Dreaming and the embodiment of mu

I find that walking on the treadmill during my morning gym routine provides an excellent opportunity to catch up on my ever growing list of “saved for later" podcasts and audiobooks. Deciding on Alan Watts (Being In The Way podcast) and with a good pace dialled in, I was ready to enjoy his always eloquent discourse.

In this particular episode Watts elucidated the importance of the “non-answer” known in Zen Buddhism as Mu. A fundamental aspect of Zen koans, Mu is the non logical answer to the non logical question presented by the koan. Being neither a yes nor a no, in Mu the questioner is encouraged to “sit with it” and by means of mediation let the question simmer a while.

Because the question doesn’t make any logical sense, for example “what is the sound of one hand clapping” or “has a dog the Buddha nature or not” (which was the one Watts was on about) the mind is stumped and mental deliberation becomes utterly pointless. Which means the answer or rather the understanding moves down into the body and the sub or meta consciousness where, some might say, imagination gets a change work through the problem.

This notion of having no clear answer and allowing another way of knowing to process the material is central to dream work. If we consider that perhaps all of us, at some point, has had a koan like dream where logic doesn’t rule the show. Then perhaps this is a natural aspect of the imagination? Add to the fact (scientifically proven, check out the work of Prof. Mark Solms) that we all dream (even animals) - all the time, then perhaps this non logical way is a natural aspect of reality? In other words perhaps nature is more like a koan or a dream and our need for nature to make logical sense is our projection?

In Embodied Imagination we adhere to this non logical way of working with dreams. We refer to it, after John Keats, as Negative Capability; the aspect of getting comfortable in the un-knowing without searching for reason. Practiced in Embodied Imagination by switching off, so to speak, mental contemplation and interpretation and waiting for feelings to arise within from the body. Often these feelings are so subtle and fragile that they have no words to describe them lest they should disappear upon being spoken out alowed. But if the dreamer can stay with the image, its subtle feelings and its Mu - non logical quality, then slowly it may solidify in the body and lead towards a feeling of understanding as opposed to interpretation and knowing. This often leaves both the dreamer and the dream worker feeling like pawns within a much larger game.

In thinking about the connection of Mu with Embodied Imagination dreamwork I realise that not only is there is way more going on than we realise, we are also way less in control than we realise. And our need for logic to create a sensible universe is perhpas too over estimated? Perhpas this is one major reason why we dream? To awaken to the subtle, non logical quality of reality far beyond the strict borders of the mind and its need for understanding.

Consider, or perhaps feel into this Zen koan:

Subhuti was Buddha's disciple. He was able to understand the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity.

One day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.

"We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness," the gods whispered to him.

"But I have not spoken of emptiness," said Subhuti.

"You have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness," responded the gods. "This is the true emptiness." And blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.

And just one more…

Question: Without speaking, without silence, how can you express the truth?

Reply: I always remember springtime in southern China. The birds sing among innumerable kinds of fragrant flowers.