Zen (2009)

Dear Monju...
I do not have much time left
in this world.
Mother, please do not say
such a sad thing.
These days many people
believe the teaching.
...that if you place your faith
in Buddha.
...you will reach paradise
after you die.
I wonder...
...if it is truly possible
to reach paradise.
I do not know the answer.
But I believe it is meaningless.
...to reach paradise after death.
I believe that the only paradise.
I will ever find is my time here
beside you.
Here and now is paradise.
You are right, Mother.
We must create paradise
here on earth.
But if this is paradise...
...why must people fight...
...and suffer from illness...
...unable to escape the pain of death?
Monju, I want you...
...to find a way to escape...
...all this suffering.
Your mother will wait forever...
...for you to find it.
Dogen in China, 1223
You are on a quest
to seek your true master.
I approve of your goal...
...but Dogen, Buddhism...
...does not require a master.
You will come to understand it
on your own.
That is what my master taught me.
Now I must go...
...to meet some government officials.
This is also necessary...
...to protect the temple.
Surely you understand, Dogen.
Perhaps that will help you
protect the temple.
And yet...
And yet, what?
And yet...
...will that help to protect Buddhism?
It is yourself
you wish to protect.
Master.
Please excuse me...
...but may I carry your load?
Thank you for your kind words.
But this is part of my precious task,
as Kitchen Master...
...which Buddha assigned to me,
despite my age.
I cannot assign this work
to anyone else.
So it is your job to prepare
the temple meals.
Indeed.
I came to town to purchase
the ingredients.
...to make a noodle soup
to serve to the monks.
Why is this still your task?
At your age, surely you should be
spending your time.
...sitting in Zen meditation...
...or working on your Zen koan.
You appear to be a wise man...
...but it seems you know nothing
about the Practice.
You seem not to even know the Teachings.
What is the practice?
What is the teachings?
Monk from Japan,
seek always to answer those questions.
That shall be your path...
...to understanding the practice
and the teachings.
Elder monk,
shall I ever see you again?
If I am still alive.
I am the cook at Ayu-wan-shan
Kuang-li Zen temple.
Kugyo.
Kugyo, it is you!
Excuse me, I do not speak
your foreign tongue.
Forgive me.
I am a monk, visiting from Japan.
You look so much like my friend...
...for a moment...
...I forgot he is dead
and called out to you.
He is dead...
Kugyo is his name?
Yes.
Minamoto Kugyo.
Is his Japanese name.
He was my dearest friend.
It is my wish...
To rule this land.
I will become ruler.
Rule the land...
If you can establish a new Buddhism...
...as ruler, I shall convert to it.
Dogen, leave Hieizan.
I aim for China.
China?
Stop!
You thief!
Help me!
No! Kugyo, stop!
Dogen, move.
Kugyo, kill me!
What?
It is not your place to judge her.
As ruler it will be your job
to create a world, where...
...children like her do not
have to go hungry.
I have come to bid you farewell.
Farewell?
I have been ordered to become
Administrator at the Kamakura Shrine.
To Kamakura?
The next time I see you, I will be
Shogun in Kamakura.
Shogun?
When the current Shogun dies,
I will be the one to take his place.
Until then, Dogen...
...fare thee well.
Two and a half years later...
I was told of his death.
I feared I had lost my way
on my journey, but meeting you...
...I have regained the courage
to go on.
No doubt.
Kugyo has inspired me.
Dogen, what is the journey
you speak of?
To find my true master and
achieve true Buddhism.
Starting in Tien-tung-shan,
I have met with several learned priests...
...but none of them truly
practiced Buddhism.
Here in the Zen temples populated
by disciples of the Ta-hui sect...
...who lack both faith and
the will to practice...
I began to wonder whether
my quest.
...for a true master was hopeless.
Dogen, please return to
Tien-tung-shan.
To Tien-tung-shan?
You will find your true master there.
My true master?
After the death of Master Wu-chi,
following an Imperial decree...
