dialogue
Does a Dog Have Buddha Nature?
Recorded Sayings of Zhaozhou
Text
A monk asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have Buddha nature, or not?" Zhaozhou said, "Wu!" [No!] This single word—Mu—has become the first barrier that countless students of Zen have thrown themselves against. It is not an answer to be understood with the intellect. Zhaozhou's Mu is not the opposite of 'yes.' It cuts through the very question, through the one who asks, through all dualistic thinking. To penetrate Mu is to penetrate the gateless barrier itself.
Attribution
By Zhaozhou Congshen
From Recorded Sayings of Zhaozhou
Sources
Recorded Sayings of Zhaozhou: Does a Dog Have Buddha Nature?