhausted the topic through simultaneously constructing and deconstructing multiple perspectives unconstrained by attachment or partiality. As Zhuangzi has said, “I wish to meet someone who has forgotten words, so that I might have a word with that person!”

  Contextualizing Dōgen’s Approach to Language

 

In this chapter, I first discuss the intellectual historical context of Chan/ Zen Buddhist debates regarding the appropriate uses of language in twelfth- and thirteenth- century China and Japan that helped shape the formation of Dōgen’s philosophy. Then, I focus 

4 Kim, 1985, 79.

on a case study of Dōgen’s innovative way of dealing with the so- called Mu Kōan, in which master Zhaozhou responds to a query from an anonymous monk about whether a dog possesses the universal spirituality of the Buddha- nature. Although the mainstream approach cites the version of the case in which Zhaozhou simply answers Mu (Ch. Wu 無, literally “No”) to emphasize the truth of absolute nothingness beyond speech and logic, in the “Buddha-n ature” (“Busshō”) fascicle of the Shōbōgenzō, Dōgen cites an alternate version of the kōan in which the answer is both Mu and U (Ch. You 有, literally “Yes”). Each of the responses in this version, also featured in the kōan collection the Congronglu (Jp. Shōyōroku 從容録, Record of Serenity) of 1224, has a quixotic follow- up dialogue between Zhaozhou and the perplexed novice. This is done to emphasize a relativist view of reality characterized by the interplay of truth and untruth that innovatively explores various meanings of Mu in relation to absence, nihility, and denial by displaying the contingency of nonbeing and being or negation and affirmation.

However, I suggest a modification of Kim’s analysis that stresses the role of “reason,” by which he refers to the term dōri (道理, literally, “logic of the way”). According to Kim, “Dōgen reveals himself to be exceedingly conscious of language, and in this respect, astonishingly modern. And yet, despite the evidence of a deliberate rhetorical component in his writing, his foremost concern is ultimately rational rather than rhetorical; he believes that reason, not eloquence, is paramount for the attainment of the way.”  In forcing Dōgen into the mold of modernization while apparently seeking to contradict the view of D. T. Suzuki, who famously argued that Zen discourse is fundamentally irrational,  Kim seems to skew the point that Dōgen is first and foremost an inventive transmitter/ interpreter of Chan texts, including kōan, recorded sayings, and transmission of the lamp collections compiled during the Song dynasty.

In the vernacular writings of the Shōbōgenzō and the Sino-J apanese (kanbun 漢文) writings of the Eihei kōroku (Dōgen’s Extensive Record), Dōgen’s approach, I maintain, is not necessarily rational. Instead, it is preferable to see Dōgen performing the creative hermeneutic function of offering the interconnected elements of exegesis, in transmitting and explicating Chinese sources for a Japanese audience, and eisogesis, by incorporating his distinctive vision of the inner meaning of these passages. Through integrating the objective and impersonal component of exegesis with the subjective and personal component of eisogesis, while operating at the intellectual historical crossroads of Song Chinese and Kamakura Japanese forms of expressiveness, Dōgen further takes license to intrude upon and imaginatively change and transform the original words so as to capture multiple rhetorical elements that disclose the source passage’s implications and significance.

  Dōgen’s Expansivist Outlook

 

When Dōgen arrived in China in 1223, at the beginning of a pilgrimage that would last four years before he returned to spread the dharma of the Sōtō (Ch. Caodong) sect to his native land, he encountered two main, very much opposed philosophical outlooks regarding the role of language. One was the expansionist approach found in the Biyanlu, produced by master Yuanwu and based on the notion that language consists of entangled vines or kattō (Ch. geteng 葛藤), which reveal reality through the process of unraveling and disentangling their inner complexity. The other was the reductionist approach endorsed by Yuanwu’s foremost but contentious disciple Dahui (who was said to have burned the xylographs of his mentor’s kōan collection) and based on the notion that language should be reduced to minimal catchphrases or watō (Ch. huatou 話頭) that convey absolute nothingness and silence. The term Mu in the case about the dog’s Buddha- nature was the primary example of the catchphrase outlook.

The kattō outlook was refined and transformed by Dōgen, who injected into his commentaries on kōans innovative rhetorical styles, including extended textual hermeneutics based on explicating Japanese elocutions of Chinese terms. Dōgen strongly disagrees with Dahui by stressing in the “Entangling Vines” (“Kattō) fascicle of the Shōbōgenzō that language should be continually explored as a process of “disentangling vines through the intricate play of entangled vines.”7 Rather than stressing the response of “No” as supreme, in a Eihei kōroku sermon he argues, “Whether you say ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ either one is slander. If the person were to ask ‘What?,’ at the very moment of his speaking he would be hit with my stick.”8

Dōgen’s approach is based on the view that each and every aspect of the universe in its daily activity preaches the dharma verbally or nonverbally, and, in the “Mountains and Rivers Sutras” (“Sansuikyō”) fascicle he maintains, “mountains and rivers themselves are the sound of the sutras.” His interpretative stance is a deliberately meandering scenic- route that seems to be striving for a middle way between sacramentalism and iconoclasm, metaphor and criticism, or mythos and logos. Dōgen maintains the necessity of perpetually “expressing the Way” (dōtoku 道得) through “disclosing mind/ disclosing nature” (sesshin sesshō 説心説性), and he consistently affirms rather than denies the efficacy of all forms of discourse, including anecdotes, parables, metaphors, and logical analysis, as essential means of revealing the experience of enlightenment. In “Explaining a Dream Within a Dream” (“Muchūsetsumu”), he suggests that metaphorical words are 

Dōgen is known for his scathing critique of Dahui in the “Self-F ulfilling Samadhi” (“Jishō zammai”) fascicle, where he goes so far as to question Dahui’s enlightenment, and elsewhere, especially “Disclosing Mind, Disclosing Nature” (“Sesshin sesshō”); but he also occasionally praises the Chinese master for his dedication and perseverance and apparently borrows the title of Shōbōgenzō (Ch. Zhengfayanzang) from one of his kōan collections of 661 cases.

Dōgen zenji zenshū, 3: 214; Dōgen’s Extensive Record, 301.

not merely “figures of speech” (hiyu 比喩), but are also the “true form of reality” (shohō jissō 諸法實相).

Dōgen’s expansionist approach is expressed in Eihei kōroku 2.128, where he cites a story in which Danxia, an important monk in the Caodong lineage, points out that master Deshan, from whom the Yunmen and Fayan lineages were descended, said to his assembly, “There are no words or phrases in my school, and also not a single Dharma to offer to people.”  Danxia comments, “He was endowed with only one single eye . . .  [but] in my school there are words and phrases (goku) . . . . The mysterious, profound, wondrous meaning is that the jade woman becomes pregnant in the night.” According to Dōgen, this saying did not go far enough because, “Although Danxia spoke in this way . . .  (i)n my school there are only words and phrases (yui goku 唯語句) [emphasis added].” He thereby supports the unity of Zen and language that is expressed with a more sustained although partisan argumentation in “Mountains and Rivers Sutras” and elsewhere.

The interpretative approach of the Shōbōgenzō is dependent on but distinct from various kinds of Song Chinese Chan writings. To consider briefly the considerable literary connections, the texts that first appeared in the eleventh century in China—e specially transmission of the lamp histories and recorded sayings—c ontain hagiographical elements borrowed from other kinds of Chinese Buddhist collections treating the lives of eminent monks by focusing on the ineffable truth embodied by the charismatic personality of a great master who carefully initiates a chosen successor.  The Biyanlu and other kōan compilations are centered on interpreting a number of traditional cases, which are usually encounter dialogues culled from one of the previously developed genres, to which are added extensive prose and verse commentaries alluding to related anecdotes, parables, and legends. A feature shared by Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō and the major kōan collections is an emphasis on admonishing disciples against the traps and pitfalls of misinterpreting cases through a faulty appropriation of silence, leading either to an overabundance or a paucity of interpretative discourse.

Unlike the multilayered style of Song commentaries that interpret a particular core dialogue surrounded by prose and verse comments, in addition to the hybrid prose- poetic capping phrase (jakugo 著語) remarks, the literary structure of the Shōbōgenzō revolves around doctrinal themes for which various cases and related sayings are summoned as part of the remarks on the main topic. Nearly every fascicle sets up a key Mahāyāna or Zen notion of philosophy or practice and uses various kōan cases and sutra passages, which are generally overlooked by Chan collections that see themselves as outside the scriptures, as sources for elaborating on the meaning and significance of doctrine. Thus, the dialogue that constitutes the core literary unit of a kōan record around which comments revolve is subsidiary in Dōgen’s novel and inventive interpretative standpoint, referred to here as the “hermeneutics of intrusion.” In contrast to the Biyanlu, Dōgen does not use capping phrase comments in “Buddha-n ature” because he developed other innovative ways of commenting on kōan records in the Shōbōgenzō.11

In addition to its highly refined literary quality borrowed, in part, from Japanese rhetorical techniques, Dōgen’s writings reflect some degree of influence from Abhidharma or sastra literature in its use of line-b y-line analysis exploring some of the metaphysical  and psychological implications of doctrine. The fluidity and open- endedness of Dōgen’s informal sermons, originally delivered to a small ring of disciples and later edited and published, makes the text less conservative in structure than the major kōan collections in that it allows for or even demands taking license with tradition in accord with the spirit and intention of the Tang- dynasty Chan masters’ original (supposedly) spontaneous and irreverent utterances.