...Zen master Ju-ching became
the head priest there.
He was my master.
What kind of man...
...is Ju-ching?
The practice of Zen is to have
the mind and the body fall away.
This falling away is the path...
...out of ignorance and vice.
There is no second or third path...
...other than Zen.
Sitting in Zen meditation is all.
Ji-uen, let's return to Tien-tung-shan.
How extraordinary.
It is a mysterious coincidence.
You have accomplished the face to face
transmission from master to master.
Ayu-wan-shan Kuang-li
Zen Temple.
You have come.
The teachings are.
What are the teachings?
One, two...
...three, four...
...five.
Practice is.
What is practice?
Buddhism has always
been apparent.
Everything that happens
in this world...
...has always been that way.
No one has anything to conceal.
Even if the meat on your buttocks
should tear off...
...you will keep sitting until you can sit,
like Buddha did, on a wire net seat.
Several years later.
In Zazen, you must let
all attachments fall away.
How dare you fall asleep!
You have achieved enlightenment.
Yes.
Mind and body fall away.
Mind and body fall away.
Fall away, fall away.
Dogen...
...forget even that you have
achieved enlightenment.
Yes.
Just as enlightenment is infinite...
...practice is also infinite.
Enlightenment and practice...
...are inextricably linked.
The Record of the Lineage.
The Record of the Transmission.
By the time that moon
is full, Dogen...
...you will be seeing it from Japan.
Wherever each of us is...
...you and I will always
see the same moon.
Dogen returns to Japan, 1227
Hey, wait!
Run!
Stop!
Move!
I'm cheap, c'mon.
Get moving!
I hear you've been seeing
an awful lot of that whore.
Dogen.
Surely that is beneath you.
Is it peculiar?
No...
This is the greatest form
of true practice.
Where are the others?
Most have gone into town.
On Promoting Zen Meditation.
"The Zazen I speak of is not
learning meditation.
"It is simply the Dharma gate
of repose and bliss...
...the practice-realization of
absolute enlightenment"
"On July 17th...
...of this year, 1227...
...Zen master Ju-ching...
...entered Nirvana at
the Tien-tung-shan temple. "
I am Koun Ejo...
...disciple of Bucchi Kakuan
of the Dharma sect.
I apologize for
my sudden rudeness...
...but can you tell me...
...what exactly are the teachings.
...of the new, true Buddhism
you speak of.
Before I discuss that with you,
there is something I want you to read.
Recently, I wrote
On Promoting Zen Meditation...
...so that many people
may learn about Zen.
Would you, too,
like to sit in meditation?
I hear Dogen of Kennin Temple
shamelessly says...
...that he's brought the true teachings
of Buddha back from China.
This means that he is
maliciously slandering...
...our precious Buddhist tradition.
Just like the Nenbutsu and
the Dharma sects...
...it is a threat to our Buddhism.
We cannot ignore him.
Kennin Temple, Kennin Temple.
I can't read or write.
You're getting in the way
of my business.
Kennin Temple,
Kennin Temple.
Kennin Temple?
Don't you even know
where Kennin Temple is?
Japanese words difficult...
So you're a foreign monk.
Kennin Temple, where?
I'll take you there,
but won't you buy me first?
I'm cheap.
Dogen is in Kennin Temple.
Dogen...
You thief!
Help me!
No! Kugyo, stop!
Dogen, move.
Kugyo, kill me!
What?
It is not your place to judge her.
As ruler it will be your job
to create a world, where...
...children like her do not
have to go hungry.
I am but a poor monk,
I regret...
...that I have no more to offer you.
Off you go, now.
Dogen...
Is there a Dogen here?
I am Dogen.
Huh.
May I help you?
Excuse me...
Ji-uen.
Why are you here?
I have come to fulfill
Kugyo's promise.
Kugyo's promise?
The words Kugyo said...
"If you can establish a new Buddhism,
I shall convert to it"
Dogen.
