MDMD2: Mu

[Dave Monroe]

Four myths about Zen Buddhism’s “Mu Koan”
By Steven Heine


The Mu Koan (or Wu Gongan in Chinese pronunciation), in which master
Joshu says “Mu” (literally “No,” but implying Nothingness) to an
anonymous monk’s question of whether a dog has the Buddha-nature, is
surely the single most famous expression in Zen Buddhist literature
and practice. By virtue of its simplicity and indirection, this
expression becomes emblematic of East Asian spirituality and culture
more generally. Entire books have been published on the topic on both
sides of the Pacific.

However, in conducting research for a new monograph titled Like Cats
and Dogs: Contesting the Mu Kōan in Zen Buddhism, I have been
surprised to find how little seems to be known about the origins and
implications of the koan case record. My studies suggest that this is
one more example of commonly-held myths based on long-held beliefs and
customs often overtaking and suppressing investigative scholarship.

[...]

http://blog.oup.com/2012/04/four-myths-about-zen-buddhisms-mu-koan/

   "'There is something I must know,' Mason hoarsely whispers, in the
tone  of a lover tormented by Doubts, '-- Have you a soul,-- that is,
are you a  human Spirit, re-incarnate as a Dog?'
   "The L.E.D. blinks, shivers, nods in a resign'd way.  'You are
hardly the first to ask.  Travelers return'd from the Japanese Islands
tell of certain  religious Puzzles known as Koan, perhaps the most
fam'd of which concerns your very Question,-- whether a Dog hath the
nature of the divine Buddha. A reply given by a certain very wise
Master is, "Mu!"'
   "'Mu,' repeats Mason, thoughtfully.
   "'It is necessary for the Seeker to meditate upon the Koan until
driven to a state of holy Insanity,-- and I would recommend this to
you in particular.  But please do not come to the Learned English Dog
if it's religious Comfort you're after. I may be praeternatural, but I
am not supernatural.  'Tis the Age of Reason, rrrf?  There is ever an
Explanation
at hand, and no such thing as a Talking Dog,-- Talking Dogs belong
with Dragons and Unicorns....'" (M&D, Ch. 3, p. 22)

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0109&msg=60225