Quote Originally Posted by From the recent sit-a-long talks on Beliefnet

What good are such actions as reading the sutras and saying the Nembutsu. How futile to think that Buddhist merits accrue from merely moving the tongue and raising the voice. If you think this covers Buddhism, you are far from the truth. Your only purpose in reading the sutras should be to learn thoroughly that the Buddha taught the rules of gradual and sudden training and that by practicing his teachings you can obtain enlightenment. You should not read the sutras merely to pretend to wisdom through vain intellections. To strive for the goal of Buddhism by reading many sutras is like pointing the hill to the north and heading south. It is like putting a square peg in a round hole. While you look at words and phrases, the path of your training remains dark. This is as worthless as a doctor who forgets his prescription. Constant repetition of the Nembutsu is also worthless-like a frog in a spring field croaking night and day.
This sounds like strong criticism of a particular school of Buddhism and I'm wondering how to reconcile that with the attitude of acceptance encouraged by the Sandokai?

Jundo (or anyone), do you know the context of this writing? For example, Sekito was responding to the friction between the northern and southern schools. The writers of the Heart Sutra were countering arguments about dharmas. Was Master Dogen responding to some specific situation when he wrote this? Where's the harmony and equality in his criticisms? Or is he just calling a spade a spade?