Core Aspects of Rinzai Zen
Direct Pointing: Entering the Gate
The gate of Zen practice is a direct knowing of the essence of mind which is one's own Dharmakaya wisdom. Called kensho (seeing one's nature), such recognition is essential before we can call our practice Zen. Practice taking this as the basis is the supreme path.
Zen teachers use many methods of "direct pointing" to lead the student to this. For students of superior capacity, a seeing of the nature of mind may initially be brought about through an encounter within the ba ("field") and through the kiai (energy, vibration) of a master; this approach is essentially methodless and may be accomplished through verbal, physical or extraordinary means. More typical students must first practice to remove various obstructions to seeing. But it may be said that all the many skillful means employed by Zen teachers and students essentially aim at the recognition of this innate wisdom and the realization of its free functioning in activity.
A new Zen student will receive many such "direct pointings" and will simultaneously undertake various practices which create conditions conducive to recognition. The readiness of the student, the teacher's depth of realization and other factors will determine the methods used and how quickly the student attains recognition. The depth of seeing may also vary: it is different for everyone. But generally speaking, all Zen teaching is pointing out this essential experience.
Advanced Training
Advanced training is the "long maturation" after the gate of kensho, by which the student's seeing of the true nature is clarified and penetrates the body as realization. Having seen clearly into the "great matter of life and death" - the pure nature that is fully present from the beginning - is indeed the crucial gate. But casting off attachment to that seeing, summoning up the compassionate heart of a bodhisattva and "breaking one's bones" in long training to embody realization that freely and skillfully functions amidst the world of
Zen is to transcend life and death (all dualism), to truly realize that the entire universe is the True Human Body, through the discipline of “mind and body in oneness.”
- Omori Sogen Roshi (1904-1994)
differentiation, all for the sake of others, is the lifelong path which constitutes advanced training. Within this, continued recognition of the true nature as not different from the appearances and situations of life - being itself the perfection of meditation - is the ultimate method of Zen: "sitting in the dojo of moon-reflected-in-water, slashing at the flowers of emptiness".
All of this is the wondrous "separate transmission outside the scriptures" that has been handed down to us. Its fruit is the attainment of liberation within this very life. But the way to begin is straightforward and easy to understand: having an aspiration to end suffering for yourself and others, seek out a legitimate teacher and just practice with all your heart.
The methods of Rinzai Zen practice described below may each be used in various ways: to prepare a student for the seeing of the true nature, to actually point to it, or to work to fully integrate that experience in activity. Taken as a whole they constitute the path of "directly pointing at the human mind, seeing one's true nature, and becoming Buddha".
Samadhi Cultivation in Zen
Samadhi in general refers to a unified state of meditative attainment. The word is used in various ways in Zen. Initially, samadhi is a state of relaxed yet intense concentration in which the mind functions freely with lessened dualistic fixation. Though this state (however deep) is not itself the recognition of kensho or the point of Zen, it is indispensable for dissolving obstructions to wisdom. Samadhi of this kind should not be thought of as a state apart from daily life, cultivated only on the meditation cushion. Its depth and continuity are ceaselessly refined by many means along the path of Zen training.
Because students differ in capacity, entering the gate of kensho may not necessarily require such prior cultivation. But it is crucial for all on the path of training that follows kensho. This is because simply having the recognition of one's true nature is not by itself sufficient to cut the root of suffering and delusion: realization must penetrate the body, as the student clarifies that recognition and comes to manifest it seamlessly in each moment. Such continuity is established through the power of samadhi.
Samadhi before kensho is thus different from samadhi after kensho. When referring to later stages of practice, we may say that samadhi arises which encompasses all the qualities of samatha and vipashyana, the unity of calm stability and intense clarity. The recognition of kensho is the fulfillment of clarity; its continued recognition in each moment is the fulfillment of stability. Resting in the recognition of the true nature, beyond effort and dualistic mind which fixates on "meditation" versus "non-meditation", true Zen samadhi is thus at last revealed as the perfected Way in which there are no obstructions, and there is nothing to cultivate.
Zazen and Kinhin: Sitting and Walking Meditation
Zazen, formal seated meditation in the classic seven-point posture, is the fundamental discipline through which body, mind and breath are unified in samadhi. Zazen is among the quickest, most effective methods for removing obstructions and achieving the basic stability required to progress along the path of Buddhist practice. Through zazen, the body/mind's subtle energetic system is cultivated and brought into balance, tension and blockages are released, and the practitioner develops clarity and unwavering focus. All of this is indispensable, both as conditions for the arising of wisdom and along the path of embodying it.
In the Rinzai tradition there are many methods used in zazen, including practices focused on an object such as the breath (susokukan), objectless practices such as shikantaza, and koan practice. As usual, the manner in which each method is used will depend on the needs of the student. But all Zen students practice zazen.
