Dōgen’s teaching functions as the living backbone of Sōtō Zen, shaping its understanding of doctrine, meditation, and daily conduct. His major work, the Shōbōgenzō, together with related texts such as the Eihei Shingi and Eihei Kōroku, provides the core philosophical and practical framework: impermanence, non-duality, the identity of practice and realization, and the vision of “being-time” (uji). Within this framework, the principle that practice is not a means to enlightenment but the very expression of enlightenment itself is decisive. Contemporary Sōtō education for priests and laypeople alike is structured around these writings, which are used for formal study, commentarial work, and dharma talks in temples and training centers.

At the heart of this inheritance stands zazen, especially shikantaza, “just sitting.” Dōgen’s insistence that zazen is complete, objectless practice—sitting without grasping at goals or special states—continues to define how meditation is taught and understood. Zazen is presented not as a technique to acquire Buddha-nature, but as the present embodiment of Buddha-nature itself. This orientation shapes the attitude of practitioners, who are encouraged to sit as the full expression of the path rather than as a step toward some future attainment. In this way, the non-dual understanding of practice and realization becomes something enacted rather than merely discussed.

Dōgen’s influence also permeates the concrete forms of Sōtō life: monastic discipline, ritual, and everyday activity. Modern Sōtō monasteries and temples draw heavily on his monastic regulations for liturgy, work practice, meals, robes, and etiquette, cultivating mindfulness in all activities—cooking, cleaning, communal work—as “whole-life practice.” His emphasis on precise forms in posture, temple procedures, and ceremonial conduct continues to shape contemporary Sōtō liturgy and institutional training. Ethical life, too, is framed through his stress on the bodhisattva precepts, compassion, and continuous repentance, which guide both clerical and lay practice.

Finally, Dōgen’s role is not only textual and procedural but also symbolic and interpretive. He is venerated as the founder of the school; his image is present in zendōs, his memorial days are observed, and his words are recited in services. Across different Sōtō lineages and regions, his writings serve as a shared point of reference, even as communities draw out different emphases—some leaning more on rigorous monastic form, others on philosophical or poetic dimensions. In all these ways, contemporary Sōtō Zen can be seen as an ongoing effort to embody Dōgen’s vision, allowing his teachings to function as both mirror and measure of what it means to walk the Buddhist path.