Wuzhun's "Cypress Tree"

A monk asked Zhaozhou, " Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?" Zhaozhou answered, "Wu." The monk was unsatisfied and asked, "All sentient beings have Buddha-nature. Why does a dog not have it?" Zhaozhou replied, "Because it has karmic consciousness."

Reflection

Wuzhun's 'Cypress Tree' combines Zhaozhou's Mu with a second answer about karmic consciousness. The apparent contradiction between 'Wu' for the dog and the explanation that dogs lack Buddha-nature due to karmic consciousness shatters conceptual attachment to doctrinal statements. The koan forces the practitioner to go beyond logic to direct realization.