This paper examines Zen Master Dogen's philosophy of shinjin datsuraku, dropping off body and mind, through his dialectical standpoint on sunyata. In our efforts, we shall learn of the philosophical affinities Dogen shares with early Mahayana thinkers, particularly Nagarjuna and his philosophy of emptiness. A demonstration of this connection will in turn open up a new conceptual window for viewing and interpreting various themes and passages within Dogen's writings. Some ideas we will explore in order to frame out a dialectical discussion of shinjin datsuraku are the mind-body problem and its relationship to the problem of time, as well as his philosophy and practice of zazen, seated meditation. / Following from this examination, we will then probe Dogen's dialectical standpoint on shinjin datsuraku. In our attempt to unfold the philosophical layers of meaning that encapsulate this teaching, we will provide a novel reading of his philosophy of Buddha-nature, a philosophy that is free from all traces of essentialism.

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