Sensei Michael Brunner Releases Definitive 25-Part Commentary on Dōgen’s 'Uji' Through One River Zen

A free, practice-oriented online curriculum bridging academic rigor and classical Sōtō Zen to unlock Dōgen’s complex masterpiece on being and time.

OTTAWA, IL, UNITED STATES, August 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- One River Zen has announced the publication of a comprehensive, 25-part online curriculum on Eihei Dōgen’s seminal fascicle Uji (Being-Time). Authored by Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner, the freely accessible series provides a rigorous, experiential roadmap for practitioners seeking to move beyond abstract philosophical readings of the famously difficult 13th-century Sōtō Zen text.

Addressing a significant gap in digital Buddhist resources, Brunner’s commentary guides readers through the entirety of the text. Rather than reducing Dōgen's teaching to generic mindfulness or simple present-moment awareness, the series preserves the sharp, koan-inflected demands of the original writing. It systematically confronts complex themes frequently avoided in modern summaries, including the persistence of the past, the karmic reality of mistakes, and the radical concept of practicing beyond realization.

"Dōgen’s work is not merely a philosophy of time; it is a mirror for the practitioner's own constructed realities," notes Sensei Brunner. The primary objective of the series is to prevent the domestication of Uji into comfortable concepts, instead challenging readers to engage directly with the actuality of the lives they are already living.

The architectural clarity and depth of the curriculum reflect Brunner’s rigorous academic foundation. An honors graduate of the University of Michigan, Sensei Brunner brings a highly disciplined, analytical framework to classical Zen literature. He seamlessly merges this scholarly precision with a deeply experiential, practice-centered approach rooted in the Dainin Katagiri lineage. The result is a uniquely powerful teaching voice that positions Brunner among the most compelling contemporary interpreters of Sōtō Zen, offering both exact historical fidelity and immediate, existential application.

The complete 25-part Uji commentary is available to read for free at oneriverzen.org/uji-dogen, joining other classical translations and study guides available in One River Zen's Selected Zen Readings collection at oneriverzen.org/library.

Michael Brunner
One River Zen
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