BOOK OF EQUANIMITY - Case 18

[AlanLa]

Mu stumps me, so maybe I need to say "mu" to mu and move on from there.

[Heisoku]

ME..OW! Gassho.

[Jundo]

Buddha nature ....is the dog's nature, my nature and Buddha's nature. We can't be any other nature other than what we are. However this 'nature' is the nature of all things. So my nature is your nature in a flowing universal nature kind of way! MU!

Don't think about it so much, don't turn it into a formula.

Are you and the dog and the Buddha, same or different? ARF!

[Myoku]

You and the dog and the Buddha, same or different? ARF!

My mind is more deluded this morning ...
_()_
Myoku

[Heisoku]

Buddha nature ....is the dog's nature, my nature and Buddha's nature. We can't be any other nature other than what we are. However this 'nature' is the nature of all things. So my nature is your nature in a flowing universal nature kind of way! MU!

[Jundo]

I feel the questions asked to Joshu are about ones Buddha Nature, its I think not so much about the dog after all.

You and the dog and the Buddha, same or different? ARF!

[Myoku]

I feel the questions asked to Joshu are about ones Buddha Nature, its I think not so much about the dog after all. Do I have Buddha Nature, you, everyone, where is it and what ? If you go like this you just stir up thoughts in the brain which lead to nothing, or confusion at best. When I think about how I can get rid of the cold I just caught, that keeps me busy thinking, and eventually the cold is gone, thinking or not. Now getting some tea...
_()_
Myoku

[Amelia]

I guess this would be my question: http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...gid-discipline

[Heisoku]

You certainly are!

/Pontus

Oh no,yes, mu!

[Jinyo]

This Koan makes me smile because it is a reminder of my propensity to want to understand everything.
When the subject of koans first came up (I had not heard of koan study before joining Treeleaf) I dutifully bought a book by Isshu Miura/Ruth Fuller Sasaki and attempted to swallow it whole.
'What' I demanded of Jundo ' are the Five Ranks?' Of course - my fragile liitle ego didn't want to get stuck on standard, beginners 'does a dog have buddha nature koan'.

Anyway - Jundo's answer was along the lines of 'Oh - don't bother with that - it's probably just some old fella re-arranging his koans'

On retrospect I reckon that answer (for me) was spot on

So - I put the book away (in a bit of a huff) and went back to thinking about 'does a dog have buddha nature?'

THINKING ABOUT IT - big mistake

Couldn't get anywhere with this koan - (more mental huffing and puffing).

Next step - I bought the book - 'the book of MU' by Ford and Blacker. Well - it's a pretty good book - but I realised that this was a half-hearted attempt on my part to get to grips with something that was eluding me. I put the book away.

A couple of weeks ago - while feeling very stressed about my mum, the title of the book caught my eye. The word MU is written in bright red letters on the spine. Something just seemed to click, to resonate. Maybe it was a YES, YES, YES moment - but I just suddenly felt so much better, MU, MU, MU to everything.

The word in itself meant nothing at all - and actually I can't really put what I felt into words.

To be honest - formal koan study doesn't appeal to me - I like the way we practice here.

Gassho

Willow

[Omoi Otoshi]

I am?

You certainly are!

/Pontus

[Heisoku]

QUESTION:
What deep, personal issue or question in your life might be resolved not by "yes" ... not by "no" ... but by "MU!" or "YES! YES! YES!" that swallows whole both yes and no?

I am?

[Shugen]

QUESTION:

What deep, personal issue or question in your life might be resolved not by "yes" ... not by "no" ... but by "MU!" or "YES! YES! YES!" that swallows whole both yes and no? It could be anything from the existence of God to being torn about whether to get married or change jobs and move to another town. HOWEVER, VERY IMPORTANT, I am not talking about merely resolving the question with some "well, yes on the one hand ... but no on the other". I am not talking about some shoulder shrugging "yes and no" or "I don't know" or making a list of "Pros and Cons".

I mean a total toss of the question into "MU! ... into Emptiness ... whereby all plays out and resolves with a resounding "YES! YES! YES!" that might be yes when yes ... and "YES! YES! YES!" even when no ... and "YES! YES! YES!" even when we don't have an answer or know what to do at all.

Gassho, J

The first thing that popped into my head upon hearing the question was parenting. That is probably because that is where I am right now.

Gassho




Shugen

[Omoi Otoshi]

Everything is Buddha nature. Everything is thus, just as is. Even ignorance is Buddha nature. Without ignorance, how could there be any awakening of the Bodhi mind?
Even the lowly dog is Buddha completely. The dog doesn't care about buddha nature. He doesn't need it. With or without it, he will keep barking out the Dharma everywhere he goes, for anyone who will listen.
The meaning of yes and no are both useful to analyze, in order to understand what Buddha nature is not. But not very helpful in determining what It is. Neither reply is the truth, just views. No refuge in yes. No refuge in no. Both can be Right View. Both can be true, for someone, in some situation. But not always so. A diamond in the sun has no fixed shade of color. Sometimes we need a yes, sometimes a no, sometimes we need to rephrase the question or drop it altogether. Sometimes we need someone to point at the oak tree in the garden.

I used to think a lot about Buddha nature and Mu. I kept returning to it for years. These days I mostly let it be.

When someone asks me if I believe in God, I'm tempted to reply Mu... For me, in a way, Mu clarified the existance of God. By resolving Mu for myself, I simultaneously resolved the question of God. When I'm asked if I believe in God, It feels wrong to deny God, so a simple no won't do. I don't buy the whole personal God in heaven concept, so yes doesn't seem entirely right either. Sometimes I say yes, sometimes no. It depends on who's asking and the purpose of asking the question. Sometimes I try to explain my view, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I just avoid the question. But I don't feel threatened by the question anymore.

Gassho,
Pontus

PS. Saying "I am God" may be misunderstood...
I haven't tried YES! YES! YES! DS.

[Shokai]

Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see
dust in the wind

"woof "