Instructions Needed?

According to Martin Schlütter (see: How Zen Became Zen, p. 170) there were only two meditation manuals produced in Song China when Zen was conquering Chinese and eventually East Asian Buddhism. They're written by Changlu Zongze (長蘆宗賾) and Foxing Bencai (佛心本才) both with the title Zuochanyi (坐禪儀). English translations are available from Carl Bielefeldt (Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation) and Thomas Cleary (Minding Mind – A Course in Basic Meditation) respectively. It's more interesting to see that since the advent of Southern Chan there was not a single meditation instruction made within the Zen school. Many think that this is because of the discrepancy between sudden enlightenment and gradual meditation practice. Indeed, the early meditation instructions of the East Mountain school (Daoxin, Hongren, Shenxiu, etc.) were heavily criticised by Shenhui - from whom the whole Northern-Southern idea comes - but that doesn't necessarily entail total silence on meditation, especially as it's been such an everyday matter for monks. Nevertheless, when it comes to meditation instruction the whole is summed up as being aware of the rising and disappearing of thoughts without attachment.

While it is all right to say that gradual techniques are not Zen I think it is a mistake to separate those two texts as meditation instructions but call the many teachings as not instructions. Indeed, a large number of Zen teachings are about enlightening the mind to its nature. That is the whole point of meditation. Everything else are auxiliary methods at best, but generally just distractions. Foxin says,

Nowadays we see students who sit diligently but do not awaken. Their problem derives from their dependence on conceptions, their feelings sticking to bias and falsehood. In their confusion they turn their backs on the true basis and mistakenly go along with quietism or activism. This is why they fail to attain enlightenment.

The extremes of quietism and activism, non-existence and existence, dislike and like are the two common modes of the mind. So the instruction to be aware without relying on anything avoids both mistakes. But one may raise the question: how can we be aware without relying on anything? That's where a long instruction in different meditation practices could follow. Again, that is not the Zen way. Because the mind is originally aware and pure, knowing and empty, there is no need to develop or maintain a special state. That's how "ordinary mind is the way". Of course, buddha-nature and mindfulness meditation are nothing new in Buddhism and they don't necessarily mean this kind of sudden approach, therefore this is, so to say, a Zen speciality where they focus on the essential realisation. (Still, even that may not be new if we think of how the prajnaparamita texts focus on prajnaparamita, which is indeed being aware without attachment.)

In fact, these so called meditation instructions don't say much. If compared to such classics as Zhiyi's Mohezhiguan (摩訶止観), or even the Xiaozhiguan (小止観, in Ven. Dharmamitra's translation: Essentials of Buddhist Meditation), these Zen texts are mere leaflets with minimum information. But that is not because they were afraid or reluctant to speak about methods. Rather, it is that there's nothing more needed than "by seeing nature becoming buddha". But it's possible to have further objections here about how to see nature. In fact, this is the same as asking about unbound awareness.

So we should know that the moon appears when the water is still, the shine is complete when the mirror is clean.

Here Foxin refers to the peaceful mind. Based on the idea that once the mind is calmed one is able to observe it, or when it's silent the nature appears naturally, the practice of calm abiding is advised by many teachers. However, that is falling back to the secondary and getting lost in concepts. Another method is using a phrase from a Zen story, this is the practice with koans. However, it is hardly different from other techniques we find in Buddhism. The direct path of sudden enlightenment is in seeing mind's nature because there is nothing to grasp as mind, thoughts just come and go without interruption. Because all attachment is created by taking thoughts as solid and real, if one just doesn't hold on to them all hindrances are gone. The explanations, teachings, method are only to boost one's faith in letting go, for it rarely happens easily as we're all deeply habituated to hanging on something. That's why even if one has gained some insight it's good for stabilising one's practice only but ingrained mental patterns reappear again and again. However, if one stays with buddha-nature, no matter what comes it can cause no trouble. This is using Zen in everyday life and continuous practice.

Therefore, from a Zen perspective, there is no need for special instructions at all, which explains very well the lack of detailed meditation manuals, even today.