He acknowledges that these meetings had a deep and lasting impact on his understanding of Buddhism, and they thus ultimately helped shape Sōtō Zen in Japan.
[7] While hemp may seem unrelated to the kitchen, the Zen scholars Shohaku Okumura and Taigen Dan Leighton suggest 'hemp' (麻) may be a mistranslation and that 'sesame' (胡麻) was intended, which makes more sense in the context of cooking.
[5] Dōgen mentions the kōan in order to suggest that the most simple activities, such as working with everyday ingredients, are no different from awakening when approached directly and with a clear mind.
[6] Another kōan quoted in the work involves an encounter with the abbot Dongshan Liangjie and a tenzo at his monastery named Xuefeng Yicun.
According to Kōryō Shinno in an essay on the kōans of Tenzo Kyōkun, Xuefeng gives his answer in order to express the nondualism of his activity.
[9] The short text that comprises the Instructions for the Cook has been translated into English and other languages, often as a part of the Eihei Shingi, or Rules of Purity for Eiheiji.