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TheZuòchán Yí orPrinciples ofZazen (Chinese:坐禅儀), is a shortChan Buddhist meditation manual attributed to a monk namedChanglu Zongze (flourished c. turn of the 12th century) during theNorthern Song dynasty (CE 960 - 1126) which exemplifies the practice of seated meditation which aims at "sudden" enlightenment. According to Peter Gregory it is the "earliest known work of its kind in the Zen tradition."[1] TheZuòchán Yí was later revised and expanded in 1202 by You Xiang and this version was published together with Changlu Zongze's monastic codeChanyuan Qinggui "Pure Regulations of the Chan Preserve", the earliest extant Chanmonastic code, which was widely circulated.[1]
In writing thePrinciples, Tsung-tse was influenced by the works of theTiantai meditation masterZhiyi as well as by theCultivation and Realization According to theSutra of Perfect Enlightenment byGuifeng Zongmi (780-841). ThePrinciples actually quotes large parts of Zhiyi's introduction to meditation, theXiao Zhi Guan, showing the extent of the Tiantai influence on Chinese Chan.[1] The 600-700 character text begins with a description of the traditional cross-legged meditation posture with eyes partially opened (criticizingZhiyi for promoted closed eyes) and then outlines how the meditator is to watch his thoughts until his mind becomesunified: "Do not think of any good or evil whatsoever. Whenever a thought occurs, be aware of it; as soon as you are aware of it, it will vanish. If you remain for a long period forgetful of objects, you will naturally become unified."[1]
Unlike the meditation works of Zhiyi, the 'Principles' doesn't outline avipassana practice which leads to wisdom -prajña. This might be because the ideas of Zongze seem to be related practices in the Chan chronicleLengqie Shizi ji and to the teachings of theEast Mountain Teaching, who taught that in quieting the mind one would be able to see one's innateBuddha nature and that this was a form ofsudden enlightenment.[1][2] This teaching is also related to the concept oftathātā "Suchness" which is derived from theAwakening of Faith in the Mahayana. Tsung-tse uses a well known metaphor to describe how practicing his kind ofsamadhi will lead the discovery ofinherent wisdom already present in the mind:
To seek the pearl, we should still the waves; if we disturb the water, it will be hard to get. When the water of meditation is clear, the pearl of the mind will appear of itself. Therefore, thePerfect Enlightenment Sutra says, "Unimpeded, immaculate wisdom always arises dependent on meditation.[1][2]
The practice taught in this text seems to be at the core of the dispute in later Chan Buddhism between "sudden" and "gradual" teachings of the "Northern and Southern schools" illustrated in thePlatform Sutra. One major distinctions between the "sudden" and "gradual" approach was that the gradual was seen as a way to counteract mental hindrances while the "sudden" approach took metaphysical doctrines of Suchness and non-dual, inherent enlightenment as their theme and saw the practice of counteracting hindrances as counterproductive.[1] Thus while the practice of watching the mind outlined by Tsung-tse remained a central practice in Chan into the Tang dynasty (e.g. in the works of Guifeng Zongmi: "As soon as a thought occurs, be aware of it (nien ch'i chi chueh); as soon as you are aware of it, it will cease to exist. The profound gate of practice lies precisely here.") other, more radical teachers such asMazu Daoyi emphasized the "celebration of the natural wisdom active in every thought", the idea that "everyday mind is the Way" and radical new methods of practice such as the practices of shouting, spontaneous dialogue and enigmatic sayings or anecdotes.[1] Even so, this simple and pared down style of seated meditation continued to be used by even the most iconoclastic of Chan Buddhists and laid the foundation for the practice known as "silent illumination" or "Shikantaza".
Included in various Zen monastic codes and text collections, theZuochan Yi was widely imitated or used as a basis for other texts such as theRuru Zhushi Zuochan Yi "Layman Ruru's Principles of Meditation", 1212?) and theZazen gi by Muhon Kakushin (1207-1297). It was included in the popular Japanese Zen anthology, theShibu roku ("Fourfold Record"), was quoted byEisai in theKazen gokoku ron and used byDogen in his writing of theFukanzazengi (Universal Promotion of the Principles of Meditation, CE 1233).[1][3]