Now that Ju-ching has passed away,
you are my only master.
Ji-uen.
I want to try to establish.
Ju-ching's Zen here in Japan.
I need your help.
Yes, most happily.
Please, come in.
You must be tired
from traveling.
Let me introduce you.
Oh, my.
I've been looking for you
to give you a word of thanks.
You disappeared so quickly.
It's not really a place for us.
Last night, you delivered
a treasure to us.
I offer you my thanks.
A word of thanks,
no more.
Hush, hush.
Hush, hush.
You're awful early
How much did you make?
Come to Mommy.
What, that's all?
How dare you.
Why don't you go steal something
At least try to take care of us!
Don't turn out like your daddy.
Orin.
How dare you talk
to your husband like that.
I didn't get wounded for fun.
You know I can't work
in the shape I'm in.
It doesn't seem to keep you
from humping me every night!
Watch it!
Move!
Dogen! Get out here!
There is no cause
to be frightened.
I knew they would
come someday.
Where are you Dogen!
If you don't come out here,
we're coming in!
I am Dogen.
You have been dismissing
our legitimate.
Hieizan Buddhism...
...proclaiming that yours
is the only true Buddhism...
...and confusing the people.
Show me the new sutras
or Buddhist statues...
...that prove the authenticity
of your faith!
I have nothing like that.
Nothing?
I return empty-handed.
You brought back no proof?
I have returned with myself...
...which has inherited
authentic Buddhism.
And what did you learn?
Eyes horizontal, nose vertical.
Eyes horizontal, nose vertical?
Eyes are set horizontally...
...while noses are set vertically.
How dare you!
Your mockery knows no bounds!
You demon heretic!
I order you out of Kyoto!
If you cannot obey, I'll kill you!
Stand down! Stand down!
Who are you!
I am the magistrate,
Hatano Yoshishige!
The magistrate.
Though you may be monks
of Hieizan...
I cannot possibly ignore...
...your outrageous insolence to Dogen!
Anyoin Temple.
I am so grateful.
Please take care.
This Anyoin Temple is beloved...
...by my mother's family,
the Fujiwaras.
I had long prayed that we
could use this as our Zendo.
For now, we begin
with just the three of you...
...but when a single soul achieves
enlightenment, many benefit.
Your fourth has also arrived.
Master Dogen...
...your recent teachings
have persuaded me.
Please let me join you.
I beg of you.
Ejo, I appreciate your wishes.
But you are a Buddhist leader...
...and moreover, are responsible
for the Dharma sect.
Now is not the time.
When the time comes...
Please, do not succumb
to pressure from other sects...
...be unwavering in your resolve.
Alms for the body and the soul
Giving completes the circle.
Bam-boo.
Bam-boo.
Koshoji Temple.
Zazen.
Someone arrived late.
I offer my apologies.
Ejo.
Please allow me now.
It seems your time has come.
Treasury of True Teachings.
Dogen san! Dogen san!
You are...
What is wrong?
My baby's dying!
What?
The medicine I got from
the doctor isn't working.
I can tell, he's just getting
worse and worse.
Say something!
Save my baby!
It's your job to save people, right?
Do something!
He'll die!
There is only one way
to save this child.
What is that?
What should I do? Tell me!
Visit every home in this area...
...and try to find a home
where no relative has died.
And have that family give you
a single bean.
Go back to sleep, my child.
Dawn is not yet here.
When dawn comes
the temple bell will ring.
Hey!
Get out here, you lying monk!
You made a fool out of me.
There's no such thing as a house
where nobody died!
That's right,
that's exactly right.
That is what the master
wanted you to learn.
Hey, you.
Can't you make a little noise.
I'm in mourning.
What?
I killed my little baby...
Hey...
I'm making an offering with money
I made off my own body.
Why don't you take it?
Is this money so filthy?
Let us gratefully accept it.
You joyfully cast aside money
which you value as your life.
It is very precious.
