and "mu" to you too

[William Karlin]

 It's probably time for me to wade in and give my two cents....

 [snip -- a really fascinating discussion about Barthes between Vaska and
Dennis] 

I had said:

> >>>> >>  to wit:  on p. 22 L.E.D. relates the koan in which a student asks
> >>>> >>"whether a Dog hath the nature of the divine Buddha."  The master answers
> >>>> >>with a single word: "mu."  
> >>>> >>
> >>>> >>  Later on p. 61 the phrase "assigning to every Looking-Glass a
> >>>> >>Coefficient of Mercy,-- term it u,--..."  Actually, that "u" is the greek
> >>>> >>character "mu" (can't do the real symbol).  
> >>>> >>  The answer to the koan is mercy.  The question whether the dog hath the
> >>>> >>nature of the divine buddha (and hence deserving the respect we *should*
> >>>> >>afford our fellow man) is not the right question. I think the real
> >>>> >>question,-- how do we treat the dog without knowing whether it hath the
> >>>> >>NDB?,-- is answered...we show it mercy.  (Which may mean that the Dog
> >>>> >>hath the NDB.)
> >>>> >>
> >>>> >>  Goes along with the "soul in every stone", I think.

Rick replied:
 
> >>>> Nice, try, but no pickle, sorry. Please consider the following:
> >>>> 
> >>>> 1: The pun is weak (even by Pynchonian standards).The Mu of the zen koan is
> >>>> generally transcribed "muh"; the greek Mu is pronounced "myu", and stands
> >>>> for, well, any number of things; angstroms coming most easily to mind.
> >
> >Weak, but unavoidable for most American readers.  Everyone who already knew
> >how to pronounce "mu" raise your right hand.
> >

   I'll only add a bit to Vaska's comment: I don't think the pun is all
that weak in some ways...really, how often does one normally run across
the lower case mu?  In the sciences, sure, mu does stand for a lot of
things -- often used when we run out of "m"s -- (a relatively unimportant
point:  mu is not used as a symbol for angstroms, that's an upper-case "A"
with a circle on top...and occaisionally a bit of whipped cream) most
commonly it is the prefix meaning "micro."
   The spelling of the koan's "answer" and the greek character are the
same and I find that to be very suggestive of a connection.  See next
comment...


> >>>> 2: Pynchon knows his koans well enough to know that "mercy" is *not* the
> >>>> "answer" to Josho's Mu (about dogs and Buddha-nature). This is evidenced by
> >>>> his "correct" answer to the famous "one hand" koan elsewhere in the Canon
> >>>> (I thought this was in GR, but have been unable to find it therein; perhaps
> >>>> another P-Lister can assist me?) and by his knowledge of published
> >>>> "answers" elsewhere in Buddhist literature.
> >
> >He may know it, but he's chosen not to clue us in.
> > 

   My claim that mercy is the "answer" was overstated...mercy is certainly
a possible interpretation, however.  My understanding of koans is that
they suggest ways of thinking about the world and don't really have an
answer (though, admittedly I have not read Barthes on this -- or much of
anything  on this, for that matter).  But, "mu" and "mu" appearing within
40 pages of one another suggests (to me and Vaska at least -- if I may be
presumptuous enough to speak for her) that there *is* a connection.  This
is certainly not to say that this is only connection, the only "answer",
but it is one.  I agree with Vaska that this suggestion of the koan's
meaning fits with P's views, as I understand them, and this further
*suggests* to me that "mercy" is part of this metaphoric equation.


> >>>> 3: My own interpretation is that a dog/Buddha-nature koan as posed by the
> >>>> LED is simply too wonderful an opportunity to pass up, and its relation to
> >>>> other parts of M&D, sadly, is minimal.
> >>>> 
> >>>> Other ideas?

   I agree that it was too wonderful to pass up.  I thought the scene with
L.E.D. telling the koan was great.  When I saw "mu" later bells rang.
Something was up.  The koan scene was memorable...mu would probably have
stuck in a reader's head for 40 pages.  Pynch would have been aware that
these two divergently-pronounced "mu"s were close together suggesting
(again!) that he had something in mind.  What he had in mind is open to
discussion (and I hope to hear more)...but I stand by "mercy" as an
"answer."

cheers all,

will