Kegon presents a vision of reality as a single, all-encompassing field of interdependence, known as the dharmadhātu. Within this universal reality, every phenomenon arises only through its relations with all others, so that nothing possesses an isolated or independent essence. This is expressed through the doctrine of mutual interpenetration, where each particular thing both contains and reflects the totality, much like a jewel in Indra’s Net mirroring all the other jewels without obstruction. The one and the many are thus not opposed but mutually inclusive, and the boundaries that ordinarily seem to separate beings, objects, and realms are understood as provisional rather than ultimate.

At the heart of this cosmic vision stands Vairocana Buddha, who represents the universal, all-pervading dimension of Buddhahood. Rather than a creator deity, Vairocana functions as the embodiment of the dharmadhātu itself, the luminous ground in which all phenomena appear and through which they are interconnected. In this perspective, the Buddha’s body is not confined to a single form but is coextensive with the entire network of existence. To recognize this is to see that Buddha-nature is not something remote, but the very fabric of reality in which all beings participate.

Kegon thought also emphasizes that enlightenment is a direct realization of this interpenetrating reality. Awakening is portrayed as a sudden, comprehensive insight into the non-duality of samsara and nirvana, defilement and purity, rather than a merely step-by-step accumulation of separate attainments. Because all beings and events are mutually containing, the liberation of one cannot be severed from the liberation of all. This naturally gives rise to the bodhisattva ideal: compassionate activity and altruistic vows are not simply ethical choices but expressions of how things truly are in a universe where nothing stands alone.

Within this framework, Kegon articulates a subtle understanding of how different levels of experience and doctrine relate to one another. Various realms or perspectives—from ordinary, dualistic perception up to the full realization of the dharmadhātu—are not discarded as one advances, but harmonized within a more encompassing vision. Philosophical analysis and scriptural reflection, especially on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, serve to clarify how principle and phenomena, and even phenomena among themselves, interpenetrate without obstruction. The resulting worldview portrays existence as an infinitely intricate, yet perfectly coherent, tapestry in which every thread both depends on and reveals the whole.