| Abstract: | Revitalized interest in “the virtues” has affected the study of Buddhism in recent years, and in this regard we may benefit by focusing on the Zen Master Dōgen (1200–1253). Seeking to describe Dōgen's moral virtues, we might begin by a study of his primer, the Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki; a particularly efficacious template for this project would appear to be one provided by Edmund L. Pincoffs in his book Quandaries and Virtues: Against Reductivism in Ethics. This modus operandi reveals Dōgen's exhortation of a broad array of mandatory and nonmandatory virtues, partially depending on whether or not the intended recipient is a layperson or one leading the religious life. If valid, this description may benefit Dōgen Studies as well as contribute to, and encourage, other “Western” efforts to articulate Buddhist ethics. |