I am grateful, Orin.
Buddha Hall.
Straighten your posture
and firm your hips.
Yes, like that.
Hold your right hand down,
your left hand over it...
...your thumbs together.
Yes.
Hold your gaze
to around here.
I'll kill myself!
Please stop, Orin san.
Please stop!
What has happened?
Orin, what is the matter?
I hate myself.
I hate myself so much
I want to kill me.
You lied to me that
Buddha is inside me.
I hate you too!
My old faith is much better!
I did not lie!
Buddha is inside you!
But you see...
It's not so easy to meet the Buddha.
Every human wants this
and wants that.
...and covets what remains
out of reach.
When we cannot have our way
we get angry and act foolishly.
We cannot see Buddha
because we blind ourselves...
...with such matters.
That is why we sit.
We sit and we sit
until that blindfold falls away.
If you do this, you will be able
to face the Buddha in you.
Orin.
By killing yourself,
you kill Buddha.
And depending on others...
...denies the Buddha within you.
It seems the Hieizan monks are
envious of your success.
They are planning a deadly
attack on this temple.
If you do not leave here immediately,
anything could happen here.
It is deep in the mountains...
...but I own land in Echizen.
You are free to use that land, Dogen.
I appreciate your kind words
Nevertheless...
Master Dogen, you must decide!
There is only one of you
in all of Japan.
Say, Orin.
With the kid gone,
we can travel light.
Let's head east together...
...and start over.
Start over?
You know what I mean.
No thanks
I gave up selling myself.
What the hell.
How the hell are we going to eat?
I'm thinking about it.
Maybe I'll become a nun.
What?
Of course I won't.
That's right,
of course you won't.
In that case, reconsider...
Don't touch me.
Orin.
You.
Let go!
Go back to sleep, my child.
Dawn is not yet here.
When dawn comes
the temple bell will ring.
Orin san...
Shunryo san.
Why did you become a monk?
Because I was poor.
My parents abandoned me.
I scrounged for garbage.
...and even stole to survive.
Just like me.
One day, I realized...
...if I joined a temple
I would never starve.
That was my only goal.
I entered the temple
a starving demon.
But now that I have met Dogen,
I have changed.
Master Dogen told me...
"Why wait to die to meet Buddha?
"Meet Buddha in this life...
" and find paradise here"
Instead of just eating...
I chose to practice my faith
under Master Dogen.
Dogen san...
...cried when he held my baby.
He cried while you
were sleeping, too.
Master Dogen is always sharing...
...our joys and our sorrows.
Kill any who disobey!
Kill! Kill!
What have they!
What have they done!
Please, stop!
Please, stop!
Shut up!
Good enough!
Let's go.
A heretical sect destroyed!
You reap what you sow!
Water! Get water!
Driven out of Kennin Temple...
...and now driven out of here
with our aims half fulfilled...
I am sick with disappointment.
I am heartbroken.
Nevertheless...
...we cannot allow the true light
of Buddhism to be put out.
Fellow monks, we will depart...
...for Echizen, in order
to lay the foundation...
...for true Buddhism.
Who are you?
Oh, Gikai, you made it.
Master Dogen, I, Gikai of
the Dharma sect and the others...
...have raced here to ask
your permission to join you.
Let us proceed.
The heavenly way...
...is lofty and serene.
The earthly way...
...solid and still.
The human way...
...is calm and tranquil.
Throughout the universe...
...there is unending peace.
The person who helped to clear
my way towards enlightenment...
...was an elderly Kitchen Master.
The position of Kitchen Master has always
been entrusted only to monks...
...whose hearts are committed
to seeking the Way.
This is because...
...the practice of Kitchen Master...
...requires a single-minded purity
permitting no idle thoughts.
"I owe my knowledge of teachings
and my understanding of practice...
...entirely to that Kitchen Master. "
Kitchen Master Instructions
"entirely to that Kitchen Master"
Kitchen Master Instructions.
How is it?
