Order Description
ESSAY QUESTION Consider this famous Zen k?an: A monk once asked Master Zhaozhou (J. Joshu), “Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?” Zhaozhou said: “Wu (J. mu)!” [wu ? = no, not, negative, without,
“does not have,” non-being] Wumen’s (J. Mumon) verse: Dog! Buddha-nature! The truth manifested in full. With a bit of “yes” [you ?, “has”] or “no” [wu ?, “has not”], Body life are lost. (adapted
from Shibayama, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan, 19-20) Explain how the k?an works. Consider Wumen’s (Mumon’s) verse in your response. What is the logic of the k?an’s language? How does the k?an work
in practice?