CASE 18: Jôshû’s Dog

A monk asked Jôshû, “Does the dog have buddha-nature, or not?” Jôshû said, “It has” The monk said, “If it has it, why did it creep into that skin bag?” Jôshû said, “Because it does so knowingly.” Another monk asked, “Does the dog have buddha-nature, or not?” Jôshû said, “It has not”. The monk said, “All living beings have buddha-nature. Why doesn’t the dog have any?” Jôshû said, “Because it is in its karma-consciousness.”