  Multiple Citations of the Mu Kōan

 

Although Dōgen is best known for commenting on the Mu Kōan in the “Buddha- nature” fascicle, in which he examines the notion of universal spirituality in relation to negation and nothingness from nearly every imaginable angle, throughout his collected works, he actually uses a couple of different renditions of the case with various interpretations. These include those favored by Dahui and additional variations. Table 9.1 shows the seven instances of Dōgen’s references to the kōan by listing the text and its date of composition, along with a brief overview of which version and type of comment is included.

Note that Dōgen does cite the Mu- only response on two occasions— the first and sixth—b ut the latter example contains the follow-up dialogue that is found in  Zhaozhou’s recorded sayings. When referring to the version with both Mu and U responses, he is somewhat inconsistent regarding the sequence of the positive and negative replies, as well as whether or not the complete or partial version is cited.12

As the longest and most complex fascicle in the Shōbōgenzō and the one with the most sustained and consistent argumentation concerning a single doctrinal topic (although, like most other fascicles, it does not have a systematic sequential organization), “Buddha- nature” offers a vivid demonstration of constructive and deconstructive rhetorical elements. Whereas Dahui further contracts the abbreviated version of the kōan in order to highlight the power of doubt generated by the watō consisting of the single syllable Mu, Dōgen’s kattō- based approach emphasizes the power of disclosure so as to intrude upon and alter the multiple meanings and implications of the relativist version. 

In fact, this interpretative style is limited in Dōgen’s corpus to just a small handful of the Sino- Japanese (kanbun) sermons in the Eihei kōroku.

See Kagamishima Genryū, et. al., ed., Dōgen no in’yō goroku no kenkyū [Studies of Dōgen’s Citations of Recorded Sayings] (Tokyo: Sōtōshū shūgaku kenkyūsho, 1995), 282–2 84; this work is a revised and expanded version of sections of Kagamishima, 1965.

Table 9.1.  Dōgen’s Citations of the Mu Kōan

Text by Year How Case Is Cited

1. Gakudōyōjinshū (1234) Mu response only, which “cannot be grasped”

2. Mana Shōbōgenzō (1235) Mu and U full dialogues, basis for “Busshō” version

3. Eihei Kōroku 9.73 (1236) U and Mu full dialogues, with two verse comments

4. Shōbōgenzō “Busshō” (1241) Mu and U full dialogues, with interlinear commentary

5. Eihei Kōroku 3.226 (1247) U and Mu abbreviated, with brief prose comment

6. Eihei Kōroku 4.330 (1249) Mu only and dialogue, with brief prose comment

7. Eihei Kōroku 6.429 (1251) Mu and U alluded, with verse comment


Dōgen rethinks and rewrites the case along with other anecdotes and dialogues through a dazzling display of inventive reversals, ingenious puns, and dialectical formulas, which thereby disallows a reader from being trapped or limited to a fixed position. In the end, there is no distinction between right and wrong, winner and loser; or, rather, everyone who scores a triumph also suffers defeat and vice- versa.

While emphasizing the parity of affirmation and negation, Dōgen does not overlook the critical and subversive aspect of language whose foundation is the insubstantiality of nothingness or no-B uddha- nature (mu- busshō 無佛性), a notion he prefers to the denial of Buddha- nature (busshō- mu 佛性無) or the termination of discussion in regard to the implications of doctrine. Yet, each time Dōgen speaks of the merits of Mu, he quickly reverses himself and relativizes this standpoint through an emphasis on U. Therefore, by the time he deals with the Mu Kōan in the thirteenth (or penultimate) section of the “Buddha- nature” fascicle, he has already extensively commented upon and defused various misconceptions, an effort that serves as a crucial basis for his way of interpreting the Zhaozhou dialogue. Viewing the case record as part of a rich textual tradition is diametrically opposed to Dahui, who insists on extricating Mu from any sort of conceptual context that might represent a deadly distraction.

It is clear that Dōgen enjoyed a special relationship with Zhaozhou’s works, including several dialogues that are not included in the canonical version of the Tang master’s recorded sayings and that Dōgen cites several dozen times: the Sanbyakusoku Shōbōgenzō (300- Case Treasury of the True Dharma- Eye) has nearly two dozen examples of citations, the Shōbōgenzō features Zhaozhou’s dialogues in at least fourteen fascicles,  and the Eihei kōroku also contains numerous references throughout the collection. The last section of “Entangling Vines” evokes Zhaozhou as a precursor for embracing the notion of literary embellishment. Of a famous dialogue in which Bodhidharma tries to choose a successor by requesting that each of his four main disciples demonstrate his or her (one was a nun) knowledge of Zen enlightenment, the typical view is that the monk who remains silent, Huike, has the deepest understanding because he is anointed the second ancestor. Like Dōgen, however, Zhaozhou finds truth as well as untruth embedded in every one of the four responses without an evaluative ladder being presumed. Instead of seeing a hierarchy leading from the use of metaphor reflecting skin as the most superficial element through the flesh and bones of indirect communication as somewhat deeper, and ultimately to the marrow of reticence, which is profoundly true and ultimately real, the Tang Chinese and Kamakura Japanese masters agree that trainees must realize that if they “do not get the skin” they will also not get the marrow, but, at the same time, getting the marrow requires not abandoning the skin.14

  Dōgen’s Hermeneutics of Intrusion in “Buddha- Nature”

 

 The groundwork is thus laid for Dōgen’s hermeneutics of intrusion, which represents a transgressive discourse aimed at transcending stale interpretations by transmitting the essential ingredients underlying diverse standpoints through employing the following interpretative elements: understanding the comprehensive scope of citations; atomizing key passages; introducing multiperspectival standpoints; creating inversions of ordinary meaning; and developing imaginative ways of encroaching on the conceptual space of source dialogues. After offering a sweep of Mahāyāna Buddhist and Zen approaches regarding the topic of Buddha- nature, along with a detailed investigation of particular phrasings coupled with a variety of views of negation that foster discursive reversals, Dōgen takes license to rework the exchanges themselves. He modifies the core conversations by making suggestions and countersuggestions in the spirit of a Tang- dynasty Chan master’s irreverent creativity, aimed at enhancing the contemporaneous significance of the case for disciples who were at the time in training under his tutelage.15

33 “Expressing the Way” (“Dōtoku”); 38 “Entangling Vines” (“Kattō”); 40 “Cypress Tree” (“Hakujushi”); 

41 “Triple World Is Mind-O nly” (“Sangai yuishin”); 56 “Seeing Buddha” (“Kenbutsu”); 59 “Everyday 

Life” (“Kajō”); 60 “Thirty-s even Methods of Realization” (“Sanjūshichihon bodai bunpō”); 73 “Reading Other’s Minds” (“Tajintsū”); and 74 “A King Requests Saindhava” (“Ōsaku sendaba”). Other masters frequently cited by Dōgen include Bodhidharma, Dongshan, Huike, Huineng, Linji, Mazu, Nanyue, and Yuanwu, in addition to Sakyamuni and Mahakasyapa, as well as predecessors Hongzhi and Rujing, who receives by far the greatest number of citations.

Dōgen zenji zenshū, 1: 420.

Some of this argument is included in Like Cats and Dogs: Contesting the Mu Kōan in Zen Buddhism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).

  Comprehensive Scope

The comprehensive scope of the “Buddha- nature” fascicle refers to the abundance of citations, references, and allusions developed from the Chan Buddhist canon filtered through Dōgen’s own reflections and speculation. Dōgen functions as a textual historian or a one- man fountain of knowledge who disseminates Chan literature, which is turned upside down and pulled inside out by the remaining hermeneutic elements. Dōgen examines more than a dozen dialogues concerning causality, temporality, language, life- and- death, illusion, and practice in regard to the notion of universal spirituality. Beginning with the famous opening passage in which he twists on its head the Nirvāna Sutra passage implying that Buddha- nature is a possession that one “has” (U) by showing that the kanji 有, like 無, has a double meaning and can also suggest that one “is” or, more holistically, indicates “being- Buddha- nature,” Dōgen refutes numerous fallacies. He repudiates views that hypostatize Buddha-n ature either as an objectifiable entity or supramundane perfection, a teleological goal or a prior possession, a phenomenon evolving in time or a realm that is beginningless and eternal, and a reality beyond illusion or an idealistic projection.

