The Denkōroku

Translation of Record of the Transmission of Illumination

Book

Attributed to the thirteenth-century Zen Master Keizan (1268-1325), the Denkoroku tells of the enlightenment of the fifty-three masters, beginning with Shakyamuni Buddha and concluding with the twelfth-century Zen Master Ejyo, who was Dogen's dharma heir. Keizan explores how the personal koan (spiritual question) of the various disciples was resolved so that they fully realized their inherent enlightenment. By use of his kaleidoscopic view of Buddhist teachings, Keizan reveals the myriad ways in which the Unborn has been experienced and how these experiences relate to one's daily practice.

The translator, Rev. Hubert Nearman, is a senior disciple of the late Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, first Abbess of Shasta Abbey in California, and founder of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. Prior to becoming a monk, he was a scholar and translator of medieval Japanese texts and was a recipient of a grant for his translation work from the National Endowment for the Humanities. (Source Accessed June 28, 2021)

Citation	Nearman, Rev. Hubert, trans. The Denkōroku: Or The Record of the Transmission of the Light. 2nd ed. By Zen Master Keizan Jōkin. Mt. Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press, 2001. https://shastaabbey.org/publications/.

Special Notevii
Introductionxii

Chapter 1 Shakyamuni Buddha, The Awakened One1
Chapter 2 The First Ancestor, The Sainted Makakashō5
Chapter 3 The Second Ancestor, The Sainted Ananda11
Chapter 4 The Third Ancestor, The Sainted Shōnawashu19
Chapter 5 The Fourth Ancestor, The Sainted Ubakikuta23
Chapter 6 The Fifth Ancestor, The Sainted Daitaka29
Chapter 7 The Sixth Ancestor, The Sainted Mishaka34
Chapter 8 The Seventh Ancestor, The Sainted Bashumitsu40
Chapter 9 The Eighth Ancestor, The Sainted Butsudanandai44
Chapter 10 The Ninth Ancestor, The Sainted Fudamitta51
Chapter 11 The Tenth Ancestor, The Sainted Barishiba55
Chapter 12 The Eleventh Ancestor, The Sainted Funayasha60
Chapter 13 The Twelfth Ancestor, The Sainted Anabotei63
Chapter 14 The Thirteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Kabimora69
Chapter 15 The Fourteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Nagyaarajuna 74
Chapter 16 The Fifteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Kanadaiba82
Chapter 17 The Sixteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Ragorata86
Chapter 18 The Seventeenth Ancestor, The Sainted Sōgyanandai92
Chapter 19 The Eighteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Kayashata99
Chapter 20 The Nineteenth Ancestor, The Sainted Kumorata106
Chapter 21The Twentieth Ancestor, The Sainted Shayata109
Chapter 22 The Twenty-first Ancestor, The Sainted Bashubanzu115
Chapter 23 The Twenty-second Ancestor, The Sainted Manura121
Chapter 24 The Twenty-third Ancestor, The Sainted Kakurokuna125
Chapter 25 The Twenty-fourth Ancestor, The Sainted Shishibodai129
Chapter 26 The Twenty-fifth Ancestor, The Sainted Bashashita132
Chapter 27 The Twenty-sixth Ancestor, The Sainted Funyomitta135
Chapter 28 The Twenty-seventh Ancestor, The Sainted Hannyatara139
Chapter 29 The Twenty-eighth Ancestor, The Sainted Bodaidaruma143
Chapter 30 The Twenty-ninth Ancestor, The Great Ancestor and Great
Teacher Eka152
Chapter 31 The Thirtieth Ancestor, Great Master Kanchi Sōsan158
Chapter 32 The Thirty-first Ancestor, Meditation Master Daii Dōshin161
Chapter 33 The Thirty-second Ancestor, Meditation Master Daiman Kōnin165
Chapter 34 The Thirty-third Ancestor, Meditation Master Daikan Enō169
Chapter 35 The Thirty-fourth Ancestor, Great Master Seigen Gyōshi180
Chapter 36 The Thirty-fifth Ancestor, Great Teacher Sekitō Kisen184
Chapter 37 The Thirty-sixth Ancestor, Great Master Yakusan Igen191
Chapter 38 The Thirty-seventh Ancestor, Great Master Ungan Donjō197
Chapter 39 The Thirty-eighth Ancestor, Great Master Tōzan Ryōkai203
Chapter 40 The Thirty-ninth Ancestor, Great Master Ungo Dōyō212
Chapter 41 The Fortieth Ancestor, Great Master Dōan Dōhi218
Chapter 42 The Forty-first Ancestor, The Latter Great Master Dōan Kanshi222
Chapter 43 The Forty-second Ancestor, The Reverend Monk Ryōzan Enkan226
Chapter 44 The Forty-third Ancestor, Great Master Daiyō Kyōgen232
Chapter 45 The Forty-fourth Ancestor, The Reverend Monk Tōsu Gisei236
Chapter 46 The Forty-fifth Ancestor, Meditation Master Dōkai of Mount Fuyō 246
Chapter 47 The Forty-sixth Ancestor, Meditation Master Tanka Shijun254
Chapter 48 The Forty-seventh Ancestor, Meditation Master Chōro Seiryō256
Chapter 49 The Forty-eighth Ancestor, Meditation Master Tendō Sōkaku261
Chapter 50 The Forty-ninth Ancestor, Meditation Master Setchō Chikan266
Chapter 51 The Fiftieth Ancestor, The Reverend Monk Tendō Nyojō272
Chapter 52 The Fifty-first Ancestor, The Reverend Monk Eihei Dōgen278
Chapter 53 The Fifty-second Ancestor, The Reverend Monk Koun Ejō292

About the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives305
About the Monasteries of the Order306

Keizan. 傳光録, (Denkōroku), T2585, 82: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT/ddb-sat3.php?s=&mode=detail&useid=2585_,82.