Bussho (Zen, Japanese)

There is a long path of training over many lifetimes for this state to be realized although it is inherent in everyone and in all living beings. Finally there arises a state of [mujodo-no-taigen]

, when there is totally spontaneity and awareness at every moment that the buddha nature and the self are identical. The reality of emptiness - [ku]

- is grasped, beyond imagination (since anything that can be imagined is unreal), beyond personality and beyond individuality. Here the nature of the phenomenal world is experienced, [hossho]

, but is beyond description. This state has been described as equivalent to [nirvana]

.