Zen Master Keizan’s Denkōroku, The Record of Transmitting the Light, Case 23
Keizan Jōkin (1264-1325) lived with his grandmother Myōchi until the age of 8. She was a longtime supporter of Master Dōgen. His mother was the abbess of a Sōtō monastery, Jōju-ji, where she emphasized the power of Kannon. At 8, Keizan entered Eihei-ji as a novice, studying under Tettsū Gikai. He was ordained at 13 by Koun Ejō, and received transmission at 32 from Tettsū Gikai. After Dōgen’s death, Eihei-ji was anything but peaceful, due to schisms among the different schools of Zen.
As part of his effort to heal the rifts, and to bring legitimacy to the lineage claimed by Eihei-ji, Zen Master Keizan began a series of 51 teisho or dharma talks. He traced the Sōtō lineage from Shakyamuni Buddha through 28 ancestors in India, 23 ancestors in China, and down to when it was finally carried from China to Japan by Dōgen, whose dharma heir was Ejō. The Denkōroku, or The Record of Transmitting the Light, is the collection of these talks. The Light in the title refers to the light that is mutually recognized by the teacher and his or her disciple, as the disciple realizes the light within themselves — and then further recognizes that they want to help others find this light.
Later, after Eihei-ji began to recover, and the Sōtō core tenets of zazen and realization were once again ascendant, Keizan founded the temple of Sōji-ji, which soon became the primary Sōto temple. The two temples were rivals for imperial support for a long time, but finally, by 1872, had reached a truce. Dōgen (whose temple was Eihei-ji) is known as the founding father of Sōtō Zen — and Keizan is often referred to as the founding mother. He is known for establishing many temples, for creating equal practice opportunities for men and women, and for welcoming Lay practitioners. He gave the first dharma transmission to a Sōtō nun, to his student Ekyū. He had given her copies of Dōgen’s works, translated into Japanese.
In modern times, the Denkōroku was unknown until 1857, when Zen cleric Busshū Sen’ei published a woodblock edition. Since then, four other copies of the manuscript of the Denkōroku have come to light, one dating from between 1430-59, and the others all pre-1650. These all served to authenticate the work as Keizan’s. However, when the earlier versions were compared with Busshū’s, it was revealed that Busshū had replaced, deleted, and added text. His is the edition from which our currently available translations are drawn.
Case 23
The twenty-second patriarch was the Venerable Manorata. He asked [the twenty-first patriarch] Vasubandhu, “What is the Way of all the Buddhas?” The Venerable Vasubandhu said, “It is the original nature of Mind.” The master again asked, “What is the original nature of Mind?” The Venerable Vasubandhu said, “It is the emptiness of the six sense bases, the six objects, and the six kinds of consciousness.” Hearing this, the master was awakened.
These last form the eighteen dhatus, or elements of perception, as they were called in India more than 2500 years ago. The six sense bases are sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, body-cognition, and mind-cognition. The six objects are visible forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects. The six kinds of consciousness are associated with each of these.
Not surprisingly, we’re still being tossed around by these perceptions today.
As we seek self-clarification, we should remember that our efforts affect all — and that, even though we have been gifted with a human life, it is of unknown length. And prone to complications. There’s that old adage: to treat every day as though it’s your last. So easy to ignore. So ignorant to ignore!
We drag our personal stories along with us. An exoskeleton that we create. And one that prevents us from being right here, right now. Seeing what’s right in front of us. It can keep us from expanding to our true size. Which is limitless.
When I’m able to be more awake, there’s a kind of triage that arises: big mind vs. small mind. Sometimes, the language of dualities can be helpful. Which lens to choose? And then … a split second later, fog rolls in …
Manorata asked Vasubandhu, “What is the Way of all the Buddhas?” He went right to the top, no messing around. And most likely was most of the way there already. Learning that, “Its the original nature of Mind,” he then asked to know exactly what that is. Vasubandhu said, “It’s the emptiness of all sense bases, objects, and consciousness.”
Hmm. The emptiness. Yes. But. That great emptiness does indeed underpin and surround all that we experience. If we are able to get to the very bottom of this matter of life and death, there are no divisions. Nothing is solid. Our senses are joined in this great field. There is. Just this.
But those moments are super-transitory. And it’s a good thing! Otherwise, we’d miss this life. The amazing trees, flowers, creatures big and small. Our fellow travelers, fellow humans. Creativity. Music. Art. Poetry. Louise’s food, made with corn she grew herself. Another sangha member’s strawberry jam, made with Louise’s strawberries. And truly being awake to the signs of suffering that surround us.
I’d say it’s all about learning to drop our conditioning, habits, and projections — again and again. Often enough that we can notice what’s happening, as it happens. This is no little thing. We will fail more than we will succeed. We’re up against a lot of noise! As it turns out, we still very much need the gifts of all our senses to navigate this life. And the most valuable gift of all could be the perception that comes from those senses. The perception that allows us to open our hearts to others — to see, feel and hear through their eyes.
This is a special time in my life, this life. Having just received transmission, becoming a full-fledged Lay teacher, I have joined the lineage that Keizan helped to resurrect, to clarify. My practice will never end. Deepest bows to the ancestors, my teacher, our sangha, my children, and to my husband, my co-adventurer.
The twenty-second patriarch was the Venerable Manorata. He asked [the twenty-first patriarch] Vasubandhu, “What is the Way of all the Buddhas?” The Venerable Vasubandhu said, “It is the original nature of Mind.” The master again asked, “What is the original nature of Mind?” The Venerable Vasubandhu said, “It is the emptiness of the six sense bases, the six objects, and the six kinds of consciousness.” Hearing this, the master was awakened.
Dōin
January 7, 2026