Have you grown used to
the work of Kitchen Master?
I do my best.
That's good.
Gikai sama, may I
ask you a question?
What is it?
I understand it logically, but...
I am not able to sit Zazen
the way everyone else can.
I cannot help but panic at
the thought of being left behind.
Then you should sit
while everyone else sleeps.
You are here, Orin.
Yes.
Master Dogen...
...please allow me to become
a nun here.
I cannot.
Is that because I am a sinful...
...and disgraced woman?
- We do not question past acts
- Why not, then?
First you must abandon
your attachment to the past.
When you are free
of your attachments...
...though you may be
in the secular world...
...you shall be pure.
Return to Kyoto and do your best.
I will not return.
Gikai sama.
We have no rice to cook.
Nor millet left.
If there is not enough rice...
...then make porridge.
It is not enough for porridge.
Then make rice broth.
It is not enough for rice broth.
In that case...
...we shall drink boiled water
and sit Zazen.
Completely disengage from
normal life.
...and abandon everything
you had been engaged with.
Abandon thinking about
right and wrong...
...and of thinking itself, along with
thoughts of enlightenment.
Abandon all intentions
and thoughts.
This is known as
Without Thinking.
We do not sit Zazen for
the purpose of enlightenment.
Just sitting in meditation.
That itself is enlightenment.
Shunryo sama.
Orin san.
When did you arrive?
Ten days ago.
I did not see you...
...and feared you had moved away.
I am responsible
for the cooking...
...so I cannot sit with everyone else.
What is wrong?
I do not know.
"Plant the seeds.
"In the fields and levees.
"In the fall, there'll be.
"Five kinds of grains.
"In the fall, there'll be
five kinds of grains"
Shunryo sama.
Orin san.
What are you doing?
I'm mushroom hunting.
I can be your guide
I know a good spot.
Look, there.
Here, too.
Ouch!
Shunryo sama!
It's not a poisonous snake,
you should be fine.
I am so sorry
I gave in to temptation.
If you find me acceptable...
I don't mind.
Orin san, please forgive me.
Now you see the base motives
that brought me into Buddhism.
But for me to defile you,
whose motives are so pure...
The fault is mine.
I wanted to interact with you
as a normal woman...
...ignoring my own past.
And I wanted you to touch me,
not for my female body...
...but as a real human being.
I am the one who tempted you
Forgive me.
Shunryo sama!
Shunryo, what are you doing!
Shunryo!
Shunryo.
What is the meaning of this?
Zen Master.
I am horrified to realize
that the demon...
...of lust has settled into my heart.
It is unforgivable in
one who seeks the Way.
Upon careful consideration...
I have resolved to take a leave.
I can no longer
defile this temple...
...and your teachings
with my presence.
Is the demon still within you?
Tell him...
It's gone.
Are you...
Are you sure
that is your decision?
Yes.
Master.
It is time to sit.
Everyone take your places.
Shunryo!
The gates of this temple...
Are always open for you.
Shunryo sama, don't go!
Don't come near me.
I love you!
Sir Hatano,
you are most welcome.
Please forgive my rudeness...
...arriving so early in the morning...
...and interrupting your
Zen meditation.
No, no, for you, Sir Hatano...
...you are welcome
at any hour of any day.
I can never possibly repay
the great debt.
I owe you for donating this Zendo.
I remain constantly
grateful to you.
It is I who am grateful.
I trust your arrival here...
...means Hojo Tokiyori
is in dire peril.
It is exactly so.
It was a merciless battle.
The Hojo and Miura clans
had been closely knit...
...ever since Yoritomo formed
their alliance.
But yesterday's friend
is today's foe.
In the event, samurai must kill
with arrows and with swords.
It was living hell on earth.
You!
Die!
Die!
How dare you defy me,
Tokiyori, even in death!
Damn you!
Die! Die!
Damn you!
Go away!
How dare you!
Master Dogen
please come to Kamakura.
Please save the Shogun.
I beg, I beg of you.
A dog?
Or a wolf?
Ji-uen...
...let us visit living hell together.
Yes.
I am not going...
...to visit the Shogun,
Hojo Tokiyori.
I am going to visit...
...a young man
howling in anguish.
Master...
...let me join you.
I cannot.
I am risking my life...
...on this journey to Kamakura.
Ejo...
I cannot also place
your life in danger.
I entrust...
...my affairs to you.
Vast is the robe of liberation.
A formless field of benefaction.
I wear the Buddha's dharma.
Saving all sentient beings.
I am Tokiyori.
I am Dogen of Eiheiji Temple.
I've brought you here because
I have something to ask you.
What do you wish to ask me?
I hear you've returned from China...
...with the true Buddhism
passed down from Buddha.
Tell me, what is that?
They are the true, authentic
teachings of Buddha...
...passed down through...
...generations of monks,
without interruption.
But that is the same claim
made by all those other sects.
No matter how many sutras
you read or chant...
...or call out Buddha's name...
...you will not be able to find
Buddha's teachings.
What do you do in your sect?
Just sitting in meditation
We sit and we sit.
How can true Buddhism be found,
sitting around doing nothing?
Lord Tokiyori, that is akin
to being in the ocean...
...and claiming to have no water.
What!
Flowers in spring...
...cuckoos in summer...
...the moon in autumn.
...and chilly snows in winter.
Flowers in spring...
...cuckoos in summer...
Dogen, these are most obvious.
They are indeed obvious.
Things as they are.
Seeing things as they truly are...
That is enlightenment.
Zazen is to see the water
in the vast ocean.
And yet, until we find
the innate Buddha...
...we cannot understand
there is water...
...in the vast ocean.
I don't understand, Dogen.
What is enlightenment?
What is the innate Buddha?
Fortunately, the moon
is full tonight.
Lord Tokiyori...
...shall we go into the garden
and look at the moon?
The moon?
It is magnificent.
Pure and undefiled
Perfect and flawless.
That moon which resides in your
heart is innate Buddha.
There is only one moon
in the heavens.
I cannot see a moon
in my heart.
Furthermore...
...that full moon is soon fated
to fade and whither.
Lord Tokiyori.
Please look.
Lord Tokiyori.
Can you cut down this moon?
Easily.
I have cut it down.
Is that so?
Have another look.
Though clouds should
obscure the moon...
...or the moon disappear
from the heavens...
...we cannot say there is no moon.
The moon cannot be wet
and water cannot be torn.
The moon is innate Buddha,
and water is the self.
This incomprehensible dialogue
does not quell my anguish.
Damn you.
You're back again.
Get away!
Dogen.
How can I exterminate
these vengeful ghosts...
...which taunt me nightly?
You cannot exterminate them.
You must convert them.
Convert them?
Conversion means acceptance.
The pain, sorrow and hate
those spirits carry...
...is precisely your own...
...pain, sorrow and hate.
You must accept all that anguish.
However, until you abandon
your entire self...
...you cannot accept that anguish...
...nor will the anguish fade away.
The moment you grasped power
in your right hand...
...your left hand grasped suffering.
Are you telling me to abandon
my position as Regent of the land?
The very definition of a regent is
to hold power instead of a monarch.
It is grasping this power...
...that has caused your anguish.
Lord Tokiyori...
...now is the time to release
your grasp.
If I abandon the Regency,
there will be civil war.
My duty is to maintain...
...peace throughout the land.
Is that not true?
No matter how brilliant...
...no one who has employed weapons
to subjugate his people...
...can rule forever.
Certainly...
...a ruler who knows no peace
in his own heart...
...can hardly rule peacefully.
Though you...
...fervently wish to be saved...
...you don't have the courage
to abandon anything.
How dare you, Dogen.
I, Tokiyori...
...have never been
so insulted in my life!
Lord!
Dogen!
Are you prepared to die!
