Stylianos Papalexandropoulos

In the “Busshō” fascicle of Shōbōgenzō Dōgen equates Buddha-Nature with “whole being”. The meaning of this term is not clear. One of its interpretations has been “all beings”. In this paper we propose a new interpretation based on Dōgen’s own explanation of its meaning. In three phrases Dōgen explains it, in paradigmatic descriptions, not as “all beings”, but rather as the general constituents that make up the whole being. Based on this we can say that his basic idea is that the whole being is made up of its main constituents. We then apply this perception on what comes next: he differentiates the “being” from the whole by presenting it as an ineffable reality, thus creating two “zones” within the whole, hence also two constituents of it. But since the “whole being” is Buddha-Nature, these two become the two constituents of Buddha-Nature. As its two parts these constituents are both equally Buddha-Nature. We may further think of them as its two modes of existence. Hence “whole being” is Buddha Nature existing in two coexisting modes, ineffable Being and beings.