The Mountains and Waters Sutra: A Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's "Sansuikyo"

An indispensible map of a classic Zen text.

“Mountains and waters are the expression of old buddhas.”

So begins “Sansuikyo,” or “Mountains and Waters Sutra,” a masterpiece of poetry and insight from Eihei Dogen, the thirteenth-century founder of the Soto school of Zen.

Shohaku Okumura, one of the most renowned scholar-practitioners of Dogen in the world, guides the reader through the rich layers of metaphor and meaning in “Sansuikyo,” which is often thought to be the most beautiful essay in Dogen’s monumental Shobogenzo. His wise and friendly voice shows us the questions Dogen poses and helps us realize what the answers might be. How can mountains and waters can be an expression of Buddha’s truth? How can we live in harmony with the environment in respect and gratitude? And what on earth does Dogen mean when he says mountains walk?