I always have been.
When I came here,
I had already...
...abandoned my body
and my soul.
As you wish.
If you do evil
you will harvest evil.
If you do good
you will harvest good.
When death approaches...
...neither political power nor those
you love nor vast fortunes...
...will be able to save you.
To death, you must go alone.
All that will accompany you...
...is everything you did in life.
That and nothing else.
Master Dogen.
Look at this land.
Here on this land...
...I will build a great temple,
second to none.
Please stay here in Kamakura...
...and become its founding priest.
It shall become the great
foundation of your Buddhism...
I cannot accept.
What?
You refuse?
My temple...
...is Eiheiji, a very, very
small temple...
...in the Echizen mountains.
...Master Dogen.
I am so glad to have met you.
Now I must take my leave.
"Flowers in spring...
...cuckoos in summer...
...the moon in autumn.
...and chilly snows in winter. "
Ejo.
Yes.
The monks in the monastery...
...should be as harmonious
as milk and water...
...and practice Zen single-mindedly.
Eventually, each monk will
become a head priest.
Monks...
...are the eternal companions
of Buddhism.
Yes.
Gikai.
Yes.
You shall be the abbot.
Assist Ejo...
...and devote yourself
to the three minds.
The three minds are...
...the joyful mind...
...the caring mind...
...and the universal mind.
Yes.
Ji-uen.
Yes.
Is all well?
Of course, sir.
Right now, I can see
Tien-tung-shan.
The only ones who actually saw
Ju-ching practice Zen...
...are you...
...and I, none other.
You understand my meaning?
Yes.
Kugyo...
You have been a good disciple...
And...
A good friend.
The words you spoke...
...to me, your disciple Ji-uen...
...give me the greatest joy.
First, be free from desire.
Second, be satisfied.
Third, be tranquil.
Fourth, be diligent.
Fifth, remember the teachings.
Sixth, meditate.
Seventh, practice wisdom.
Eighth, avoid pointless talk.
Each of Buddha's disciples...
...learned these Eight Means
to Enlightenment.
Unless you study these...
...you are not a Buddhist disciple.
You must not be negligent...
...even for a moment.
Ejo.
Yes.
Let Orin take Buddhist orders.
Yes.
Zazen.
In the time of life...
...there is none other than life.
In the time of death...
...there is none other than death.
Master...
Continue...
...to sit!
Dogen enters Nirvana, 1253
What a surprise.
To get alms from a monk.
Tell me, do monks
make a good living?
What the hell is this?
To study the Buddha Way...
...is to study the self.
To study the self...
...is to forget the self.
To forget the self...
...is to be enlightened by everything.
To be enlightened by everything...
...is to free your own...
...body and mind...
...and the body and mind of others.
You hold Buddha in your hands.
Buddha lives in your hands.
So let us hold him close
and protect him.
Is the Buddha in my hands?
That is right.
Hold your hands,
not like that...
...but like this.
Because it's raining...
Dogen
NAKAMURA KANTARO
Orin
UCHIDAYUKI
Ji-uen & Minamoto Kugyo
TEl RYUSHIN
Hatano Yoshishige
KATSUMURA MASANOBU
Hojo Tokiyori
FUJIWARA TATSUYA
Shunryo
KORA KENGO
Ejo
MURAKAMI JUN
Ju-ching
ZHENG TIANYONG
Orin's husband
AIKAWA SHOW
Kitchen Master
SASANO TAKASHI
Monju's mother
TAKAHASHI KEIKO
Based on the book by
OTANI TETSUO
Music
UZAKI RYUDO / NAKANISHI HASEO
Director of Photography
MIZUGUCHI NORIYUKI
Production Design
MARUO TOMOYUKI
Editing
KIKUCHI JUNICHI
Production
TWINS JAPAN inc.
Distributed by
Kadokawa Pictures, inc.
ZEN Production Committee.
Director / Screenplay
TAKAHASHI BANMEl.