Living Beings Are Buddha Nature
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt. Tremper, New York, Thursday 09/24/2026
The Buddha realized that all beings are capable of awakening to their true nature. Dogen echoed this truth by saying that all beings are Buddha nature, emphasizing that this is our very nature, not something we can gain or lose. If we could “have” Buddha nature, then we could also “not have” it. This subtle shift in emphasis opens up an extraordinary way of understanding this truth about ourselves and all beings. We simply need to realize it for ourselves.
