do a dog have a buddha nature

[LAOLONG]

it is not what is in the sutras

to answer you should know what Buddha nature is

not from the sutras but from personal experience

it is if you are asked what is water and you have never experience water

all you can say is what is in Wikipedia about water.

[thelerner]

Haven't reached Buddhahood yet, but I think I can safely say- Depends on the dog.

 

I just wonder if

Buddha Nature is

more prevalent

in dogs then man.

[Aetherous]

The teaching is that all beings have buddha nature.

[doc benway]

Another way to look at it -

Does Buddha include dog-nature?

[LAOLONG]

it is a zen koan from the mumokan

[multiarms]

Woof

[Rara]

There was a similar thread to this before...and it got locked...whatsupwiththat?

 

In answer to your question, and I'll repeat what I said in that thread, according to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the answer is no. That's all I've heard though...I don't know what other teachers say. I personally take this opinion with a pinch of salt.

[doc benway]

In answer to your question, and I'll repeat what I said in that thread, according to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the answer is no. That's all I've heard though...I don't know what other teachers say. I personally take this opinion with a pinch of salt.

 

Interesting response in light of the ideas of rebirth in the animal realms...

[Cheshire Cat]

A monk asked Chao-chou:
"Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?"
Chao-chou replied: "He does not."

 

It's not a teaching, it's a Koan.

Who cares if the dog has a buddha-nature or not?

If he hasn't buddha nature, you cannot teach the dharma.

If he has buddha-nature, how can you teach the dharma to a dog?

 

On the other hand, cats have Buddha nature because they can use the Force as this gif clearly demonstrates.

 

 

May the force be with you, Buddha-cat.

[LAOLONG]

chou-chou said only one word WU

in chinese it mean nothingness.

buddha nature=nothingness

 

[idiot_stimpy]

Yes

[LAOLONG]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(negative)#Meanings

 

[rex]

All sentient beings of the six realms have buddha nature.

[GrandmasterP]

Mu

[Colonel Goji]

 

[Eric23]

Haven't reached Buddhahood yet, but I think I can safely say- Depends on the dog.

Haven't reached Buddhahood yet, but I think I can safely say- Depends on the dog.

 

My dog does not

[GrandmasterP]

Mu

"In what can be called traditional Zen the gateless gate is Mu (no). Mu is the formidable barrier of the Gate of Zen. Backing up a little, we are to ponder Zen master Joshus Mu which was a response to the question, Has a dog the Buddha-nature? We are to transfer our entire being into this one word so that we might see the hua-tou, which is pure Mind before it is stirred by Mu, from which Mu came to be our barrier and will eventually disappear back into the hua-tou. Sound too esotericnot what you expect Zen to be? I understand.

 

If we wish Zen to help us psychologically we might decide to go to a Soto temple a few miles away. Maybe it can help us to deal with our psychological frustrations, not to mention, at times, our emotional pain. We might learn Dogens strategy which consists of four points of view.

 

1. Non-calculating or non-pondering

 

2. Just sitting with correct bodily posture

 

3. Dropping off body and mind

 

4. Just sitting or shikantaza

 

With a good teacher these four points can be expanded so that practicing them on a daily basis will bear fruit, perhaps enough to take the edge off ones immediate psychological problems, provided they are not too deep.

 

Of course this is not going to permit us to answer Mu, so that we might pass through the gateless barrier old Joshu set up for us. This requires an entirely different attitude, one which has a sixth sense, so to speak, for the profound (yes, the esoteric) and also possesses a heaven soaring spirit that is willing to tackle what seems almost impossible; sticking with it for years if necessary. No quick fix here.

 

Here we can see two Zens. (Yes, you can take your pick.) One is the traditional Zen which is totally mystical and one which is oriented to psychology, trying to help people cope with their stressful lives which are the result of many things, for example, wanting too much or lacking self-control."

 

( Thanks to Dark Zen blog earlier this week).

Edited May 8, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[zerkaloipustota]

One dog, many woofs...

Senzaki's translation of Mumon's comment: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gateless_Gate/Joshu%27s_Dog

One of the ways to practice h'ua tou: http://lachs.inter-link.com/docs/Lachs-HuaTou-2012.pdf

 

As for the one hand clapping, Bart Simpson solved that one in a rather zany way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1tsCOkCoC8

[Simple_Jack]

Having a teacher is indispensable for Chan practice: http://www.zenforuminternational.org/viewforum.php?f=32.