A complement to zazen is kinhin, or walking meditation. Maintaining samadhi while walking serves as a useful bridge between meditation and the normal activities of daily life. Kinhin is additionally practiced between sessions of zazen to refresh the body.
Koan Practice
Koan practice is a Zen method by which the heart of wisdom and its functioning are revealed through intense inquiry. There are many koan serving as the vehicles of this inquiry, often taken from the words and actions of ancient Zen masters. Once a student has achieved sufficient stability in meditation a koan may be assigned by the teacher.
The simplest koan is the fundamental human question: Who am I? Examined in samadhi, questions such as this give rise to a burning, one-pointed doubt by which the great mass of habitual delusion and conceptual fabrication is concentrated and compressed. In time it shatters...and the recognition called kensho may be understood for oneself. As a tool of direct pointing, koan are indeed a truly potent method.
After the initial koan is passed the student and teacher may together continue to examine many other koan, meeting frequently in private interviews. Working in this manner the student not only deepens his or her insight, but also is forced to polish and practice its free functioning. Koan thus serve to forge and shape us. They demand that our Zen be not only deep, but dynamically alive, practical and useful.
A highly developed use of koan is one of the distinctive hallmarks of Rinzai Zen. In the line descended from the Japanese master Hakuin, completion of a structured curriculum of koan is additionally a prerequisite for inheriting the dharma from one's master; this provides teachers with a tool that is unmatched in its usefulness and versatility.
Koan practice requires regular face-to face communication with a Zen teacher. Since it is impossible without the preparatory establishment of stability and concentration, it is often undertaken only after a certain amount of foundational training has been successfully accomplished.
Sanzen: Meeting the Teacher
Sanzen is a private dharma encounter between teacher and student (often also called dokusan). Students committed to Zen study under the guidance of a particular teacher are required to enter the sanzen room regularly; koan practice requires it. At some retreats or practice groups open dokusan may also be offered, and is an opportunity for all students to address questions related to their practice.
The spirit of true sanzen is not casual, however; it is not therapy or an extended conversation. It carries rather the energy of a mutual life-and-death encounter. Both teacher and student are called to bring the full force of their insight and power to the meeting. Through such intense forging within the "field" (ba) of a qualified teacher, with nothing held back and one's sincere effort completely put forth, obstructions to realization can be quickly dissolved. This is among the special qualities of the Rinzai dharma line.
Okyo: Chanting Practice
Okyo is the practice of chanting the Buddhist sutras, dharani and other texts. But much more than a simple recitation of important texts, okyo is a study in the power of energetic vibration and resonance. When performed correctly in samadhi the power of chanting during a ceremony, or the recitation of a dharani or mantra, causes change within the bodies and minds of both the chanter and the listeners. Even basic okyo practice is of tremendous value to all Zen students. Knowledge of chanting to be used for specific situations (for example during times of crisis, or to heal) is also handed down.
Samu: Work Practice
Samu is Zen practice within physical work. Early in its history Zen began to stress the value of labor as spiritual practice, thus breaking from the Indian monastic tradition which forbade farming and other activities. From the Zen perspective wisdom and insight must be expressed practically and must freely function in all our activities. An ideal place to practice this is within the work of daily life.
Cleaning, gardening and other forms of physical labor are traditional samu activities. They additionally nurture a sense of involvement in the community and a practical sense of the causal interconnectedness of things. Structured work practice, like kinhin, is an ideal practice to deepen samadhi off the meditation cushion: it connects silent periods of meditation with the hectic realities of life.
Sesshin and Other Retreats
The retreat called sesshin is perhaps the most intense of the Zen practice forms that have been handed down to us. For a period of time ranging from three to seven days, sesshin participants focus solely on Zen practice. Long hours of zazen, little sleep and frequent guidance from teachers create an environment in which normal obstructions and distractions may be dropped. Sesshin is an unparalleled opportunity to see oneself clearly and to experience deep insight.
Shorter retreats, often called zazenkai, are also useful. Lasting for a day or perhaps overnight, they are concentrated immersions which serve to test and advance the student's level of practice. They are ideal preparation for sesshin.
Solo retreats of short or long duration are a final type used in Zen training, and are undertaken with the permission and guidance of one's teacher.
Study of Texts
There are thousands of Buddhist writings: sutras, commentaries, meditation manuals, poetry, and more. While a conceptual grasp of Buddhist teaching is not the same thing as kensho or the integration of insight which defines true realization, their study is still useful. In Zen training such study is an important tool by which the practitioner "checks" his or her insight: reading the Buddhist canon and the writings of past masters, the student must ensure that his or her experience tallies with them completely.
Internal Training
Internal training is a final and important core element of Zen; a dedicated page on that topic may be found here.
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