sermon
Commentary on Mumonkan Case 1: Joshu's Mu
Zen Comments on the Mumonkan
Text
A monk asked Joshu: 'Has a dog the Buddha-nature or not?' Joshu answered: 'Mu!' This Mu is not the Mu of 'has not.' It is not the opposite of 'has.' Cast aside all your learning, all your logic, all your clever understanding. Become Mu from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Become one solid mass of questioning. When you have truly become Mu, the gate that has no gate swings open of itself, and you walk freely through. But so long as you stand outside trying to understand Mu with your intellect, you will stand there for ten thousand years.
Attribution
By Shibayama Zenkei
From Zen Comments on the Mumonkan
Sources
Zen Comments on the Mumonkan: Commentary on Mumonkan Case 1: Joshu's Mu