able ▁from ▁the ▁master , ▁like ▁a ▁trailing ▁shadow ". ▁ ▁During ▁his ▁first ▁few ▁years ▁at ▁K ō sh ō h ō rin - ji , ▁he ▁began ▁to ▁record ▁D ō gen ' s ▁teach ings ▁in ▁what ▁became ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁Sh ō b ō gen z ō ▁zu imon ki . ▁He ▁wrote ▁the ▁work ▁in ▁every - day ▁Japanese ▁rather ▁than ▁Chinese , ▁the ▁intellectual ▁language ▁of ▁the ▁time . ▁To ▁this ▁day , ▁it ▁is ▁considered ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁easily ▁understood ▁of ▁D ō gen ' s ▁work , ▁although ▁the ▁topics ▁included ▁seem ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁reflection ▁of ▁Ej ō ' s ▁interests . ▁His ▁mother ▁also ▁became ▁ill ▁during ▁this ▁period ▁and ▁died ▁soon ▁there after . ▁Ej ō ▁apparently ▁visited ▁her ▁during ▁her ▁ill ness ▁during ▁an ▁all otted ▁six - day ▁vac ation ▁period ▁following ▁the ▁winter ▁sess hin , ▁but ▁shortly ▁after ▁he ▁returned , ▁he ▁was ▁informed ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁condition ▁had ▁w ors ened ▁and ▁she ▁would ▁likely ▁soon ▁exp ire . ▁However , ▁because ▁he ▁had ▁already ▁used ▁his ▁allowed ▁free ▁time , ▁he ▁decided ▁not ▁to ▁return ▁to ▁her ▁side , ▁instead ▁choosing ▁to ▁strictly ▁observe ▁mon astic ▁reg ulations . ▁ ▁Trans ition ▁to ▁E ch izen ▁In ▁the ▁summer ▁of ▁ 1 2 4 3 , ▁Ej ō ▁left ▁K ō sh ō h ō rin - ji ▁for ▁E ch izen ▁with ▁D ō gen ▁and ▁his ▁other ▁students ▁after ▁Hat ano ▁Y