Mu is a Japanese and Korean term meaning "not; nothing" or "new thing". Like 📝quality, it points outside of dualistic discriminations and simply says ‘no class’. Not yes, not no. Simply, not; nothing.
"When the Zen monk Joshu was asked whether a dog had a Buddha nature, he said, 'Mu'. Meaning that if he answered either way, he was answering incorrectly." ~ 📝Robert M. Pirsig
Mu states the context of the question is such that a 'yes' or 'no' answer is an error and should not be given. Mu becomes appropriate when the context of the question becomes too small for the truth of the answer. Un-ask the question and expand the context of the question, it says.
"We grow more by Mu answers than by 'yes or no' answers. 'Yes or no' answers can confirm or deny a hypothesis; Mu says the answer is beyond the hypothesis. It's not mysterious or esoteric, it's just that our culture has warped us to make a low value judgement of it."
The concept of Mu exists throughout the natural world, but we have been trained not to see it by our heritage of elementary, two-term discriminations. Pirsig believed that recognition and valuation of these answers would do a lot to bring logical theory to experimental practice.
Put simply,** we will make better decisions when we accepted Mu answers more often.**
On a similar thread of quality, 📝Tony Robbins said, "Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they 📝Get Better Answers."
I first learned of Mu in 📝Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and then wrote about it in📝Life Is Mu (newsletter). Since then, I will often respond to cold emails with impossible to answer questions with just "Mu" and a link to this 📝memo; most people ask better questions.