top of page

Genjo-koan

The Genjo-koan is one of the great pieces of wisdom gifted to us by the incomparable Dogen - the founder of the Soto school of Zen



One of the most famous sayings comes from the ShoBoGenzo - Actualizing the Fundamental Point (Genjo-koan).


The saying is
To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.

(copied from the zen site)


This is one of the best explanations of how to find the zero point, i.e. no trace of realization, as you see the illusion, the virtual reality as Unity - and you are That. This is the "Study the self and the forget the self" aspect when you are actualized by myriad things, i.e. you see the hologram that is your body mind in the Matrix ie the Quantum Organic Virtual Reality (Q♀VR) 1. But you see it from the perspective of the Eternal Self i.e. the Being that is co-creating the Ordinary Mind that you are experiencing right Now.


The key bit is of course that this "No Realization" moment of Satori, lasts for ever when you are "Enlightened".


Thank you to my Zen Teacher - Chris Ryushin Roshi, for a powerful and profound Teisho this morning at Zazenkai.



1 - Q♀VR = Quantum Organic Virtual Reality - plus see My Way Zen (part1) for details of this "Big Theory of Everything"

From the book - Chapter 2 - Virtual Reality


I have invented a term for my understanding of the VR we are living in - Q♀VR. Q for Quantum; ♀ for the sacred, the feminine organic, feeling nature of our soul; and VR for virtual reality. Because we feel and suffer here, the world is more than a heartless emptiness. I have represented this as a ♀. This is the traditional symbol for the feminine (or for Venus), as I wanted to capture the feeling or organic nature of this reality. This aspect of reality is perhaps the most important. It is the source of the Good, the Beautiful and the True. It is the source of your heart-based care for the world, including yourself. It is part of the Soul and contains within it the “channel” back to our source. It connects your breath to the breath of God. You are part of the body of Christ, the ♀ in Q♀VR.



bottom of page