Dogen born in Kyoto
1214
The future founder of Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan was born into a branch of the imperial Minamoto family. Orphaned young, he would cross to Song China for training and return to teach a uniquely Japanese version of seated meditation that endures today. His masterwork, the Shobogenzo, written in Japanese rather than scholarly Chinese, remains one of the most demanding philosophical texts in any language.
In context
Also in 1214 (3 other events on record)
- Philip Augustus triumphs at Bouvines · Europe · War
- Roger Bacon born in Somerset · Europe · Science
- Peking Man fossils entombed by war · East Asia · War
Before and after in East Asia
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.