OLD JAPAN: MUCH ADO ABOUT MU.

I return from Kin-hin, a walking Zen meditation where all of nature is seen as being vibrant with energy. My heightened awareness senses that a thousand years hence, pale acned youths may seek lazy shortcuts to this hallowed state, with mushroom infusions and herbal inhalations.

I also sense my own acned student, Tossai, giggling inside the temple benjo as I walk by. Following long contemplation, enlightenment is often accompanied by spontaneous laughter when a difficult Koan, or Zen riddle, is understood at last. But I fear Tossai's laughter is not so worthy and he may be ogling geisha prints by Hokusai. At our next Dokusan, or master/student interview, my fears worsen when he claims he was laughing at nothing. Insanity!

I raise my Kyosaku to strike him and assist concentration. However, it transpires he is not so daft after all, but has cracked the Koan I set him last Tuesday regarding MU, which means nothing in the cosmic sense.

This Koan stems from the Buddhist teaching that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature. When difficult students like Tossai ask if this includes dogs and cats, I answer neither yes or no, but MU, to prevent them trying to contemplate Buddhism rationally.

Tossai has a head start because he hasn't a rational bone in his spotty body. But in his own way, he is on his way.