bendowa
A Talk about Pursuing the Truth
Ben means “to make an effort” or “to pursue,” do means “the truth,” and wa means “a talk” or “story.” Master Dogen usually used the word bendo to indicate the practice of Zazen, so Bendowa means a talk about pursuing the truth, or a talk about the practice of Zazen. This volume was not included in the first edition of Shobogenzo. It was found in Kyoto in the Kanbun era (1661-1673), and added to Shobogenzo when the 95-volume edition was edited by Master Hangyo Kozen in the Genroku era (1688-1704).