These delusions tend to either identify truth with the ordinary world or presuppose a realm beyond concrete existence, thereby violating the middle path. Dōgen seeks to subvert and surpass delusions that are based on a false sense of duality with positive notions encompassing a unity of opposites. These notions include shitsuu (“whole- being” 悉有), which overcomes the conflict between anthropocentrism and otherworldliness by integrating all entities, whether human or nonhuman, sentient or insentient into a unified reality; shingen (“manifesting body” 真現), which overcomes the opposition of cosmology and substantiality by suggesting that the truth is ever manifest through concrete particularities that are fundamentally contingent and variable yet disclosive of the whole; and gyō (“activity” 行), which surpasses teleology versus potentiality by eliminating the sense of past and future or, rather, by fusing the three tenses of time into the dynamic present moment of one’s everyday effort to practice the spiritual path that links background or intentions with goals or purpose.

Additional philosophically innovative notions used by Dōgen to upend delusions derived from polarities include setsu (“symbolic disclosure” 説), which overcomes ineffability versus reason by highlighting the ways that each and every form of verbal and nonverbal expression, whether or not it reflects a fully enlightened state, conveys at least partially the diverse perspectives and meanings of Buddha- nature; mujō (“impermanence” 無常), which surpasses time versus eternity by indicating that evanescent temporality is not lacking but, in its fleeting manifestations, captures the fullness of reality or “eternal now” encompassing anticipation and arrival; i (“dependence” 衣), which overcomes causation versus liberation by suggesting that all interconnected beings are able to attain freedom by virtue of the web of mutual conditioning that makes them inseparable; and gabyō (“painted rice- cake” 画餅), which surpasses the conflict between reality and illusion by asserting that ideas and impressions generated by the imagination are, when appropriately understood, just as viable and powerful as seemingly actual things that in their own way may well be illusory or less than real.

  Atomization

Through the atomization of words and phrases made in his interlinear comments, Dōgen also serves as a linguist/g rammarian/ philologist and poet who zeroes in on particular passages with a rhetorical flair and razor- sharp analytic precision that reflects his crucial role at the historical juncture of transforming Song Chan texts through the incorporation of Kamakura Japanese pronunciations as well as indigenous literary devices and related forms of expression. The primary theme that emerges underlying various repudiations and revisions is the fundamental issue of the nothingness of Buddha- nature. Of the fourteen sections in the fascicle, more than half deal directly with this topic, including the commentary on the Mu Kōan. In laying the basis for examining the dog dialogue, Dōgen develops a detailed focus on diverse meanings of Mu, embracing while sublating the notions of denial, negation, nonexistence, nihility, and emptiness in terms of the direct and immediate yet continuing experience of no- Buddha-n ature.

Mu is one of the multiple ways of expressing the notion of no-B uddha-nature, which  must not be absolutized in the sense of becoming one more reified metaphysical notion or an abstraction that is static and fixed; instead, it is to be perpetually explored through considering alternative perspectives and associated views of negation that, Dōgen says, cause a “reverberating echo circulating through Zhaozhou.” Citing several early Chan leaders, he argues, “The words, ‘no [or: nothingness] Buddha nature (mu busshō),’ are discussed far beyond the ancestral chamber of the Fourth Ancestor. They originated in Huangmei, circulated to Zhaozhou, and were taken up in Dayi [Guishan]. You must unfailingly concentrate on the words ‘no Buddha nature’ ” 

In his analysis of several dialogues that took place between the fourth and fifth Chan patriarchs, Dōgen maintains that the nothingness of no- Buddha-n ature is the primary concern pervading Zhaozhou’s Mu, which is not a matter of denial, in that emptiness is the foundation of expressing no. On the other hand, no- Buddha-n ature does not merely represent an ironic confirmation because the categories of affirmation and negation must be subverted and broken through. In hearing mention of the doctrine of universal spirituality, Dōgen maintains, the average person fails to consider what it truly means and remains preoccupied with “such things as the existence or non- existence of Buddha- nature.” He stresses that to comprehend the truth of no-B uddha-nature, “one  must not think of it in terms of the nothingness of being and nothingness, and ask instead, ‘What is the very Buddha- nature?’ ”

The same is true for an atomized focus on U that Dōgen shows literally means 

“having” but philosophically implies “being” in a sense that is beyond the dichotomies 

of possession and absence or acquisition and loss. In highlighting Zhaozhou’s affirmative response, Dōgen argues that the doctrine of being- Buddha-n ature (u- busshō 有佛性) is not a possession or an inherent potentiality that exists in contrast to no- Buddha- nature. Of Zhaozhou’s U, he writes, “it is not the ‘has’ posited by the Sarvastivadans [an early Buddhist school of ‘realism’] . . .  The being of Buddha is the being of Zhaozhou. The being of Zhaozhou is the being of the dog. The being of the dog is being- Buddha- nature.” 

  Multiperspectivism

Dōgen also demonstrates agility with putting forth multiple perspectives through exploring dissimilar or even conflicting and contradictory readings of various cases. This outlook embodies a Nietzschean theoretical facility, which was in turn influenced by various strains of Mahāyāna Buddhist thought, of never acquiescing to a particular standpoint without considering complementary and competitive points of view. The initial query of the Mu Kōan, “Does the dog have Buddha- nature or not?,” is generally seen as an unfortunate, idle, speculative question, begging to be rebuffed or dismissed, about whether a being that lacks self-r eflective consciousness possesses the potential to be enlightened.

Dōgen comments, “The meaning of this question must be clarified. It neither asks whether the dog has or does not have Buddha-n ature. It is a question of whether an iron [enlightened] man continues to practice the Way.” As Robert Aitken puts it in his modern commentary, “The monk sitting before Zhaozhou cannot acknowledge his own Tathagata. At a deep level he is asking, ‘Do I really have Buddha-n ature as they say?’ ”  Dōgen further remarks that this question is so disturbing and penetrating that Zhaozhou is taken aback; he at first feels threatened and blunders his way into poisonous territory, an image that could also be interpreted to refer to the way the master outsmarts the naïve inquirer who is trapped in the complication of words.

When the query is somewhat stubbornly restated by the novice as, “All sentient beings have Buddha- nature, so why not the dog?,” Dōgen argues, “The real meaning of this is, if all sentient beings are nothingness (mu), then Buddha-n ature must be nothingness, and the dog must be nothingness as well. The real meaning is such, the dog and Buddha- nature manifest nothingness as such[ness].” That is, Dōgen rereads the question, “Why does not the dog have it?,” as the statement, “the dog is such nothingness,” or “the dog is no[- Buddha- nature].” By elevating rhetoric beyond the conventional distinctions of truth and error, the supposedly deluded question is coterminous with the master’s enlightened response in disclosing a wellspring of nothingness- as- suchness from which all expressions derive.

This approach to interpretation can also be referred to as “hermeneutics beyond slander” in that all views, whether representing truth or untruth, are allowed to stand conterminously, without judgment or preference. Dōgen disputes Baizhang, who suggests that freedom from extreme views is gained through the denial of each standpoint by saying that “to preach sentient beings have . . .  or do not have the Buddha- nature slanders Buddha.” In contrast, Dōgen argues, “Despite such disparagement, you cannot avoid explaining something . . .  Although it slanders, is the Buddha- nature disclosed, or not? If the Buddha- nature is disclosed, it is penetrated by the teacher and at the same time it is heard by the listener.”  This view of affirming the need for discourse ironically complements the seemingly opposite notion that whether one says “Yes” or “No” to the question about the dog slanders the dharma. There is no set position regarding the use and/ or abandonment of words and phrases to express the meanings of Buddha- nature, which can and should be analyzed from every possible perspective.

  Inversion

The inversion of conventional readings of the source record is accomplished whereby Dōgen becomes a kind of postmodern Dadaist who makes use of the alchemy of words, to cite a Rimbaud phrase, in order to flip back and forth by diverting and discontinuing or cutting off or extending the path of any given discourse. Dōgen suggests that the Mu response to the question of the dog’s Buddha-n ature is perplexing and subject to diverse interpretations. Mu has various negative implications, including, but not limited to, “What a foolish question, for the Buddha- nature is not a possession and a dog cannot be enlightened,” and from a very different angle that is similar to watō, a diamond- cutting or lion’s roaring silence that puts an end to all manner of speculation. Mu can also paradoxically indicate an affirmation in that there is no Buddha-n ature apart from concrete existence, as symbolized by the dog, and, from the standpoint of emptiness, the dog as well as each and every phenomenon in the universe manifests Buddha- nature.

According to Dōgen, Zhaozhou answered both Mu and U because these terms are interchangeable yet distinct ways of expressing no-B uddha-nature. This approach stands  in contrast to the watō- based interpretation. In addition, Dōgen interprets in positive terms Zhaozhou’s ironic reply, “This is because it has awareness of karma.” Therefore, he contends that the watō method fosters subtle yet devastating dichotomies between means and end, practice and realization, and illusion and truth. Because causality is inseparable from noncausality and vice versa, affirming the dog’s awareness of karma and its consequences indicates that the problem of the dog’s Buddha-n ature is oriented in terms of “the nothingness of the dog and the nothingness of Buddha- nature.” The phrase kushi- mu busshō- mu nari 狗子無佛性無なり can also be read as “no- dog and no- Buddha- nature,” “dog- nothingness and Buddha-n ature- nothingness,” or “dog- mu and Buddha- nature- mu.”

  Intrusion

These rhetorical elements reveal Dōgen surveying different approaches to Buddha- nature so that he can isolate and analyze examples of Zhaozhou’s response in a way that captures multiple meanings and encompasses paradoxes and conceptual reversals. Disruptive discursive techniques contribute to and converge in the hermeneutics of intrusion that delve further into and alter the source dialogue itself as Dōgen transmutes any and all words and phrases through modifying, sometimes overtly and in other instances with a beneath- the- surface subtlety of expression, the original wording but not the intention of the kōan case record. This approach is demonstrated by the way Dōgen transforms a seemingly innocent phrase, “Since it already has,” in the monk’s retort to Zhaozhou’s positive response: “Since it already has [Buddha- nature], why does it enter into this skin- bag?” According to Dōgen’s distinctive interpretation, this phrase, “since it already has,” deliberately implies both the implications of “given that” and “from the time that.” This is the same “since,” used here as an affirmation, that is evoked in some of Dahui’s watō- based passages in order to highlight, ironically enough, what he considers to be a recognized truth that there is no Buddha-n ature since the phrasing is understood in a negative sense.

Dahui suggests, “Since it [the dog] has (Ch. jiyou; Jp. kiu 既有) no [or: does not have] Buddha- nature, as Zhaozhou has stated,” disciples should “simply pick up this statement of ‘No’ as in ‘the dog has no Buddha- nature,’ ” because “it is necessary to use only the one character Mu [in training],” as “this functions as a sword that extricates from the path of life and death so that when illusions arise you only need the word Mu to cut through them.”  Note that in this sequence of remarks there is an avoidance of the implications found in the Mu– U version of the case, which includes as part of one of the subdialogues the phrase, “Since it has . . . ,” rather than “does not have,” the Buddha- nature. The significance of this deviation from the double- response rendition, as Dōgen brings out in his interlinear commentary, is that it loses sight of Zhaozhou’s style of expression, which indicates ontological rather than physical time. There is an original condition that precedes and is thus unfettered by the contradiction of neither strictly having nor not having a primordial spiritual endowment.

Dōgen’s interpretation of the full “Yes” subdialogue indicates, “This monk asks whether Zhaozhou’s response refers to what is currently existing, previously existing, or already existing.” Dōgen suggests that “since it has” or “since it is” must be broken down to distinguish it from other temporal indicators, that is, from the ordinary sense of past as opposed to present or of present in contrast to future. Here, he endorses a view of primordial temporality that is discussed in numerous other fascicles, especially “Being- Time” (“Uji”), by making a claim that, “already existing might seem to indicate one of several forms of existence, but in fact already existing shines alone.” Thus, “since”- cum- already-e xisting now refers to a foundational level of being surpassing divisions. Therefore, Zhaozhou’s phrasing is not a mere pointer to but rather is synonymous with the truth of Buddha- nature.

Dōgen then questions whether “already existing should be understood as something that enters into or does not enter into [a skin- bag],” since this discrepancy implies a duality of spiritual and physical dimensions, which he considers to be misleading. The very words “entering into,” he suggests, are superfluous because there is no distinction between immanence and transcendence or manifesting and not manifesting in the flesh. In any event, “the act of entering into this skin- bag is not committed erroneously or in vain” and can help lead to an awakening, in that mundane existence is inseparable from nirvāna.

By asserting the unity of spiritual and physical realms, Dōgen maintains, “The treasure concealed in the daily activity of liberation is concealed in self and others.” Alluding to a passage from the Jingde chuandenglu (Jingde Transmission of the Lamp Record) volume 2, he admonishes, “Having referred to [concealment], this is not intended to mean that you are not yet free of ignorance. That would be like someone who puts a donkey in front of a horse!” To foster multiple perspectives that are liberating in that they each touch base with the multiple meanings of Buddha- nature, by alluding to an obscure passage attributed to Yunju from the Liandeng huiyao (Essential Lamps Merged) volume 22, Dōgen asserts, “Even if you have a partial, halfway understanding of the Buddha Dharma that has long been in error for days or even months on end, it still cannot be anything but the dog entering into a skin- bag.”

Furthermore, in his analysis of this part of the U dialogue, Dōgen remarks that knowing better yet willfully choosing transgression is a common colloquial expression that had become known in Chan circles through Zhaozhou’s utterance, but “it is none other than being- Buddha- being.” He then alludes to a saying attributed to Shitou in the Jingde chuandenglu volume 30 by asserting, “If you want to know the Undying Man in his hermitage, you must not leave your own skin- bag!” In addition, Dōgen indicates in typical paradoxical fashion that, “ ‘It knows better yet willfully chooses this transgression’ is not necessarily ‘entering into a skin-b ag,’ and ‘entering into a skin-bag’ is not nec essarily ‘It knows better yet willfully chooses this transgression.’ ”

Dōgen’s textual hermeneutics of intrusion, however compelling and imaginative, could easily be seen as capricious and arbitrary because he willfully alters and distorts the source passages. However, a careful analysis of how he treats the Chinese Chan source passages in his Japanese vernacular appropriations, as undertaken by Hee-J in Kim and Kagamishima Genryū, shows that this criticism is avoided because the creativity of the effort is based on a textual hermeneutical method that enables the unfolding of the tangled webs of words and phrases that at least partially reveal truth; this is inseparable from untruth that, in turn, discloses in an indirect way what is real. Or, it could be said that there is no truth like untruth and that untruth is no truth at all.

  Bibliography and Suggested Readings

 

Abe, Masao. (1994) Dōgen: His Philosophy and Religion, edited by Steven Heine. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Bein, Steven. (2011) Purifying Zen: Watsuji Tetsurō’s Shamon Dogen. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Bielefeldt, Carl. (1988) Dōgen’s Manuals of Zen Meditation. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Bodiford, William M. (1993) Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Dōgen. (1988– 1993) Dōgen zenji zenshū [Collected Works of Zen Master Dōgen], 7 vols., edited by Kawamura Kōdō, et. al. Tokyo: Shunjūsha.

Dōgen. (1985) Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen, translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi. San Francisco, CA: North Point Press.

Dōgen. (2002) The Heart of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, translated by Norman Waddell and Masao Abe. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Dōgen. (2004) Dōgen’s Extensive Record: A Translation of the Eihei Kōroku, translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura. Boston: Wisdom.

Dōgen. (2012) Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen’s Shobo Genzo, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Boston: Shambhala.

Dumoulin, Heinrich. (1998) Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan, translated by James Heisig and Paul F. Knitter. New York: Macmillan.

Heine, Steven. (1994) Dōgen and the Kōan Tradition: A Tale of Two Shōbōgenzō Texts. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Heine, Steven, trans. (1997) The Zen Poetry of Dōgen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace. Boston: Tuttle.

Heine, Steven. (2006) Did Dōgen Go to China? What He Wrote and When He Wrote It. New York: Oxford University Press.

Heine, Steven, ed. (2012) Dōgen: Textual and Historical Studies. New York: Oxford University Press.

Kagamishima Genryū. (1965) Dōgen zenji to in’yō kyōten- goroku no kenkyū [Studies of Dōgen’s Citations of Sutras and Recorded Sayings]. Tokyo: Mokujisha.

Kim, Hee-J in. (1975) Dōgen Kigen: Mystical Realist. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Revised edition (2004): Eihei Dōgen: Mystical Realist. Boston: Wisdom.

Kim, Hee- Jin. (1985) “ ‘The Reason of Words and Letters: Dōgen and Kōan Language.” In Dōgen Studies, edited by William R. LaFleur. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 54– 82.

Kim, Hee- Jin. (2007) Dōgen on Meditation and Thinking: A Reflection on His View of Zen. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Kodera, Takashi James. (1980) Dogen’s Formative Years in China. Boulder, CO: Prajna Press.

 


Ch 8 The Philosophy of Zen Master Dōgen Egoless Perspectivism

Chapter 8 The Philosophy of Zen Master Dōgen  Egoless Perspectivism

Bret W. Davis

The Oxford Handbook of  JAPANESE PHILOSOPHY

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  Carrying the self forward to verify- in- practice the myriad things is delu-

sion; for the myriad things to come forth and verify-i n- practice the self is enlightenment. . . . 

. . . When a person verifies-i n- practice the Buddha Way, attaining one  thing he or she becomes thoroughly familiar with that one thing; encountering one activity he or she [sincerely] practices that one activity. Since this is where the place [of the presencing of truth] is and the Way achieves its circulation, the reason that the limits of what is knowable are not known is that this knowing arises and proceeds together with the exhaustive fathoming of the Buddha Dharma.1

 Dōgen Kigen (1200– 1253), founder of the Japanese Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, is undoubtedly one of the most philosophically original and profound thinkers in Japanese history.2 The focus of this chapter will be on Dōgen’s Genjōkōan, which can be translated 

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 54, 59; Davis 2009, 256, 258; compare Dōgen 2002, 40, 44. Most of my primary references will be to Dōgen 1990a, a reliable and readily available Japanese edition of the Shōbōgenzō in four volumes. Although all translations of quoted passages from Dōgen’s texts will be my own, for the reader’s convenience I will cross-r eference available English translations in addition to citing the original Japanese texts.

An earlier version of this chapter was published in The Oxford Handbook of World Philosophy, edited by Jay Garfield and William Edelglass (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 348–3 60.

 

as “The Presencing of Truth.”3 This key text for understanding Dōgen’s thought is the core fascicle of his major work, Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye). It is the “treasury of the true Dharma eye” that Śākyamuni Buddha (ca. 500 b.c.e.) is said to have transmitted to his successor, Mahākāshyapa, by silently holding up a flower. This event is held to mark the beginning of the Zen tradition, which is believed to have been characterized by Bodhidharma (ca. 500 c.e.) as “a special transmission outside all doctrines; not depending on any texts; directly pointing to the human mind; seeing into one’s true nature and becoming a Buddha.” Like Bodhidharma, who is said to have sat in meditation for nine years after bringing Zen (Ch. Chan) from India to China, Dōgen, too, placed great emphasis on the silent practice of “just sitting” (shikantaza 只管打坐).4

Yet Dōgen’s writings are not just expedient means to practice and enlightenment, fingers pointing at the moon; they are also literary and philosophical masterpieces in their own right. Indeed, Dōgen is considered by many to be the greatest “philosopher” in the tradition of Zen Buddhism.5 Rather than merely insist on the limits of language and reason, he poetically and philosophically manifests their expressive potential. The “entangled vines” (kattō 葛藤) of language are not treated simply as impediments to be cut through with the sword of silent meditation and ineffable insight. Instead, they are understood to have the potential to become “expressive attainments of the Way” (dōtoku 道得) that manifest perspectival aspects of the dynamic Buddha- nature of reality.6

Dōgen accepts the delimited and delimiting nature of language and of thought in general. And yet he does not think that the perspectival limits of all perception, feeling, understanding, and expression are as such antithetical to enlightenment. Rather than an 

For a full translation of this text, together with an explanation of the title, see Davis 2009, 254–2 59. 

Other translations of Genjōkoan include “Manifesting Suchness” (Waddell and Abe 2002), “Manifesting Absolute Reality” (Cook 1989), “The Realized Universe” (Nishijima and Cross 2007–2 008), “Actualizing the Fundamental Point” (Tanahashi 2012), and “Offenbarmachen des vollen Erscheinens” (Ōhashi and Elberfeld 2006).

For an explication of Dōgen’s instructions for and understanding of meditation, see Davis 2016.

Dōgen was first treated as a “philosopher” in Japan in the early twentieth century, most notably by Watsuji Tetsurō (1889–1 960) (Watsuji 2011) and by Tanabe Hajime (1885–1962) ( Tanabe 1963). Prior to that, the study of his texts had been confined to Sōtō sectarian exegesis, starting with Dōgen’s own disciple Senne together with his follower Kyōgō and culminating in a detailed and influential commentary first published by Nishiari Bokusan (1821–1 910), published posthumously in 1930 (Nishiari 1965 and 2011). Recent commentaries by Zen masters include those by Shunryu Suzuki (in Nishiari et al. 

2011, 95– 125), Kosho Uchiyama (in Nishiari et al. 2011, 149–2 23), Yasutani Hakuun (1996), and Shohaku 

Okumura (2010). Philosophical studies of Dōgen in the West include Abe 1992; Heine 1985 and 2012; 

Kim 2004 and 2007; Kasulis 1981; Kopf 2002; Steineck 2002; and Wirth, Schroeder, and Davis 2016. Kim 2007 and Heine 2012 are especially pertinent to the content of the present chapter. The latter contains an excellent commentary and response to recent Japanese reinterpretations of the Genjōkōan’s line, “When verifying one side, the other side is obscured,” which stress the finitude of enlightened as well as delusory perception (Kurebayashi 1992; Yoshizu 1993; Ishii 1997; Matsumoto 2000). Although the original version of the present chapter appeared earlier, in general, I find myself in agreement with Heine’s attempt to split the difference between the traditional interpretation and these recent reinterpretations.

See Chapter 9 in this volume; Dōgen 1999, 163–1 72, 179–184 ; Heine 1994, 243–2 49; Cook 1989, 101– 106; and Davis 2019.

overcoming of perspectivism, enlightenment for Dōgen entails a radical reorientation and qualitative transformation of the process of perspectival delimitation. Nietzsche once wrote “Egoism is the law of perspective applied to feelings.”7 Dōgen would say that “egoistic perspectivism” well describes a state of delusion. Enlightenment, on the other hand, is precisely a matter of shedding the egoistic will to posit oneself as the fixed center of the world. Nevertheless, according to Dōgen, enlightenment does not supplant perspectival knowing with an omniscient “view from nowhere.” Rather, it involves an ongoing nondual engagement in a process of letting the innumerable perspectival aspects of reality illuminate themselves. Enlightenment thus entails an egoless and nondual perspectivism.

Dōgen would agree with Heidegger that any manifestation of truth always involves both a revealing and a concealing.8 As Dōgen puts it, “When verifying one side, the other side is obscured [ippō o shō suru toki wa ippō wa kurashi 一方を証するときは一方はくらし]”9 This epistemological principle is one of the central themes of his thought, and it can be found at work already in the famous opening section of the Genjōkōan. Since the programmatic yet laconic first four sentences of this text are often thought to contain the kernel of Dōgen’s philosophy of Zen, let us begin by quoting and explicating them. As we shall see, these few lines can be read as a compact history of the unfolding of Buddhist thought from its foundational teachings through Mahāyāna philosophies to Dōgen’s Zen.

  Through Buddhism to Zen

 

When the various things [dharmas] are [seen according to] the Buddha’s teaching [Buddha Dharma], there are delusion and enlightenment; there is (transformative) practice; there is birth/ life; there is death; there are ordinary sentient beings; and there are Buddhas.

When the myriad things are each [seen as] without self [i.e., as without independent substantiality], there is neither delusion nor enlightenment; there are neither Buddhas nor ordinary sentient beings; and there is neither birth/ life nor death.

Since the Buddha Way originally leaps beyond both plenitude and poverty, there are arising and perishing; there are delusion and enlightenment; and there are ordinary sentient beings and Buddhas.

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, translated by Walter Kaufmann (New York: Vintage Books, 

1974), p. 199 (§162); see also Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power, translated by Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale (New York: Vintage Books, 1967), p. 340 (§637). On Nietzsche’s ambivalently egocentric perspectivism, see Davis 2018, 124–1 26.

See Martin Heidegger, “The Essence of Truth,” in Pathmarks, edited by William McNeill (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 136–1 54. On Heidegger’s thought in relation to Zen’s nonegocentric perspectivism, see Davis forthcoming.

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 54; compare Davis 2009, 256, and Dōgen 2002, 41.

And yet, although this is how we can say that it is, it is just that flowers fall amid our attachment and regret, and weeds flourish amid our rejecting and loathing. 

While the first sentence speaks from the temporal perspective of “when the various things are [seen according to] the Buddha’s teaching  . . .  ,” the second sentence speaks from that of “when the myriad things are each [seen as] without self . . . . ” That which is affirmed in the first sentence is strikingly negated in the second. What is Dōgen doing here in this overturning alteration of perspective? While the first sentence sets forth several fundamental distinctions which constitute the basic teachings of Buddhism— such as that between ordinary sentient beings and their delusion on the one hand and Buddhas and their enlightenment on the other— the second sentence, by focusing now on the central teaching of no-s elf (Sk. anātman; Jp. muga 無我), goes on to negate the reification of these oppositional designations. For readers familiar with Mahāyāna Buddhism’s Perfection of Wisdom literature, such self- deconstructive negations in a Buddhist text do not come as too much of a surprise. The Heart Sutra, for example, radicalizes the early Buddhist doctrine of no-s elf into that of the emptiness (Sk. śūnyatā; Jp. kū 空; i.e., the lack of independent substantiality) of all phenomenal elements of existence (Sk. dharmas; Jp. shohō 諸法) and linguistic conventions, even to the point of a systematic negation of (a reified misunderstanding of) traditional Buddhist teachings themselves, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Heart Sutra also speaks of no- birth, no- death, and no- attainment, rather than of nirvāna as the attainment of a release from samsāra as the cycle of birth and death. 

Furthermore, readers familiar with Madhyamaka Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna’s notion of the “emptiness of emptiness” (i.e., the idea that emptiness itself is not an independently substantial entity, but rather is the nature of events of interdependent origination [Skt. pratītya- samutpāda; Jp. engi 縁起]),  and with Tiantai (Jp. Tendai) Buddhist philosopher Zhiyi’s development of the doctrine of Two Truths (i.e., the conventional truth of provisional designations and the ultimate truth of emptiness) into the Three Truths of “the provisional, the empty, and the middle,”  will be prepared for the third sentence of the Genjōkōan. No longer qualified by a “when  . . .  ,” the “middle” perspective expressed here resolves the tension between the first two perspectives so as to make possible the reaffirmation of distinctions, but now without reification. In fact, in its teaching of the ontological middle way of interdependent origination, Buddhism has always rejected nihilism and annihilationism along with substantialism and eternalism. The Buddhist account of the interdependent and dynamic nature of reality and the self is not subject to the “all or nothing” dilemma that plagues an ontology of independent and eternal substances. As Dōgen says here, “the Buddha Way originally leaps beyond both plenitude [i.e., substantial being] and poverty [i.e., nihilistic void].” Affirmatively thought, using the language of the Three Truths, the Buddhist middle way embraces the nondual polarity of the provisional “plenitude” of differentiated being and the “poverty” or substantial emptiness of ubiquitous interdependent origination.

It is possible to relate these first three sentences of the Genjōkōan not only to the Three Truths of Tiantai (Tendai) philosophy, but also to Chan Master Weixin’s famous three stages on the way to enlightenment, according to which a mountain is first seen as a mountain (i.e., as a conceptual reification), then not as a mountain (i.e., as empty of independent substantiality and linguistic reification), and finally really as a mountain (i.e., in the suchness of its interdependent origination).  The path of the Buddha Way ultimately leads one back to the here and now.

Be that as it may, and although we should bear in mind that Dōgen was first of all trained as a Tendai monk and was intimately familiar with doctrines such as the Three Truths, it is also important to recall that he was from an early age dissatisfied with the then prevalent doctrine of “original enlightenment” (hongaku 本覚). What concerned the young Dōgen was that a premature and blanket affirmation of the self and the world of distinctions as they are tends to deny or at least downplay the importance of transformative practice (shugyō 修行). This dissatisfaction and concern finally induced him to come down from Tendai’s Mt. Hiei on a path that led him to Zen. 

The primary and ultimate standpoint of Dōgen’s Zen is most directly expressed in the climactic— and, in a sense, intentionally anticlimactic— fourth sentence of the Genjōkōan. Here, Dōgen calls for a return from the heights of reason (ri 理) to the basis of fact (ji 事), that is, to the non-i dealized here and now of concrete experience, where “flowers fall amid our attachment and regret, and weeds flourish amid our rejecting and loathing.” I would suggest that this crucial sentence, like so many in Dōgen’s often polysemous texts, can be read in at least two ways. On the one hand, as an expression of the concrete experiences of enlightened existence, it signifies that nirvāna is not somewhere beyond the trials and tribulations of samsāra (the realm of desire and suffering). Rather, it is a matter of “awakening in the midst of the deluding passions” (bonnō soku bodai 煩悩即菩提). Zen enlightenment is not an escapist dying to, but rather a wholehearted dying into a liberated and liberating engagement in the human life of emotional entanglements.

On the other hand, I think that this fourth sentence can also be read— on a less advanced but certainly no less significant level— as an acknowledgment that no amount of rational explanation of the nonduality of samsāra and nirvāna can bring about an actual realization of this truth. In Fukanzazengi, Dōgen writes: “From the beginning the Way circulates everywhere; why the need to verify it in practice?  . . .  And yet, if there is the slightest discrepancy, heaven and earth are vastly separated; if the least disorder arises, the heart and mind get lost in confusion.”16 And he tells us in Bendōwa: “Although the truth [Dharma] amply inheres in every person, without practice, it does not presence; if it is not verified, it is not attained.”17 Religious practice is necessary, which, for Dōgen, involves not just the practice of meditative concentration but also the practice of thoughtful discrimination. Hence, after the opening section of the Genjōkōan, he proceeds to concretely describe the conversion from a deluded/ deluding to an enlightened/ enlightening comportment to the world.

  Verification: The Practice of Enlightenment

 

A deluding experience of the world, according to Dōgen, occurs when one “carries the self forward to verify- in- practice (shushō 修証) the myriad things.” On the other hand, “for the myriad things to come forth and verify-i n- practice the self is enlightenment.”18 In order to appreciate this explanation of delusion and enlightenment, we need to first discuss Dōgen’s peculiar notion of shushō. In this term, Dōgen conjoins two characters to convey the inseparable nonduality of “practice” and “enlightenment (verification).”19 This key aspect of Dōgen’s teaching is poignantly addressed in the concluding section of the Genjōkōan, where the action of the Zen master fanning himself (practice) is demonstrated to be one with the truth that the wind (Buddha- nature) circulates everywhere.

As Chan Master Baoche of Mount Mayu was using his fan, a monk came and asked, “It is the wind’s nature to be constantly abiding and there is no place in which it does not circulate. Why then, sir, do you still use a fan?”

The master said, “You only know that it is the nature of the wind to be constantly abiding. You don’t yet know the reason [more literally: the principle of the way] that there is no place it does not reach.”

The monk said, “What is the reason for there being no place in which it does not circulate?”

At which time the master just used his fan.

The monk bowed reverently.

The verifying experience of the Buddha Dharma and the vital path of its true transmission are like this. To say that if it is constantly abiding one shouldn’t use a fan, that even without using a fan one should be able to feel the wind, is to not know [the meaning of] either constantly abiding or the nature of the wind.20

Dōgen 1990b: 171; compare Dōgen 2002, 2–3 .

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 11; compare Dōgen 2002, 8; also see Dōgen 1985, 87.

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 54; Davis 2009, 256; compare Dōgen 2002, 40.

See Dōgen 1990a, 1: 28; Dōgen 2002, 19. On Dōgen’s key teaching of the “oneness of practice and enlightenment,” see Davis 2016, 207–2 15.

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 60; Davis 2009, 259; compare Dōgen 2002, 44–4 5.

Enlightenment, for Dōgen, is found neither in inactive detachment, nor in a passive acceptance of the way things are, but rather in the midst of a holistic participation— an engaged playing of one’s part— in the world.

The character for shō 証, which is Dōgen’s favored term for enlightenment, normally means to verify, prove, attest to, confirm, or authenticate something. As a synonym for enlightenment, shō is a matter of verifying (“showing to be true” and literally “making true”) and hence realizing (awakening to and thus actualizing) the fact that one’s true self (honbunnin 本分人), one’s “original part,” is originally part and parcel of the dynamically ubiquitous Buddha- nature. In the Busshō fascicle of the Shōbōgenzō, Dōgen famously rereads the Mahāparinirvāna Sūtra’s claim that “all sentient beings have the Buddha- nature” to mean that “Buddha- nature is all that is” (shitsu- u wa busshō nari 悉有は仏性なり).21 Enlightenment is a matter of verifying- in- practice this fundamental fact. It is a matter of authentication, of truly becoming what one in truth is: a unique expression of a universally shared Buddha- nature.

  Learning to Forget the Self

 

The self is a participant in the dynamically interconnected matrix of the world. Delusion occurs when the self egoistically posits itself as the single fixed center—r ather than existing as one among infinitely many mutually reflective and expressive focal points—o f the whole.22 In delusion, the myriad things are seen, not according to the self-e xpressive aspects through which they show themselves, but rather only as they are forced into the perspectival horizon of the self- fixated and self- assertive ego. To borrow the language of Kant, the deluded and deluding ego willfully projects its own forms of intuition and categories of understanding onto the world. In contrast, through practicing the Buddha Way, one comes to realize the empty (i.e., open and interdependent) nature of the true self.

