Dogen's Concept of the Word ‘Buddha Nature’ in the Bussho Fascicle of the Shobogenzo

Abstract

In this paper, I would like to confirm how Dogen defines the word Bussho, or Buddha Nature, in the Bussho fascicle of the Shobogenzo. I conclude that the word Bussho has a meaning similar to the word Daigo, or the Great Attainment, in the Daigo fascicle of the Shobogenzo. It indicates the attribute of the whole world as Buddha, and its individual emergence as any phenomena could be called Shujo, or Sentient Being. Though this definition might be unique in Buddhist thought, it is a specific aspect of Dogen thought.