Quote by Eihei Dogen: “Mountains and rivers are the expressions of the Buddha‑dharma.”

This quote profoundly connects nature with spiritual truth, suggesting that the natural world is not separate from enlightened reality. It encourages perceiving the sacred in everyday phenomena, seeing the teachings of the universe manifested in mountains and rivers, fostering reverence.

From his work *Sansuikyo* (Mountains and Waters Sutra), Dogen explored the interconnectedness of all phenomena. This teaching emerged during a time when Japanese Buddhism was integrating with native Shinto reverence for nature, offering a profound ecological dimension to Zen.

Thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist monk who founded the Soto school of Zen in Japan and is considered one of Japan's greatest philosophers. After studying in China, he returned to Japan and composed the Shobogenzo, a vast philosophical and meditative work written in Japanese rather than Chinese, an unprecedented choice for serious Buddhist writing. His teaching on the unity of practice and enlightenment transformed Japanese Zen.