Dōgen describes the steps of this process of practice and enlightenment in three of the most frequently cited lines of the Genjōkōan:

To learn the Buddha Way is to learn the self.

To learn the self is to forget the self.

To forget the self is to be verified by the myriad things [of the world].23

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 73; compare Dōgen 2002, 61.

As with much of Zen thought, Dōgen’s perspectivism is heavily influenced by Huayan (Jp. Kegon) philosophy, which in turn draws on the Avatamsaka Sūtra’s image of the “jewel net of Indra” wherein each jewel reflects all the others (see Chang 1971; Cook 1977; Davis 2018, 128–1 31).

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 54; Davis 2009, 256; compare Dōgen 2002, 41.

The study of Buddhism, according to Dōgen’s Zen, involves more than a cognitive grasp of the truth of the Buddhist teachings (Buddha Dharma; buppō 仏法). It involves a holistic practice of a way of life (Buddha Way; butsudō 仏道).  The central practice of the Buddha Way for Dōgen, and for the Zen tradition in general, is seated meditation (zazen 坐禅)  rather than study of scriptures, performance of esoteric rituals, or calling on the grace of a transcendent savior. According to Zen, “what comes through the gate [i.e., from outside of oneself] is not the treasure of the house”; the truth must be discovered within. Dōgen thus speaks of meditation as a practice of taking a radical “step back that turns the light around.” 

The light of our unenlightened minds is generally directed outward, shining its objectifying gaze on things and on a projected image of the ego itself. Things and other persons become objects of attachment or aversion, purported possessions or enemies of a reified conception of the self as ego-s ubject. But things and persons change and otherwise refuse to obey one’s will, ever slipping from the grasp of the ego, which is itself constantly subject to mutation and otherwise fails to live up to its self-c onstructed image of itself. Hence, repeatedly disappointed and frustrated, the ego suffers the resistance of the world and, out of greed, hate, and delusion, inflicts suffering on others. Ironically, the Buddha Dharma itself, as with any teaching, can be turned into just another object of dogmatic and even fanatic attachment, diverting us from the root of the problem: namely, a false conception of ourselves and our relation to the world. Therefore, the Buddha Way first of all requires a penetrating examination of the self.

Yet when one turns the light around to reflect on the deepest recesses of the self, what one ultimately finds is— nothing. There is no substantial ego- subject underlying our thoughts, feelings, and desires. But neither is this nothingness— or emptiness—a  nihilistic void. Rather, the ungraspable no-t hingness of the self is the very source of the open- minded, open-h earted, and creatively free activity of the true self. The true self is an open engagement with others. A thoroughgoing “learning of the self” thus paradoxically leads to a “forgetting of the self” as an independent and substantial ego- subject.

Dōgen speaks of this “forgetting” most radically in terms of his own enlightenment experience of “dropping off the body- mind” (shinjin- datsuraku 信心脱落). Note that Dōgen does not speak dualistically of freeing the mind from the body. In fact, he explicitly rejects the mind– body dualism of the so- called Senika heresy and speaks of the “oneness of body– mind” (shinjin ichinyo 身心一如) along with the nonduality of the “one mind” with the entire cosmos.  Insofar as we have identified ourselves with a dualistic and reified conception of the mind, however, along with the body this, too, must be shed. 

Only through a radical experience of letting go of all reifications of and attachments to the mind as well as the body does one become open to the self- presentation of the myriad things of the world.

Yet this openness must be realized, and this realization is neither static nor simply passive. When Dōgen says that “things come forth and verify- in- practice the self” (elsewhere he even claims that “original practice inheres in the original face of each and every thing”28), he is countering the willful self-a ssertion of unenlightened human subjectivity by calling attention to the “objective side” of the “total dynamism” or “undivided activity” (zenki 全機) of a nondual experience of reality. He speaks of the nonduality of this experience as follows: “When you ride in a boat, body-a nd- mind, self-a nd- environs, subjectivity- and- objectivity are all together the undivided activity of the boat. The entire earth as well as the entire sky are the undivided activity of the boat.”29 For our part, in order to authentically participate in this nondual event—a nd hence to verify or realize this or that aspect of reality—w e must not only liberate ourselves from a self- assertive fixation on our body– mind by letting it drop off; we must also spontaneously pick up the body–m ind again in an energetic yet egoless “total exertion” (gūjin究尽) of “rousing the [whole] body– mind to perceive forms, rousing the [whole] body– mind to listen to sounds.”30

Let us pause for a moment to review the pivotal paradoxes involved in Dōgen’s path of Zen. (1) Turning to and from ourselves: by way of initially turning the light of the mind away from (a deluded view of) external reality and back toward ourselves, we discover an emptiness at the heart of the self that opens us up to an enlightened experience of the myriad things of the world. (2) Utter detachment and total involvement: This process of enlightenment entails a radical “dropping off the body–m ind” that leads, not to a state of mindless disembodiment, but rather to a holistic integration of the body– mind and its unattached yet wholehearted employment in nondual events of enlightening perception and understanding.

  Nondual Perspectivism

 

The intimately engaged yet egoless perception and understanding that Dōgen speaks of are never shadowless illuminations of all aspects of a thing. The epistemology implied in Dōgen’s understanding of enlightenment is plainly not that of simultaneous 

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 18; compare Dōgen 2002, 14.

Dōgen 1990a, 2: 84; compare Dōgen 1999, 174.

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 54; Davis 2009, 256; compare Dōgen 2002, 41. There are contrasting interpretations of this passage. Along with traditional scholars, I have interpreted this “rousing the [whole] body–m ind to perceive and listen” in terms of enlightenment. Some recent scholars, however, have argued for reading it in terms of delusion (Ishii 1997, 235; Ueda 2002, 287–2 91).

omniscience.  Enlightenment does not entail the achievement of an instantaneous all- knowing view from nowhere, but rather the realization of being on an endless path of illuminating the innumerable aspects of reality, an ongoing journey of appreciating the “inexhaustible virtues” of things. Enlightenment is not a state of final escape to another world, but rather a never self- satisfied process of enlightening darkness and delusion within this world. Indeed, setting out on this never- ending Way of enlightenment entails awakening to the ineradicable play of knowledge and nescience. And thus, once again paradoxically, Dōgen tells us: “When the Dharma does not yet saturate the body– mind, one thinks that it is sufficient. If the Dharma fills the body– mind, one notices an insufficiency.”32

Dōgen makes this epistemological point most clearly and forcefully in the section of Genjōkōan where he speaks of the inexhaustible aspects and virtues of the ocean.

For example, if one rides in a boat out into the middle of the ocean where there are no mountains [in sight] and looks in the four directions, one will see only a circle without any other aspects in sight. Nevertheless, the great ocean is not circular, and it is not square; the remaining virtues of the ocean are inexhaustible. It is like a palace [for fish]. It is like a jeweled ornament [to gods]. It is just that, as far as my eyes can see, for a while it looks like a circle. It is also like this with the myriad things. Although things within and beyond this dusty world are replete with a variety of aspects, it is only through a cultivated power of vision that one can [intimately] perceive and apprehend them. In order to hear the household customs of the myriad things, you should know that, besides appearing as round or square, there are unlimited other virtues of the ocean and of the mountains, and there are worlds in all four directions. And you should know that it is not only like this over there, but also right here beneath your feet and even in a single drop [of water]. 

When Dōgen speaks of a human being sitting on a boat in the middle of the ocean, looking out in all four directions and seeing only a vast empty circle, he is perhaps also speaking metaphorically of a meditative experience of emptiness. We might refer in this regard to the empty circle or “circular shape” (ensō 円相) that appears as the eighth of the Ten Oxherding Pictures,  which is often interpreted as a symbol for the absolute emptiness of the Dharmakāya (the Truth Body of the Buddha), or the Buddha- nature (busshō 仏性) understood—a s Dōgen and other Zen masters sometimes do— in terms of mu- busshō (無仏性, “no- Buddha- nature” or the “Buddha- nature- of- Nothingness”). 

In any case, what is crucial is that neither the Ten Oxherding Pictures nor Dōgen’s Zen stops at the empty circle. It may be necessary to pass through an experience of emptiness as a “great negation” of the ego and its reifying attachments, and as the realization of absolute equality and equanimity. But even emptiness must not be grasped as a purportedly “perspectiveless perspective” in which one abides. In the all-e mbracing “one taste” of perfect equality, the differences between singular things are obscured. Here, too, “emptiness must empty itself” and allow for distinctions, such that true nonduality is a matter of “neither one nor two” (fu- ichi fu- ni 不一不二). The universal truth of emptiness is not an overarching perspective that negates, but rather a pervading principle that enables the interplay between unique yet interconnected beings. In its “suchness,” each thing, person, animal, or event is neither an independent substance nor an indistinct portion of an undifferentiated totality: rather, it is a unique perspectival opening within the dynamically interweaving web of the world.

