Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies

Collana | Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies
Miscellanea | Images from the Past: Intertextuality in Japanese Premodern Literature
Capitolo | Buddhist Sūtras in Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō

Buddhist Sūtras in Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō

Intertextuality and Re-Interpretation

Abstract

The essay deals with intertextuality in the field of religious studies and specifically with the quotation and re-interpretation of authoritative sources of Buddhist sacred texts (or sūtras) in the Shōbōgenzō written by the Japanese Zen master Dōgen in the thirteenth century. In particular, the purpose is that of highlighting the fact that Dōgen, through a personal and creative interpretation of excerpts from the sūtras, proposes an innovative vision of Buddhist doctrine. After a general introduction to religious intertextuality, the essay examines Zen master Dogen’s peculiar form of exegesis of sacred texts in order to legitimise his personal vision of Buddhist doctrine. Five concrete examples of manipulative interpretation of quotations from the sūtras are presented in order to concretely show how Dogen does not hesitate to twist the meaning of quotations with great linguistic skill with the aim to promote and legitimise his opinion.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 13 Dicembre 2021 | Pubblicato 30 Agosto 2022 | Lingua: en

Keywords DōgenZenBuddhismSūtrasRe-interpretation


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