Katagiri Transcripts

Dainin Katagiri Roshi was one of the prominent Zen Masters who brought Zen Buddhism from Japan to the United States. This website carefully transcribes his dharma talks as a reference for the study of Soto Zen Buddhism. For more information, see the Introduction.

The Talk Summaries page lists the talks that have been transcribed on this site, with brief summaries compiled by Kikan.

The Talk List lists the talks that are present in the online audio archive, with links for the talks that have been transcribed. There are many talks that are not on this list because they are not yet in the online audio archive.

Katagiri Roshi gave many series of talks on topics in Buddhism – some during a sesshin (meditation retreat), some during a practice period, and some that were ongoing for years. Some of these series are:

In particular, Katagiri Roshi gave many series of talks on the works of Zen Master Eihei Dōgen. Some of the series on Shōbōgenzō or related works are:

These lists will be updated as talks are transcribed.

Readers should be aware that these topics are discussed in many places within Katagiri Roshi’s talks, not just within these series. Because all Buddhist teaching is interrelated, these topics can and do come up anywhere.

Latest Updates

March 15, 2024:: Completed one more pass through the Karma series.

March 12, 2024:: For class: Excerpt from Blue Cliff Record Case 38: Feng Hsueh’s Workings of the Iron Ox.

March 7, 2024: Updated Karma: Taking Care of Karma. That completes the latest pass through the Karma talks.

March 6, 2024: Updated Karma: Unmanifested Karma.

March 5, 2024: Updated Karma: Where Karma Originates.

March 4, 2024: Updated Karma in Buddhism, Karma: Two Aspects, and Karma: Twelve-Link Causation.

February 29, 2024: Updated Blue Cliff Record Case 18: National Teacher Chung’s Seamless Monument.

February 27, 2024: Updated Karma: Conclusion.

February 26, 2024: For class: Interdependence / Karma / Four Horses – Additional Reading.

February 25, 2024: Updated Karma: Karma as Energy/Emptiness.

February 23 and 24, 2024: Updated Karma: Karmic Retribution in Present Life. (Important corrections!)

February 13, 2024: For class: Excerpts on Bodhidharma

February 12, 2024: Posted drafts of Blue Cliff Record Case 45: Chao Chou’s Seven-Pound Cloth Shirt, Talk 1 and Talk 2.

February 1, 2024: Posted rough draft of The Goldenness of the Earth, the Sweet Milk of the Long River.

January 30, 2024: Adjusted page margins.

January 23, 2024: More cleanup up Blue Cliff Record Case 44: Ho Shan’s Knowing How to Beat the Drum, Talk 2.

January 22, 2024: Updated Blue Cliff Record Case 44: Ho Shan’s Knowing How to Beat the Drum, Talk 2.

January 21, 2024: Even more cleanup of the first part of Blue Cliff Record Case 18: National Teacher Chung’s Seamless Monument. Finally figured out hosho-ike.

January 18, 2024: More editing of Blue Cliff Record Case 44: Ho Shan’s Knowing How to Beat the Drum, Talk 1 and Blue Cliff Record Case 18: National Teacher Chung’s Seamless Monument.

January 17, 2024: Updated Blue Cliff Record Case 44: Ho Shan’s Knowing How to Beat the Drum, Talk 1.

January 16, 2024: Centered headings and style changes.