ABSTRACT
After arriving off the coast of Ch'ing-yiian Prefecture in Mingchou at the beginning of the fourth month in the sixteenth year of Chia-ting (1223), Dogen stayed on the ship for three months. The reason why he had to remain on the ship for so long may have been that Dogen had received the Bodhisattva Precepts of Mahayana1 but not the Complete Precepts of Theravada, which may have been required to legitimize entry into China as a monkstudent.2 During this period, he spent his time finding out about many of the monasteries in various parts of the country.3 This was a planning period for the days to come. How much time Dogen anticipated spending in China at that time is told nowhere in his writings. He was probably intent on staying until he found the answer to his Great Doubt, however long it might take. A period of planning as long as three months may have been necessary first to acquaint himself with the status of monasteries throughout the country and then to determine his itinerary.
