Paper short abstract:

This presentation highlights the practical aspects of Dōgen's famous idea of uji ("being time"). Discussion of the time regimes he established in his monasteries reveals how he worked to connect the specific aspects of each moment to his spiritual agenda, and sheds new light on his concept of time.

Paper long abstract:

In the modern reception of Dōgen (1200-1253), his ideas on time as evident in the Uji fascicle of the Kana Shōbō genzō have commanded a special place. The fascicle's title, a composite of the characters for "being/having" and "time", suggested the association with Heidegger's Being and time, and thus with contemporary philosophy. The discussion has as a consequence focused on conceptual aspects, such as Dōgen's understanding of the present moment (nikon) and its relation to the past and the future, or on the relation of his concept of uji to clock-time. Based on textual evidence in his writings on monastic rules, his formal sermons as well as administrative documents, the proposed presentation seeks to shed new light on the subject by exploring how Dōgen practically conceived of time in his administration of the monasteries he founded and supervised. Special attention will be given to the daily and annual schedules that he installed, and to the social division of labor he established with regard to planning, measuring, and announcing time, as well as the discretionary powers associated with that division. The findings will be calibrated by comparison with regulations in other monasteries of the time.

It will be demonstrated how Dōgen employed temporal distinctions, both quantitative and qualitative, to realize his spiritual vision of a life totally in accord with the "way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs", and what this meant on the cognitive and practical levels for the members of his monastic communities. This includes a brief look at the way Dōgen addressed environmental conditions, such as specifics of seasonal climate and weather, and connected them to his religious agenda. In conclusion, it will be argued that Dōgen's comments and rules on temporal aspects of monastic life may be understood as translations of his concept of uji to the realm of action, which in turn can help us to better understand the terms of his thinking on time that have so far stood at the center of the debate.