gianni Posted May 28, 2014 I read some time ago an italian translation of Mumonkan: the japanese answer to the qustion 'have dogs budda nature?'was 'Mu'... my question is: since the gateless gate was originally written in chinese language, and the answer would have been 'wu', (wich would have been the onomatopeic for a dog barking), was this coincidence intentional,or it might have been a way to give a multiple answer?(denoting an apropos sense of humor?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrandmasterP Posted May 28, 2014 (edited) Or maybe a dancing dog? .............................................................. The character wu 無 originally meant "dance" and was later used as a graphic loan for wu "not". The earliest graphs for 無 pictured a person with outstretched arms holding something (possibly sleeves, tassels, ornaments) and represented the word wu "dance; dancer". After wu 無 "dance" was borrowed as a loan for wu "not; without", the original meaning was elucidated with the 舛 "opposite feet" at the bottom of wu 舞 "dance". ............... (Wiki)...............,.,,,,,,, Edited May 28, 2014 by GrandmasterP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted May 28, 2014 sense of humor? Yes, we need a sense of humor to hang around here very long. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted May 29, 2014 One of my most valued survival skills. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Posted May 29, 2014 (edited) My pug says "woo-woo." I think he has the canine equivalent of Down's syndrome. Or he speaks Chinese... Edited May 29, 2014 by Brian 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrandmasterP Posted May 29, 2014 (edited) Our dogs often say 'Bark' and Mr Leo stops at every tree when he's out for walkies. Some connection maybe? Puppy Alice can say 'Mum' and 'Din- ner' too The late Maura 'Soishin' O'Halloran in her autobio..... http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0804819777/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Trained at a Zen monastery in Japan and talks about the noise in the queue of people waiting to go in and be tested for their Koan progress by the abbot. " Mu. mu, Mu , Mu , MU." Everyone practising Mu in their own desperate way. It was one of those traditions where they had to 'pass' through a series of Koans in order to progress towards ordination. Apparently " Mu" was the hardest one to pass. One guy had been stuck on " Mu" for twenty odd years and not passed it. He was a very good cook though so maybe that was why the abbot kept him Mu- ing. Edited May 29, 2014 by GrandmasterP 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Posted May 29, 2014 My pug says "woo-woo." I think he has the canine equivalent of Down's syndrome. Or he speaks Chinese... For clarity: We inherited the dog from my wife's aunt, who lived in Taiwan for many years (was a close friend of Mrs. Chang Kai Shek) and she may well have spoken Chinese to the dog. He certainly doesn't understand a word of English! Pugs, as some may know, have a serious issue with birth defects in the breed. This one has several, including what appears to be something very similar to Down's syndrome. I wasn't being callous or insensitive to parents with Down's syndrome children or anything like that -- Ming (that's his name although he doesn't answer to it (or anything else)) is absolutely the sweetest & most gentle dog I've ever met but it is clear that something's not quite right there, and most other dogs seem to recognize it, too. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LAOLONG Posted May 29, 2014 in this koan wu means nothingness and it refer to Buddha nature . according to http://www.amazon.com/Gateless-Barrier-Zen-Comments-Mumonkan/dp/1570627266 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrandmasterP Posted May 29, 2014 (edited) There's pug we meet out walkies sometimes. When she gets over excited she faints. Just for a few seconds, flop; over she goes. Then she's up and OK Edited May 29, 2014 by GrandmasterP 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrei Posted May 29, 2014 (edited) What does the fox say? Edited May 29, 2014 by Andrei Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted May 29, 2014 There's pug we meet out walkies sometimes. When she gets over excited she faints. Just for a few seconds, flop; over she goes. Then she's up and OK I just recently saw a documentary about that. Forget what they call it but it happens with a large variety of animals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted May 29, 2014 What does the fox say? There's a video somewhere that has a bunch of people dressed in costume dancing around and singing that song. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites