Having bought a copy of The Gateless Barrier by Robert Aitken and looking through various cases, I keep being brought back to Mu. Aitken says in his commentary that he:
"Keeps being brought back to it even though its no longer alien."
Case 1. Joshu's Dog
A monk once asked Joshu, "Has a dog the Buddha-Nature? Joshu answered，"Mu!" (No)
Initially, I found myself slipping into an abstract interpretation. Trying not to attach to it. Refusing to pick up Mu, oblivious that I was carrying it on my head.
Other times, I took it literally. Aitken comments that the question isn't really about the dog, the question is really about the monk. After all, what benefit would receiving the answer to this question really give? How could you even convey the answer to the dog?
Then, I began the line of thought where "this ghost dog doesn't really exist." Or the same lines with Buddha nature, it isn't something that is have or have not, it is.
I pulled myself back and found that I was still falling into what was warned against. "Has or has not".
Where am I with Mu now?
The barrier is gateless. Mu is a question. Step through, don't step through. When Mu is applied to everything, it's a process of distilling. And whether yes, whether no, ultimately you must have the courage to step forward.
When a bearded master cries "Mu!" it shakes off the dying branches of the old tree, allowing the sapling that was there all along to grow.
Do you still work with Mu?
Submitted August 10, 2022 at 12:28PM by Turbulent_Highway_51 https://ift.tt/ca3jPJR
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