Ikka myōju

[1] Dōgen also discusses the "one bright jewel" and related concepts from the Shōbōgenzō essay in two of his formal Dharma Hall Discourses, namely numbers 107 and 445, as well as his Kōan commentaries 23 and 41, all of which are recorded in the Eihei Kōroku.

Shohaku Okumura, a modern Zen priest and Dōgen scholar, points out that while the character in question (珠) can be used to refer to a pearl, gem, or any kind of jewel, the text clearly uses the term in reference to the "Mani Jewel" (摩尼珠), a mythical transparent object mentioned in a wide variety of Buddhist texts.

Okumura further argues that a knowledge of the Mani Jewel as it appears in prior texts is essential for understanding the meaning of Dōgen's essay.

The Mahasudhassana Sutta in the Digha Nikaya describes the Mani Jewel as follows: “It was a beryl, pure, excellent, well-cut into eight facets, clear, bright, unflawed, perfect in every respect.

It was said to be originally owned by the God Indra, but it fell to the earth during a war with the Asuras, allowing whoever possess it to have their wishes granted.

Depictions of the Bodhisattvas Ksitigarbha and Avalokiteshvara sometimes show them holding this Cintamani, indicating their ability to fulfill the wishes of sentient beings.

It was this metaphor in particular that Xuansha Shibei had in mind for his expression "the ten-direction world is one bright jewel", and is thus the primary focus of Dōgen's essay.