Nothingness (mu), early 19th century, Kaimon Zenkaku, Japanese, 1743 - 1813, 16 5/16 ¡Ñ 20 5/8 in. (41.43 ¡Ñ 52.39 cm) (image)47 1/4 ¡Ñ 21 1/2 in. (120.02 ¡Ñ 54.61 cm) (mount, without roller ), Ink on paper, Japan, 18th century, The large character at right reads µL (mu), which means 'not' or 'nothingness,' an important concept in Zen Buddhism. The text continues from there, making reference to a Chinese poem written in the 1100s about an ancient Zen master named Congshen (778¡V897). Congshen was famous for a strange response he once gave when asked by a monk, 'Does a dog have a Buddha-nature or not'' Congshen¡¦s reply was, 'Not!' (Mu!). Confused, the monk pointed out that, according to Buddhist teaching, all living things have a Buddha-nature, so why not a dog' Congshen answered, 'Because the dog has karmic consciousness.' Generations of Zen masters presented this famous but confusing dialogue between Congshen and the monk to their students in order to demonstrate the fallacy of logic and provoke thought.