Like Cats and Dogs

Koans are dialogues that stand at the center of Zen Buddhist literature and are often used to provoke the "e;great doubt"e; in testing a trainee's progress. The Mu Koan consists of a brief conversation in which a monk asks Master Zhaozhou whether or not a dog has Buddha-nature. According to the main version, the reply is "e;Mu"e;: literally, "e;No,"e; but implying the philosophical notion of nothingness. This case is widely considered to be the single best- known and most widely circulated koan record of the Zen school that offers existential release from anxiety to attain spiritual illumination. In a careful analysis of the historical and rhetorical basis of the literature, Steven Heine demonstrates that the Mu version of the case, preferred by advocates of the key-phrase approach, does not by any means constitute the final word concerning the meaning and significance of the Mu Koan. He shows that another canonical version, which gives both "e;Yes"e; and "e;No"e; responses, must be taken into account. Like Cats and Dogs offers critical insight and a new theoretical perspective on "e;the koan of koans."e;