On Interpreting Dōgen and the Study of Ch'an/Zen

The collective name of the work whose translation is here being reviewed was apparently added, long after their composition, to ten of Dōgen's (1200–1253) minor works–only two of which bear a date (1234). How long after the event the compilation was made may be deduced from the colophon, written in 1357. While there can be no quarrel with the title of the translation, a closer paraphrase might be ‘collection of writings concerning the mental preparations necessary for the study of the Path’. The Path is, of course, that of Zen; something must be said about study/étude.