Nothing Hidden in the Entire Universe

In considering the roots, basis, and aftermath of the Verse Comments, which was composed as a lyrical interpretation of the 60-fascicle edition of Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, several facts are well known about when and why it was written. However, many aspects of the historical context remain unclear in regard to the reasons for the textual production, so that there is no choice but to make some conjectures based on compelling literary and chronological evidence. Speculation about the formation and dissemination (or lack thereof) of Giun’s work in relation to the significance of the 60-fascicle edition should be argued by assessing traditional records along with contemporary research that has uncovered important archival materials for Treasury manuscripts previously unavailable to scholars. This chapter explains the evidence while summarizing recent theories about the possible rationale for how and why the Verse Comments was constructed.

Selected Supplementary Poems by Giun and Other Relevant Monk-Poets

This chapter features a representative selection of additional kanbun poems composed by Giun and several other prominent monk-poets from the Sōtō and Rinzai schools in China and Japan. The work of those monks is particularly relevant for providing a context by which to understand the crucial role played by the fifth Eiheiji abbot in shaping the early-medieval history of Zen’s approach to studying Dōgen’s Treasury by appropriating Chinese poetic sources, including interpretations of the doctrine of the Five Ranks, and embracing key elements of the boundary-crossing Wanshi-ha movement’s literary standpoint for Zen training. Following an introductory discussion, two main parts of the chapter cover more than twenty translated verses in all.

Giun’s Verse Comments and Capping Phrases

This chapter provides a complete translation of Giun’s verse comments on the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye along with the original kanbun (Sino-Japanese) text composed in the fourteenth century, including the four-line verses and capping phrases written by Giun and those by Honkō from the eighteenth century. In addition, the preface by Giun is included. A complete list of the fascicles with the translation, romanization, and original characters is also presented. The chapter additionally features the author’s own interpretative remarks concerning Giun’s medieval commentary by highlighting the meaning and significance of each of the 60 fascicles and discussing the symbolism and ramification of key examples of Giun’s and Honkō’s poetic imagery. Reading through these materials highlights various literary motifs and religious themes that characterize the verse comments.

A Mystical Path Stemming from Eiheiji

This chapter gives an overview of the origins, content, historical development, and important literary, religious, and philosophical implications of Giun’s Verse Comments on Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, which was written in 1329 and published a century later and remained a key component of Sōtō Zen intellectual life for several centuries during the medieval period. It explains how Giun made decisive contributions to the restoration of Sōtō Zen at a key turning point in its early institutional expansion. These developments followed a few decades of decline caused by intense intrafactional rivalries at Eiheiji as part of the aftermath of Dōgen’s death compounded by the impact of a devastating fire in 1297 that destroyed many of the monastery’s architectural and textual treasures. By the Edo period, the significance of Giun’s Verse Comments was eclipsed by the Prose Comments (Goshō) on Dōgen’s Treasury written by Senne and Kyōgō.

Before, During, and After the Ban

The final section of the book is a bibliographical essay that helps situate the significance of the Verse Comments in relation to numerous examples of other kinds of interpretative works produced during the lengthy but rather up-and-down history of commentaries on Dōgen’s Treasury. The scholastic tradition began in the early 1300s with the composition of the Prose Comments by Senne and Kyōgō in addition to Giun’s Verse Comments. In distinct ways, both of these commentaries represent a proselytizing (teishō) or homiletic outlook for understanding the significance of the Sōtō founder’s philosophy of religion. This epilogue also examines the history of commentaries on the Treasury composed in the Edo period as well as diverse scholarly trends since the twentieth century.