Eihei-ji monastery flourishes under Dogen's heirs

1275

The Soto Zen monastery of Eihei-ji in the mountains of Echizen, founded by Dogen in 1244, continued to teach the careful choreography of monastic life he had imported from China, down to the manner of washing the face and sweeping the floor. Dogen's teaching that zazen was not a means to enlightenment but enlightenment itself became the cornerstone of Soto practice and Japanese spiritual culture.