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
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
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
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!
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, l, 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 l 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!
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
l, 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 l, 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 TEI 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 BANMEI
English subtitles LINDA HOAGLUND 2009 ZEN Production Committee