Study Hall - Shobogenzo

I was a little surprised to go from one fascicle dated 1246 to the next, 'Eight Awakenings of Great Beings', 'Hachi Dainin Gaku', which is dated 1253, right at the end of Dogen's life. And it is poignant that for this last written teaching, he is mainly quoting from Buddha's final sutra, the Parinirvana Admonition Outline Sutra. The words are all beautiful and inspiring; here are the eight awakenings spelled out:
"The first awakening is to have few desires. To refrain from widely coveting the objects of the five-sense desires is called 'few desires'...
The second awakening is to know how much is enough. Even if you already have something, you set a limit for yourself for using it, so you should know how much is enough...
The third awakening is to enjoy serenity. This is to be away from noise and confusion, and stay alone in a quiet place. Thus is it called 'to enjoy serenity in seclusion'...
The fourth awakening is diligent effort. It is to engage ceaselessly in wholesome practices. That is why it is called 'dligent effort'. It is refinement without mixing in other activities. You keep going forward without turning back...
The fifth awakening is not neglecting mindfulness. It is also called maintaining right mindfulness. This helps you to guard the dharma so you won't lose it. It is called 'to maintain right mindfulness' or 'not to neglect mindfulness'...
The sixth awakening is to practice meditation. To abide in dharma without being confused is called 'stability in meditation'...
The seventh awakening is 'to cultivate wisdom'. It is to listen, contemplate, practice and have realization...
The eighth awakening is not to be engaged in hollow discussions. It is to experience realization and be free from discriminatory thinking, with the thorough understanding of the reality of all things. It is called 'not to be engaged in hollow discussions'...