Hence, even though one may perceive the ocean (or world) as a vast empty circle, Dōgen goes on to write: “Nevertheless, the great ocean is not circular, and it is not square; the remaining virtues [or qualities] of the ocean are inexhaustible. It is like a palace [for fish]. It is like a jeweled ornament [to gods]. It is just that, as far as my eyes can see, for a while it looks like a circle.” Dōgen is drawing here on the traditional Buddhist notion that different sentient beings experience the world in different manners, depending on the conditioning of their karma. He is likely alluding specifically to the following commentary on the Mahāyāna- saṃgraha: “The sea itself basically has no disparities, yet owing to the karmic differences of devas, humans, craving spirits, and fish, devas see it as a treasure trove of jewels, humans see it as water, craving spirits see it as an ocean of pus, and fish see it as a palatial dwelling.”  Dōgen writes elsewhere that one “should not be limited to human views” and naively think that what you view as water is “what dragons and fish see as water and use as water.” 

The epistemology implied in Dōgen’s view of enlightenment as an ongoing practice of enlightening, as an unending path of discovery, is thus what I would call an engaged yet egoless, a pluralistic yet nondual perspectivism. It is a perspectivism insofar as it understands that reality only shows itself one aspect and focal point at a time. But while, on the one hand, in a deluded/d eluding comportment to the world this aspect and focus get determined by the will of a self-f abricating ego that goes out and posits a horizon that delimits, filters, and schematizes how things can reveal themselves (namely, as objects set in front of a subject who represents and manipulates them), in an enlightened/ enlightening comportment to the world, on the other hand, things are allowed to reveal themselves through nondual events in which the self has “forgotten itself” in its pure activity of egoless engagement. This engagement is neither simply passive nor simply active; for, originally, we are not detached ego- subjects who subsequently encounter (either passively or actively) independently subsisting objects. The original force at work in experience is neither “self- power” (jiriki 自力) nor “other-p ower” (tariki 他力). Rather, writes Dōgen, the “continuous practice” (gyōji 行持) one participates in is “pure action that is forced neither by oneself nor by others.”38 At every moment of enlightened/ enlightening experience there is— for the time being— but a single nondual middle-v oiced event of “being-time” ( uji 有時)39 as a self-r evelation of a singular aspect of reality. Enlightenment is a matter of realizing that the world is in truth made up of such nondual self-r evelatory events. And just as these interconnected yet unique events are infinite, so is the path of their verification- in- practice.

  Bibliography and Suggested Readings

 

Abe, Masao. (1992) A Study of Dōgen: His Philosophy and Religion, edited by Steven Heine. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Bein, Steve. (2011) Purifying Zen: Watsuji Tetsurō’s Shamon Dogen. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Chang, Garma C. C. (1971) The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The Philosophy of Hwa Yen Buddhism. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Cook, Francis H. (1977) Hua- yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Cook, Francis H. (1989) Sounds of Valley Streams: Enlightenment in Dōgen’s Zen. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Cook, Francis H. (2002) How to Raise an Ox: Zen Practice as Taught in Zen Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.

Davis, Bret W. (2009) “The Presencing of Truth: Dōgen’s Genjōkōan.” In Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, edited by William Edelglass and Jay L. Garfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 251– 259.

Davis, Bret W. (2013) “Forms of Emptiness in Zen.” In A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy, edited by Steven Emmanuel. West Sussex: Wiley- Blackwell, 190– 213.

Davis, Bret W. (2016) “The Enlightening Practice of Nonthinking: Unfolding Dōgen’s Fukanzazengi.” In Engaging Dōgen’s Zen: The Philosophy of Practice as Awakening, edited by Tetsuzen Jason M. Wirth, Shūdō Brian Schroeder, and Kanpū Bret W. Davis. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 199– 224.

Davis, Bret W. (2018) “Zen’s Nonegocentric Perspectivism.” In Buddhist Philosophy: A Comparative Approach, edited by Steven M. Emmanuel. West Sussex: Wiley- Blackwell, 123– 143.

Davis, Bret W. (2019) “Expressing Experience: Language in Ueda Shizuteru’s Philosophy of Zen.” In Dao Companion to Japanese Buddhist Philosophy, edited by Gereon Kopf. New York: Springer Publishing, 713– 38.

Davis, Bret W. (forthcoming) “Knowing Limits: Toward a Versatile Perspectivism with Nietzsche, Heidegger, Zhuangzi and Zen.” Research in Phenomenology.

Dōgen 1990a, 1: 297; compare Dōgen 1999, 114.

In the Uji fascicle (Dōgen 1990a, 2: 46–5 8; Dōgen 2002, 48–58) , Dōgen famously reads the compound uji, not simply as “for the time being,” but as a nondual event of “being-t ime.” On this philosophically impactful aspect of his thought, see Heine 1985; Stambaugh 1990; and Elberfeld 2004.

Dōgen. (1985) Flowers of Emptiness: Selections from Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, translated by Hee-J in Kim. Lewiston, ME: Edwin Mellen Press.

Dōgen. (1990a) Shōbōgenzō [Treasury of the True Dharma Eye], edited by Mizuno Yaoko. 4 vols. Tokyo: Iwanami.

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Dōgen. (1992) Rational Zen: The Mind of Dōgen Zenji. Boston: Shambhala.

Dōgen. (1995) Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi. New York: North Point Press.

Dōgen. (1999) Enlightenment Unfolds: The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Dōgen, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Boston: Shambhala.

Dōgen. (2002) The Heart of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, translated by Norman Waddell and Masao Abe. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Dōgen. (2004) Dōgen’s Extensive Record: A Translation of the Eihei Kōroku, translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura. Boston: Wisdom.

Dōgen. (2007– 2008) Shōbōgenzō: The True Dharma- Eye Treasury. 4 vols. translated by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross. Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.

Dōgen. (2012) Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen’s Shobo Genzo, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Boston: Shambhala.

Elberfeld, Rolf. (2004) Phänomenologie der Zeit im Buddhismus. Stuttgart: Frommann Holzboog.

Garfield, Jay. (1995) Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. New York: Oxford University Press.

Heine, Steven. (1985) Existential and Ontological Dimensions of Time in Heidegger and Dōgen. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Heine, Steven. (1994) Dōgen and the Kōan Tradition: A Tale of Two Shōbōgenzō. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Heine, Steven. (2012) “What Is on the Other Side? Delusion and Realization in Dōgen’s ‘Genjōkōan.’ ” In Dōgen: Textual and Historical Studies, edited by Steven Heine. New York: Oxford University Press, 42– 74.

Ishii Seijun. (1997) “Shōbōgenzō ‘Genjōkōan’ no maki no shudai ni tsuite” [On the Main Theme of the Genjōkōan Chapter of Shōbōgenzō]. Komazawa Daigaku Bukkyō Gakuburonshū 

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Kasulis T. P. (1981) Zen Action/ Zen Person. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Kim, Hee- Jin. (2004) Dōgen: Mystical Realist. Boston: Wisdom.

Kim, Hee- Jin. (2007) Dōgen on Meditation and Thinking: A Reflection on His View of Zen. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Kopf, Gereon. (2002) Beyond Personal Identity: Dōgen, Nishida and a Phenomenology of No- Self. Richmond, UK: Routledge.

Kurebayashi Kōdō. (1992) Genjōkōan o kataru: Ima o ikiru Shōbōgenzō kōsan [Talks on the Genjōkōan: Lectures on the Shōbōgenzō for Living in the Present]. Tokyo: Daihōrinkan.

LaFleur, William R., ed. (1985) Dōgen Studies. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. (1988) The Heart Sūtra Explained. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Matsumoto Shirō. (2000) Dōgen shisōron [On Dōgen’s Thought]. Tokyo: Daizō Shuppan.

Nagatomo, Shigenori. (1992) Attunement Through the Body. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1988). The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.

Nishiari Bokusan. (1965) Shōbōgenzō keiteki [Shōbōgenzō: Right to the Point]. Tokyo: Daihōrinkaku.

Nishiari Bokusan. (2011) “Commentary on the Genjo Koan,” translated by Sojun Mel Weitsman and Kazuaki Tanahashi. In Dōgen’s Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries, edited by Nishiari et al. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 11– 90.

Nishiari Bokusan et al. (2011) Dōgen’s Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint.

Ōhashi, Ryōsuke and Rolf Elberfeld. (2006) Dōgen Shōbōgenzō: Ausgewählte Schriften. Tokyo: Keio University Press.

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