Bussho, the True Self

What is the true-self? This is the self which has existed since before the time of the division of Heaven and Earth, and from before the birth of parents. This is the self which exists before everything is born and which does not die. It is the self of eternity and immortality. Man, the birds, beasts and plants all possess this self within them. The universe is filled with this permanent self; in other words it is Bussho (Buddha-nature). This self has no shadow, no form, no life, and no death. It is not the mortal self which we can see with the naked eye. It is only seen by the Buddha-eye and the Dharma-eye. We, as ordinary people, cannot see the true self. Only one who awakens to Buddha-nature and realizes the true-self can see it, and he is a person of kensho-jobutsu (one who sees into his Buddha-nature and reaches Nirvana.)

-Master Takuan Soho