This thesis examines the concept of nature in the thought of the Japanese Zen master Dōgen (1200–1253), focusing on his major work Shōbōgenzō. It argues that, for Dōgen, nature is not a substance or an external object but a dynamic, temporal event in which practice, englightment, and everyday phenomena are inseparably intertwined. Nature and Buddha-nature (busshō) are non-dual: beings do not posess Buddha-nature; rather, they are Buddha-nature. The thesis further explores the relationship between humans and nature, the understanding of satori as a relational event, and the ethical implications of such an ontology. Dōgen's philosophy thus offers a non-dualistic and ecologically sensitive vision of reality in which nature itself is practice, teacher, and realized enlightenment.
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