jisho-zanmai
Samadhi as Self Experience
Ji means “self,” sho means “to experience,” and zanmai means “samadhi,” or “the balanced state.” So jisho zanmai expresses samadhi, as the state of self-experience. In this chapter Master Dogen explains the meaning of jisho zanmai, or “samadhi, as self-experience.” At the same time, he criticizes the wrong understanding of Master Dai-e Soko and his disciples. They understood that jisho zanmai means getting so-called enlightenment, and they made their efforts to get so-called enlightenment on an intellectual level. Master Dogen did not agree with their idea, and so in this chapter he strongly criticizes Master Dai-e Soko in order to show the true meaning of jisho zanmai.