The Mu of Rocky

I have been wanting to write about this for quite some time, and I am sure I will write more about this at another time.

The question that boggles my mind the most is the question that a monk asked Chao-chou, "Has the dog Buddha nature or not?" Chao-chou said, "Mu."

So you say "What is Mu". Well, Mu is nothing. Mu is the whole without anything. Mu is the freedom to hold nothing in your ego and understand the inter-connectedness of everything, all at once. The ability to cling to nothing, yet hold all. It is what many Dharma students look for when the are searching for enlightenment.

I know my dog Rocky has Buddha nature. He does, and he shows me everyday. Someday, take a moment to think about the life a dog leads, the thoughts that he may have, or not have, and the nothingness that he holds onto each and every day. When you can understand that, and let go like he does you will understand what Mu is.

Wu-Men's Verse
Dog, buddha nature--
the full presentation of the whole;
with a a bit of "has" or "has not"
body is lost, life is lost.
This is from "The Gateless Barrier" (Wu-Men Kuan), translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken. Here is the url that I found this on.