Eihei Dōgen lived from 1200 to 1253 CE, a span of just over five decades that became extraordinarily influential for the unfolding of Zen in Japan. These years, though relatively few in number, framed a life that later generations would regard as a turning point in the articulation of Buddhist practice and understanding. To contemplate these dates is to recognize how a single human lifetime, bounded and finite, can nonetheless reshape an entire religious landscape.

Within this brief arc of 1200 to 1253, Dōgen’s birth, training, and death trace a path that continues to guide spiritual seekers. His life can be seen as a concentrated expression of the Zen emphasis on impermanence: a mere 53 years that continue to echo through centuries of practice and study. Remembering these dates is not only a matter of historical record; it is also a reminder that the transformative power of sincere practice does not depend on longevity, but on depth of realization within the time given.