A central thread in Dōgen’s writings is that practice and realization are not two separate stages but one seamless activity. Zazen, especially in the form of shikantaza or “just sitting,” is not a technique to acquire enlightenment later; it is Buddha-nature expressing itself in this very body–mind. Sitting upright, breathing naturally, and allowing thoughts and sensations to arise and pass without manipulation embodies this non-gaining mind. When practice is approached in this way, judgments of “good session” and “bad session” can be recognized as passing thoughts rather than ultimate measures of worth. Trusting that Buddha-nature is already complete allows meditation to become an expression of what is, rather than a struggle to become something else.

Dōgen’s reflections on being-time and the actualization of reality invite a radical reorientation toward daily life. Each moment is understood as complete, not merely a stepping stone toward a future goal, and each situation becomes the “koan of actualization.” Eating, working, or washing dishes can then be approached as total exertion: when eating, just eat; when listening, just listen. This way of living undermines the split between sacred and ordinary, between formal practice and “everything else.” Ordinary activities such as cooking, cleaning, or professional work can be treated with the care of a temple cook, handled “as if they were one’s own eyes,” so that daily tasks themselves become expressions of Buddha-nature.

Ethical conduct and relationships are likewise seen as inseparable from meditation. Attention to basic precepts—avoiding harm, speaking truthfully, acting with responsibility—flows naturally from clarity rather than from external command. Before acting, it is possible to ask whether the impulse arises from greed, anger, or ignorance, or from a more spacious clarity and care. In conversation and community life, shifting focus from self-image to “what is needed here” allows the narrow sense of self to soften. Correction, conflict, and even boredom can then be treated as opportunities to see karmic habits and to respond with greater compassion and flexibility.

Study of the Shōbōgenzō itself can be taken up as practice rather than as mere intellectual exercise. Short passages may be read slowly and allowed to resonate in meditation, not forced into tidy conceptual frameworks. Dōgen’s paradoxical language can function as a kind of living kōan, returning again and again over months and years, revealing new facets as practice matures. In this way, text, meditation, and daily conduct illuminate one another: regular shikantaza steadies the mind, wholehearted engagement with each moment enacts being-time, ethical sensitivity and community life embody non-duality, and the writings serve as a mirror in which the whole of this path is continually reflected and refined.