Q0305
“Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No).” — Zhaozhou Congshen (Record of Zhaozhou / Gateless Gate…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Record of Zhaozhou / Gateless Gate 1 (related). Theme: nature.
English
Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No).
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Record of Zhaozhou / Gateless Gate 1 (related) and files it under Zen Buddhism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Zhaozhou Congshen
Zhaozhou Congshen appears in this archive through verified English quotations associated with the Zen Buddhism tradition. Biographical certainty varies by figure and text; where the “author” is a scripture or school anthology, read the name as a traditional attribution rather than a modern individual biography.
How to read this passage
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.
Concepts in this quote
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Zhaozhou Congshen. (n.d.). Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No). In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0305
MLA: Zhaozhou Congshen. “Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No)..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0305.
Chicago: Zhaozhou Congshen. “Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No)..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0305.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Does a dog have Buddha-nature? … Wu (No).”?
The passage is attributed to Zhaozhou Congshen, Record of Zhaozhou / Gateless Gate 1 (related). The archive attributes this English wording to Record of Zhaozhou / Gateless Gate 1 (related) and files it under Zen Buddhism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Zhaozhou Congshen mean by nature?
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.