This phrase would continue to have great importance to Dōgen throughout his life, and can be found scattered throughout his writings, as — for example — in a famous section of his " Genjōkōan " ( 現成公案 ):

In the work, as in his own life, Dōgen emphasized the absolute primacy of shikantaza and the inseparability of practice and enlightenment.

Dōgen founded Eihei-ji in 1244 with the name Sanshoho Daibutsuji in the woods of rural Japan, quite far from the distractions of Kamakura period urban life.

The term Shōbōgenzō has three main usages in Buddhism: ( 1 ) It can refer to the essence of the Buddha's realization and teaching, that is, to the Buddha Dharma itself, as viewed from the perspective of Mahayana Buddhism, ( 2 ) it is the title of a koan collection with commentaries by Dahui Zonggao, and ( 3 ) it is used in the title of two works by Dōgen Kigen.

Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment.

As he found no answer to his question at Mount Hiei, and as he was disillusioned by the internal politics and need for social prominence for advancement, Dōgen left to seek an answer from other Buddhist masters.

In 1217, two years after the death of contemporary Zen Buddhist Myōan Eisai, Dōgen went to study at Kennin-ji Temple ( 建仁寺 ), under Eisai's successor, Myōzen ( 明全 ).

Myōzen died shortly after Dōgen arrived at Mount Tiantong.

Dōgen returned to Japan in 1227 or 1228, going back to stay at Kennin-ji, where he had trained previously.

While the construction work was going on, Dōgen would live and teach at Yoshimine-dera Temple ( Kippō-ji, 吉峯寺 ), which is located close to Daibutsu-ji.

During his stay at Kippō-ji, Dōgen " fell into a depression ".

While it was customary for Buddhist works to be written in Chinese, Dōgen often wrote in Japanese, conveying the essence of his thought in a style that was at once concise, compelling, and inspiring.

Lectures that Dōgen gave to his monks at his monastery, Eihei-ji, were compiled under the title Eihei Kōroku, also known as Dōgen Oshō Kōroku ( The Extensive Record of Teacher Dōgen ’ s Sayings ) in ten volumes.

The Caodong-teachings were brought to Japan in 1227, when Dōgen returned to Japan after studying Ch ' an in China and settled at Kennin-ji in Kyoto.

Dōgen had received Dharma transmission from Tiantong Rujing at Qìngdé Temple, where Hongzhi Zhengjue once was abbot.

The ashes of Dōgen and a memorial to him are in the Joyoden ( the Founder's hall ) at Eihei-ji.

In 1246, Dōgen renamed Daibutsu-ji, calling it Eihei-ji.

Dōgen made the rather long journey east to provide the shōgun with lay ordination, and then returned to Eihei-ji in 1248.

In 1267 Ejō retired as Abbot of Eihei-ji, giving way to Gikai, who was already favored by Dōgen.

Eihei-ji also promoted the study of Dōgen's works, especuially the Shōbōgenzō, which changed the view of Dōgen in Soto's history.

An image of Dōgen was created that suited the specific interests of Eihei-ji:

While Eihei-ji owes its existence to Dōgen, throughout history this head temple has had significantly fewer sub-temple affiliates than the Sōji-ji.

Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen, by Dōgen, founder of Eihei-ji ; 1233 ; National Treasures of Japan | National Treasure

A memorial service, a major source of revenue for Eihei-ji, has been held every fifty years since the 16th century on the anniversary of Dōgen Zenjis entering nirvana.

In 1905, Eihei-ji held its first conference called Genzō e on Dōgen Zenjis Shōbōgenzō.

* 1253 – September 22 – Dōgen Zenji, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism in Japan and author of the Shōbōgenzō and other important works ( b. 1200 )

Dōgen Zenji ( 道元禅師 ; also Dōgen Kigen 道元希玄, or Eihei Dōgen 永平道元, or Koso Joyo Daishi ) ( 19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253 ) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto.

Dōgen probably was born into a noble family, though as an illegitimate child of Minamoto Michitomo, who served in the imperial court as a high-ranking.

His mother is said to have died when Dōgen was age 7.

At some later point, Dōgen became a low-ranking monk on Mount Hiei, the headquarters of the Tendai school of Buddhism.

Dōgen went to visit Kōin, the Tendai abbot of Onjō-ji Temple ( 園城寺 ), asking him this same question.

In 1223, Dōgen and Myōzen undertook the dangerous passage across the East China Sea to China to study in Jing-de-si ( Ching-te-ssu, 景德寺 ) monastery as Eisai had once done.

In China, Dōgen first went to the leading Chan monasteries in Zhèjiāng province.

Though Dōgen assiduously studied the kōans, he became disenchanted with the heavy emphasis laid upon them, and wondered why the sutras were not studied more.

At one point, owing to this disenchantment, Dōgen even refused Dharma transmission from a teacher.

Rujing was reputed to have a style of Chan that was different from the other masters whom Dōgen had thus far encountered.

Dōgen watching the moon.

In the face of this tension, Dōgen left the Tendai dominion of Kyōto in 1230, settling instead in an abandoned temple in what is today the city of Uji, south of Kyōto.

In 1233, Dōgen founded the Kannon-dōri-in in Uji as a small center of practice.

Dōgen accepted because of the ongoing tension with the Tendai community, and the growing competition of the Rinzai-school.

In 1247, the newly installed shōgun's regent, Hōjō Tokiyori, invited Dōgen to come to Kamakura to teach him.