Sometimes a book comes along where the subtitle illuminates the title which would otherwise seem inexplicable. This is the case with one of David Brazier’s most recent publications: The Dark Side of the Mirror (2019) has as its subtitle ‘Forgetting the Self in Dōgen’s Genjō Kōan’.

The phrase Genjō Kōan is well-known to Buddhists, both East and West. Genjō may be translated as a sudden, wonderful appearance, whilst Kōan may be a spiritual problem or a spiritual question, and so, together, can mean the sudden, wonderful appearance of the biggest spiritual question of your life.

But the illuminative answer doesn’t just stop there. In his series of interviews with John de Weerdt for Windhorse, David Brazier goes further and explains that when the thirteenth-century Zen master Dōgen writes, the Japanese character for Kōan is different from the one normally used. In Dōgen’s writings, Kōan is translated as the reality of your life, and so we have, when the two words are put together, the sudden, wonderful appearance of the reality of your life, a sudden spiritual awakening to a profound, irreversible change.

Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, arguably his most important work, focuses on satori (a Japanese word meaning spiritual enlightenment). Brazier writes, ‘Satori is a cooperation between ourselves and the Buddhas, or, we could say, with the Dharma manifest in myriad ways all around us. We have to play our part, but the essential element comes from outside and enters into us though not in a way that makes it into part of ourselves … The aim of the exercise is not to gain something, but to serve the greater purpose, even unwittingly – the ‘greater purpose’ being the enlightenment of all sentient beings, the work of all the Buddhas’ (The Dark Side of the Mirror or TDSM pp.45-46).

Eihei Dōgen (1200-53) was orphaned at the age of eight and ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of thirteen and was almost immediately troubled by some fellow Japanese Buddhists teaching on the one hand that all human beings had Buddha nature and therefore it wasn’t necessary to do anything about it, whilst on the other hand others taught that enlightenment was inconceivably difficult for humans.

In 1223 Dōgen – as a senior monk – went to China (during the Song dynasty) in search of more original teachings and, during his four or five year stay, unexpectedly experienced enlightenment there. He realised that his calling was to return to Japan in order ‘to teach liberation by practice and transmission’ (TDSM p.xiii).

Many people still think today that enlightenment comes as the result of a long arduous period of training, or after a long time of amassing merit. However, satori occurs suddenly and unexpectedly (sometimes, it also comes to the least virtuous or the least skilled person).

There is a need, perhaps more now than ever before, for a contemporary translation and commentary of this masterpiece to be made. As Vipassana teacher and Emeritus Professor at Radboud University, Nijmegen, Henk Barendregt writes in his Preface, ‘In this wonderful book, David Brazier gives a historic background, a new translation, extensive comments and a convincing interpretation of Genjō Kōan, clarifying the provocative language of Dōgen’ (TDSM p.xiv).

On returning to Japan from China in 1233 Dōgen wanted to explain this and throughout the Shōbōgenzō, he frequently uses the analogy of how, when we look at the surface of a pool of water, it can suddenly change from being transparent to becoming a mirror, enabling us to see our own reflection. This change happens when the underside of the pool becomes dark, and, here, at last we come to the meaning of Brazier’s title, The Dark Side of the Mirror. Moreover, this change, this yin-yang occurs whoever is looking at the water (women as well as men), wherever the water is, and whatever is in the water.

Described as ‘a beautifully written book, highly readable and full of precious insights’, ‘enriching and definitely worth reading’, and ‘transcend[ing] the limited and stereotypical perception of Dōgen prevalent in the West’, The Dark Side of the Mirror was written in order for David Brazier, aka Dharmavidya, a founder member and chief priest of the Order of Amida Buddha, to understand the text.

Not satisfied by any of the many Modern English translations of Genjō Kōan, Brazier set out to understand the deep spiritual meaning of the text and, he modestly adds, ‘It gradually became a big study. Eventually I had so much material that there was plenty for a book and it seemed a shame not to share what I had found.’ He continues ‘I now understand Genjō Kōan a lot better than I did a few years ago. Nonetheless, I’m sure that it still harbours more secrets and mysteries that other scholars and practitioners will investigate. I hope my work may be a step on our road to greater understanding.’

Dōgen studied the Buddhist scriptures deeply and, at the same time as his contemporaries in the West were beginning to write mystical texts, had a mystical vision of life, personally envisioning what lies at the heart of Zen, in addition to many dimensions which we, today, have sadly lost touch with.

Prolific writer, David Brazier has offered us in this book nothing less than a key to Dōgen’s thought and shares both his own and the thirteenth-century Zen mystic’s insights into Far Eastern medieval spirituality.

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Luke Penkett is a member of the Norwich Triratna sangha. He has been writing books and reviews for over two decades. He has lived as a solitary monk for 25 years. Earlier this year (2024) his abbot released him from his monastic vows in order for him to be welcomed as a mitra. An avid reader, he is making his way through Sangharakshita's work and the Windhorse Publications collection, and will be posting reviews of some of those books in this space.

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The Dark Side of the Mirror: Forgetting the Self in Dōgen’s Genjō Kōan by David Brazier is available in paperback and eBook formats from the Windhorse Publications website.