THIS VERY LIFE IS BUDDHA-NATURE

EXPLORING DŌGEN’S BUSSHŌ | 仏性

We often approach spiritual practice as though something essential is missing. Somewhere beneath our confusion, our habits, and our ordinary lives, we imagine there must be a more awakened version of ourselves waiting to be discovered.

Dōgen offers a radically different possibility.

In Busshō, or Buddha-Nature, the 13th-century Zen master Eihei Dōgen takes up one of the central teachings of Mahayana Buddhism and turns it inside out. Buddha-nature is not something hidden within us. It is not a spiritual substance we possess, nor a potential that will finally appear once we have practiced long enough.

For Dōgen, the question is not whether we have Buddha-nature. The question is what it means to discover that this very life, exactly as it is arising, is Buddha-nature.

In this four-week series, we will make our way through one of the most profound and challenging texts in Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō. Along the way, we will explore what his teaching means for the way we understand ourselves, our practice, and the world around us.

• What do we mean when we say that all beings are Buddha-nature?

• If Buddha-nature is already complete, why do we need to practice?

• What happens to our ideas of awakening and delusion when nothing stands outside Buddha-nature?

• How might we live differently if we stop searching for our true nature somewhere other than this life?

Dōgen’s answer is not an abstract philosophy. Busshō continually returns us to the living activity of this moment: body, mind, change, relationship, practice, awakening, and the innumerable conditions through which our lives unfold.

Together, we will discover that Buddha-nature is not a better self waiting to emerge. It is not something we acquire, preserve, or perfect. It is the boundless activity of this life itself, continually expressing itself through every changing condition.

No prior experience with Dōgen or Buddhism is necessary. Whether you are encountering Zen for the first time or have practiced for many years, Busshō offers an extraordinary invitation to reconsider who we are and what it means to awaken.

What to Expect:

• Four weekly sessions — offered both in-person at One River Zen and online

• Accessible teaching rooted in tradition, grounded in lived life

• Recordings provided for those who cannot attend live

• A supportive, sincere community of practice