The Story of Mu

This short picture book is based on a famous Zen koan: “Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?” to which the master responds simply, “Mu” (usually interpreted as no). “I want to play with a story, a fable, or a myth—whatever we call a story when we know it is just a story and can treat it lightly, like a game,” writes Cordova (The Marriage Checkup), Zen Buddhist teacher and psychology professor at Clark University. The solution to the fable, of course, was discovered by the Buddha: meditating under a tree, the young man realized “I am Mu!” and resolved to free the rest of humanity from suffering. This lushly illustrated tale treats Mu as a sentient cosmic principle, tracing Mu from the origin of the universe to the creation of life in Buddhist tradition. Morse’s illustrations, often in warm tones, convey both the magnificence of the cosmos and the quiet grace of daily life. The simple story is followed by a short essay on Mu by James Ishmael Ford, a Zen Buddhist priest, Unitarian Universalist minister, and author of The Book of Mu. The book seems targeted at Buddhists, but the uninitiated will also find this to be an accessible rendition of a vital Buddhist concept. (Apr.)