Shambhala Publications released The Roots of Goodness: Zen Master Dogen’s Teaching on the Eight Qualities of a Great Person in February 2025.
The Roots of Goodness is a translation by Daitsu Tom Wright of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi’s (1912–98) commentary on the final fascicle within the Shobogenzo by Eihei Dogen Zenji (1200–53), the Buddhist monk and founder of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The Roots of Goodness is divided into two parts: part one features Wright’s translation of Dogen’s writings, while part two—making up the majority of the book—contains Uchiyama Roshi’s commentary.
After 94 fascicles of the Shobogenzo, a collection of Dogen’s many essays and transcribed Dharma talks, his 95th was, not unlike Shakyamuni Buddha’s final talk, on “Hachi Dainin Gatu,” the “Qualities of a Great Person.” Actually, we are told that there are 64 qualities contained within the eight, however, according to our author, we may have had even more had Dogen lived longer.
So what are these great qualities?
1. Having few desires
2. Knowing one has enough
3. Appreciating serenity/quietude
4. Making diligent effort
5. Not losing sight of the true Dharma
6. Concentrating on settling in dhyana
7. Practicing wisdom
8. Not engaging in useless argument
In part two, there is the inclusion of parenthesized “laughing” as we are reminded that Uchiyama Roshi recounted with as much humor as pith, as much warmth as wisdom, as much humility as cynicism: he wasn’t afraid to call people out, voice his dislike of many aspects of life in Japan, or highlight human foolishness. At least he admitted to being argumentative, with little connection his siblings and no concern for emotional attachments or legacy—happily selfish in his pursuits. Yet he clung to that most dangerous of Buddhist aspirations: hope.
Uchiyama Roshi presents the Buddhist teachings in his own words, introducing the Shobogenzo “as a person of the present age” with the opinion that the repetition of Buddhist texts had rendered many teachings into mere caricatures. Times have changed, and what was relevant 2,000 years ago, or even 200 years ago, is no longer universally applicable. Our society has evolved, our cultures are far more diverse, and information is both varied and widely disseminated. In many respects, we now possess knowledge that far surpasses what was available to our ancestors. For example, Uchiyama Roshi was able to include modern man’s understanding of neurobiology within the paradigms of human motivations and behavior. This is the standard evolutionary argument, but have humans really changed that much? As I often say, we simply morph our culture around us while essentially running in the same hamster wheel of what it means to be human.
Uchiyama Roshi also calls us out on the hypocrisy of enlightenment: the hypocrisy of striving to be a better human being but measured by all the wrong standards. I often use the analogy that we are like children in a playground, competing for dominance, or, as Uchiyama Roshi says, hungry ghosts endlessly chasing the gods of our time—money and prestige. While it is true that each of us holds a subjective opinion, shaped by our relationship with the world—our environment, culture and the people around us—the call is for us to simply grow up! Growing up is analogous to attaining bodhicitta, or at least in the striving, to transcend this cycle’s narrow view and to seek deeper meaning beyond worldly power.
There is a certain futility in adhering to superficial standards; merely going through the motions of life. By doing so, we risk perpetuating ignorance, generation after generation, without realizing that we remain stuck in the same playground—trapped, as it were, in Plato’s cave, unable to see beyond the shadows. The present is history in the making. It’s an interesting phrase to chew on and project into our own lives and those of future generations. On our journey out of the cave however, we will inevitably encounter the question, “What are we living for?” Followed by the sometimes painful peeling back of layers to reveal what is of the most value in our lives.
Uchiyama Roshi contemplates some interesting comparisons between Western and Buddhist perspectives throughout these pages—after all, he received a master’s degree in Western philosophy at Waseda University in 1937. In Western thinking, the self is often seen as part of a greater whole. Uchiyama Roshi points out how wrong this thinking is. He doesn’t mince words. In Zen thought, the self is an “entire self;” Jiko giri no jiko—the self that exists solely as itself. And in “zazen, the self is itself by itself.” There is no separation between self and other, between subject and object, and practice is of self-practicing oneself. For this, there’s a strong advocacy throughout for a serene environment, something not always attainable for many.
Indeed, living in the countryside, surrounded by nature, lakes, and mountains, isn’t a possibility—or even a preference—for many people. Most are accustomed to the conveniences of towns and cities, with their vibrant lifestyles, thriving communities, museums, theaters, and restaurants. Many enjoy the bustling energy of their vocation and even thrive under the pressures it brings. For such individuals, a serene rural environment simply wouldn’t suit their lifestyle or their aspirations. However when the serene environment is a metaphor for the dwelling place within our mind, this becomes mastery. Our author goes on to underscore that “living in a serene, quiet place would be an existence of waiting for death.” Yet while the focus on death offers a stark wakeup call to live this precious life and not waste the opportunities we have to grow up, the commentary is also littered with references to suicide, which some readers may find triggering.
Having been a long time student and friend, Daitsu Tom Wright’s translation is offered to us in an easy and friendly manner, without lessening any of the pith that sits within the unassuming sweet-smelling orange that is this volume. In his epilogue, Wright revisits and consolidates the eight qualities of a great person, wrapping the book up beautifully.
In the last years of Uchiyama Roshi’s life, he was joined by his wife and every month for two hours, Kosho Uchiyama Rochi would give talks to a gathering. He passed away 13 March 1998.
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The Roots of Goodness (Shambhala)
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