The Shobogenzo is one of the most important and profound texts of Zen and undoubtedly the most philosophically grounded work ever written by a Zen master. It was developed by Master Dogen (Eihei Dogen) between 1231 and 1253 and is a record of his deep experiences and their verbal formulation. These profound and multi-layered discourses, which Dogen presented to his students as philosophically grounded and concrete guidance, were long known only to a small circle of experts. It was not until the 20th century that the inexhaustible value of this great work was rediscovered. This reference edition finally meets the urgent need for a complete, factually accurate, reliable, and as understandable as possible translation. A wealth of annotations comprehensively fulfills this requirement.