One River Zen publishes free 25-part commentary on Dōgen’s Uji

One River Zen has released a free, 25-part online curriculum on Eihei Dōgen’s Uji, or Being-Time, written by Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner. The project aims to give practitioners a rigorous, practice-oriented guide to one of Sōtō Zen’s most difficult texts while preserving its full philosophical and spiritual demands.

Why it matters: - The curriculum aims to fill a gap in online Buddhist study materials by giving readers a complete guide to Dōgen’s Uji instead of a simplified summary. - The series is designed to help practitioners engage a foundational Sōtō Zen text through both academic rigor and lived practice. - The commentary rejects reduced readings of Uji as generic mindfulness or basic present-moment awareness.

What happened: - One River Zen announced a 25-part online curriculum on Eihei Dōgen’s fascicle Uji (Being-Time). - Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner authored the series. - The curriculum is available for free online. - The full commentary can be read at the Uji commentary. - The series is part of One River Zen’s Selected Zen Readings collection at the library.

The details: - The curriculum offers a “rigorous, experiential roadmap” for practitioners studying the 13th-century Sōtō Zen text. - The commentary moves through the entire text of Uji. - The series addresses themes that modern summaries often avoid, including the persistence of the past, the karmic reality of mistakes and practicing beyond realization. - Brunner said Dōgen’s work is “a mirror for the practitioner's own constructed realities.” - The project’s stated goal is to prevent Uji from being turned into comfortable concepts and to push readers toward direct engagement with their lived reality. - Brunner is an honors graduate of the University of Michigan. - Brunner’s approach combines scholarly discipline with a practice-centered style rooted in the Dainin Katagiri lineage.

Between the lines: - The release positions the curriculum as both a study tool and a corrective to popularized Zen content that can flatten Dōgen’s language. - The emphasis on koan-like difficulty suggests One River Zen is aiming at serious practitioners and students rather than casual readers. - The blend of academic framing and lineage-based practice is meant to signal authority in a crowded online spirituality space.

What's next: - Readers can access the complete commentary now through One River Zen’s website. - The curriculum joins other classical translations and study guides in the organization’s online library. - The release could expand One River Zen’s role as a digital source for advanced Sōtō Zen study.

The bottom line: - One River Zen is offering a free, full-length guide to one of Zen’s most challenging texts, with a clear goal: preserve Dōgen’s depth without diluting it.