Also See: Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō: Comparison of English Translations

Getting Started with Dōgen: Books, the Shōbōgenzō, and the best English translations (with free PDFs)

Q: “Do you have any book recommendations on Dōgen? I want to get into his teachings.”

A: Yes—start here.

1) A short video to orient you

“Dōgen: Founder of Sōtō Zen in Japan” (YouTube, close to 2 hours long overview). Good as a first taste before diving into the texts. (YouTube)

2) A great entry point (new for 2025)

Meeting the Myriad Things: A Zen Practitioner’s Guide to Dōgen’s Genjōkōan — by Shinshu Roberts, with contributions by Shōhaku Okumura & Zuiko Redding (All books and writings by Shōhaku Okumura and Shinshu Roberts are also highly recommended). Clear, practice-first commentary on Dōgen’s most famous essay, with a translation of Genjōkōan and the early students’ notes (Okikigakishō). Due Aug 19, 2025; available to pre-order. (Shambhala Pubs, Amazon)

3) Realizing Genjokoan by Shohaku Okumura (good introduction to total exertion if someone has realized anatta -- thanks Nafis for suggestion) - https://www.amazon.com/Realizing-Genjokoan-Key-Dogens-Shobogenzo/dp/0861716019/

4) The Shōbōgenzō: what to read, buy, or download

If you plan to study the Shōbōgenzō in English, these are my ranked picks (scores reflect a balance of accuracy, notes, readability, and access):

Top complete translations

1. Sōtō Zen Text Project (SZTP), 8 vols (U. Hawai‘i Press, 2025) — 92/100
   Rigorous, fully annotated, Japanese/English on facing pages; Volume 8 includes a long introduction and reference material. (Paperback set now available.) (UH Press)

2. Kazuaki Tanahashi (ed.), Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Shambhala) — 88/100
   Beautiful, readable, practice-friendly; rich glossary and aids. (Shambhala Pubs)

3. Gudō Nishijima & Chōdō Cross (4 vols) — 83/100
   Literal-leaning with consistent terminology; freely available e-texts via the translators’ site/BDK. (shobogenzo.net)

Free & online (SZTP 2023 public PDFs)
When the SZTP translation circulated in 2023, public PDFs appeared. Volume 8 (Introduction & Supplementary Notes) is here; earlier volumes (1–7) also circulated:
• Vol. 8 (Intro & notes): https://terebess.hu/zen/dogen/true8.pdf
• Background post with both links: https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2023/12/new-sztp-translation-of-shobogenzo-in.html (awakeningtoreality.com)

Note: The definitive, fully edited SZTP set is now the 2025 University of Hawai‘i Press edition. If you want the “study text of record,” get that. (UH Press)

How to choose (quick guide)

• Want the most rigorous study text (deep notes, facing Japanese)? → SZTP (UH Press, 2025). (UH Press)

• Want flowing, inspiring English for practice/teaching? → Tanahashi (Shambhala). (Shambhala Pubs)

• Want a literal feel + consistent terms (and free access)? → Nishijima/Cross. (shobogenzo.net)

Good partial selections

• Waddell & Abe, The Heart of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō (annotated core fascicles). (AbeBooks UK)

• Thomas Cleary, Shōbōgenzō: Zen Essays by Dōgen (clean literary renditions of 13 essays). (Amazon)

Starter fascicles to read side-by-side
Genjōkōan, Bendōwa, Uji, Busshō, Shoaku Makusa, Zazenshin. (For a taste of SZTP’s scholarly style, see their Sansui kyō / Mountains and Waters Sutra sample.) (Upaya Zen Center)

4) Handy links (one place)

• UH Press (SZTP 8-volume set, 2025): paperback set page. (UH Press)

• Tanahashi (Shambhala): product page. (Shambhala Pubs)

• Nishijima/Cross (authorized e-books/info): translators’ site. (shobogenzo.net)

• Nearman (Shasta Abbey PDF): full, free download. (shastaabbey.org)

• Background: AtR note on SZTP PDFs (with links): blog post. (awakeningtoreality.com)

My scoring criteria (so you know what “92/100” means)

Completeness; fidelity to Dōgen’s Japanese; editorial/philological notes; readability & poetic nuance; consistent Dharma terminology; glossary/indexing; access/availability.

If you want a custom ranking (e.g., prioritizing philological fidelity over readability for teaching), comment below and I’ll re-weight the scores. 

PS: If you only pick two: get Roberts’ Meeting the Myriad Things for practice context, then choose either SZTP (UH Press) for study or Tanahashi for flow. (Shambhala Pubs, Amazon, UH Press)