William Bodiford of UCLA writes that, "The rural monastery Eiheiji in particular aggrandized Dōgen to bolster its own authority vis-à-vis its institutional rivals within the Sōtō denomination.

In keeping with Zen's Mahayana tradition, the iconography in various buildings is an array of potential confusion for newcomers:[4] at the Sanmon are four kings standing guard named Shitenno; the Buddha hall's main altar has three statues of Buddhas past, present and future; the Hatto displays Kannon the bodhisattva of compassion, and four white lions (called the a-un no shishi); the Yokushitsu has Baddabara; the Sanshokaku has a statue of Hotei; and the Tosu displays Ucchusma.

[5] Dōgen founded Eihei-ji in 1244 with the name Sanshoho Daibutsuji in the woods of rural Japan, quite far from the distractions of Kamakura period urban life.

He appointed a successor, but sometime after his death the abbacy of Eihei-ji became hotly disputed, a schism now called the sandai sōron.

The Kichijokaku (visitor's center) is a large four-story modern building for lay persons, with kitchen, bath, sleeping rooms and a hall for zazen.

[13][14] A number of important manuscripts belong to the temple, including the National Treasure Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen, by temple founder Dōgen (1233);[15] teachings he brought back from Song China (1227);[16] and a record of a subsidy for the earlier Sanmon in the hand of Emperor Go-En'yū (1372).

[18] It is surrounded by bright green moss-covered boulders, and Japanese maples that turn red and gold during autumn.

[9] Eihei-ji has sought, since medieval times, a source of income by soliciting monks to purchase honorary titles.

The final step in becoming a priest is zuise which means becoming ichiya-no-jūshoku (abbot for one night) at both head temples (Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji).

A monk receives an honorary meal and a bag of souvenirs at Eihei-ji and then, within one month, repeats the ceremony at Sōji-ji.

[2] More than one million visitors used to pass through the gates of Eihei-ji,[8] but as of 2003 only 800,000 came, a period in which the train service from Fukui to nearby Eiheijiguchi Station was temporarily halted.

[19] A memorial service, a major source of revenue for Eihei-ji,[1] has been held every fifty years since the 16th century on the anniversary of Dōgen Zenji's entering nirvana.

[1] The Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins and museum are about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Fukui and are reachable from the temple.

[8] Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, according to Religious Dispatches magazine, Eihei-ji "mobilized clergy to accompany members of its volunteer organization Shanti International Association who will travel to northeastern Japan to aid in relief efforts".

The chairman of the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation had apparently misunderstood upon visiting the temple.