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Zuowang () is a classic Daoist meditation technique, described as "a state of deep trance or intense absorption, during which no trace of ego-identity is felt and only the underlying cosmic current of the Dao is perceived as real." According to Louis Komjathy, this is one term for Daoist apophatic meditation, which also goes by various other names in Daoist literature, such as , , , and .
Zuowang instructions can be seen in classic Taoist texts from as early as the Chinese Warring States Period, such as the . The term also appears in the title of an influential manual from the Tang dynasty (618–907), the , and continues to inform Daoist contemplative practice today.
In terms of Chinese character classification, this character 坐 is an ideogrammatic compound with two sitting on the ; and is a phono-semantic compound with the "heart-mind radical" semantic element and a phonetic and semantic element. and are etymologically cognate, explained as "(Mentally lost:) absent-minded, forget" (Karlgren, or "'to lose' (from memory)"
Accurately translating is problematic. Compare the remarkable similarities among dictionary translation equivalents.
坐忘 "sitting in oblivion," signifies a state of deep meditative absorption and mystical oneness, during which all sensory and conscious faculties are overcome and which is the base point for attaining Dao. I translate as "oblivion" and "oblivious" rather than "forgetting" or "forgetful" because the connotation of "forget" in English is that one should remember but doesn't do so, or—if used intentionally—that one actively and intentionally does something in the mind. None of these holds true for what ancient and medieval Daoists were about. This is borne out both by the language and the writings: the word in Chinese consists of the character for "mind-heart", usually associated with conscious and emotional reactions to reality and the word for "obliterate" or "perish". The implication is – as indeed described in the sources – that one lets go of all kinds of intentional and reactive patterns and comes to rest in oneness with spirit and is ready to merge completely with Dao.The synonyms and mean "forget; oblivion".
Daoist meditation had parallels in other Chinese religions and philosophies. The practice of was first recorded in the (third century BCE) Legalist classic . Neo-Confucian leaders like Zhu Xi (1130-1200) and Wang Yangming (1472–1529) advocated meditation. ( is the modern Chinese word for "sit-in"). The Chinese Buddhist practice of (namely, Japanese ) uses the word "meditation; abstraction; trance", and uses "think; consider; deliberate". Compare the Buddhist word , which is the ideal manner of death for eminent monks and nuns.
"I'm making progress," said Yen Hui.Compare the above translation by Victor H. Mair with the following.
"What do you mean?" asked Confucius.
"I have forgotten rites and music."
"Not bad, but you still haven't got it."
Yen Hui saw Confucius again on another day and said, "I'm making progress."
"What do you mean?"
"I have forgotten humaneness and righteousness."
"Not bad, but you still haven't got it."
Yen Hui saw Confucius again on another day and said, "I'm making progress."
"What do you mean?"
"I sit and forget."
"What do you mean, 'sit and forget'?" Confucius asked with surprise.
"I slough off my limbs and trunk," said Yen Hui, "dim my intelligence, depart from my form, leave knowledge behind, and become identical with the Transformational Thoroughfare. This is what I mean by 'sit and forget'."
"If you are identical," said Confucius, "then you have no preferences. If you are transformed, then you have no more constants. It's you who is really the worthy one! Please permit me to follow after you."
After three days, he was able to put the world outside himself Once he could do this, I continued my support and after seven days, he was able to put beings outside himself. Once he could do this, I continued my support, and after nine days, he was able to put life outside himself. Once he could do this, he achieved the brightness of dawn, and after this, he could see his own aloneness. After he had managed to see his own aloneness, he could do away with past and present, and after that, he was able to enter a no life and no death.Apophatic meditation practice can also be seen in the following Zhuangzhi passages which speak of "fasting the heartmind":
"You must fast! I will tell you what that means. Do you think that it is easy to do anything while you have a heart-mind? If you do, the luminous cosmos will not support you...Make your aspirations one! Don't listen with your ears; listen with your heart-mind. No, don't listen with your heart-mind; listen with qi. 8 Listening stops with the ears, the heart-mind stops with joining, but qi is empty and waits on all things. The Dao gathers in emptiness alone. Emptiness is the fasting of the heart-mind."
I always fast in order to quiet my mind. When I have fasted for three days, I no longer have any thought of congratulations or rewards, of titles or stipends. When I have fasted for five days, I no longer have any thought of praise or blame, of skill or clumsiness. When I have fasted for seven days, I am so still that I forget I have four limbs and a body-form or structure. By that time, the ruler and his court no longer exist for me. My skill is concentrated and all outside distractions fade away.
The has other allusions to meditation. Yan Hui asks Confucius about (4), and two chapters discuss the question "Can you really make your body become like a withered carcass and your mind like dead ashes?" (2, 24). Harold Oshima clarifies that for Zhuangzi, "forgetting" means to empty the "heart; mind", "just as one empties one's stomach by fasting. This idea of "forgetting" is essential, frequently cited as the most important hurdle in the quest for sagehood. It does not refer, however, to the simple displacing of facts from the mind."
The Xuanxue (lit. "Arcane Learning") "Neo-Daoist" philosopher Guo Xiang (d. 312 CE) redacted the text, and wrote a commentary, which explains .
In a state of sitting in oblivion, what could there be unforgotten? First one forgets all outer manifestations ( 迹]]), then one also forgets that which causes the manifestations. On the inside, one is unaware that there is a self ( 身]]), on the outside one never knows that there is heaven and earth. Thus one becomes utterly empty and can unite with the changes, leaving nothing unpervaded.Tr. , cf. .Guo refers to the Xuanxue philosophical distinction between (Daoist underlying ground of Being) and "traces" (apparent Confucian virtues), "as everything is a trace of the Ultimate Truth, neither real because is not the Truth, nor false because it is its manifestation". In addition, "Guo Xiang interprets the attained state of oneness as one of going along with the changes, adding an ecstatic element of transformation to the basically enstatic notion of oblivion".
The translators render as "Great Pervader", "the Infinite", "Great/ universal/Transformational Thoroughfare", and "Tao". Mair explains that "Transformational Thoroughfare" follows the graphic variant (or copyist's error) of for .
According to Kohn, oblivion and the goal of is associated with , the primordial and cosmic root of creation which is one with Dao. A figure associated with Chaos, Vast Concealment () teaches the following meditation instructions in the Zhuangzi, which is termed "mind nourishing" ():
Just take the position of nonaction and all things unfold naturally. Let your body and limbs fall away, expel perception and intellect, leave relations and things behind in oblivion. Become mystically one with the immense and boundless, release your mind and free your spirit. Be silent and without an active spirit soul that, and the ten thousand things will each return to their root. Each return to their root and rest in unknowing—dark, obscure, chaotic: they remain like this for the rest of their days. However, the moment you try to know this state, you have already effected a separation from it. Don't ask its name, don't measure its foundation—it's the spontaneous life of each being.Guo Xiang comments that is a practice which allows one to recover the primordial cosmic state which has been lost during human development. He calls this first state and says:
This means being oblivious of Heaven and Earth, doing away with beings. On the outside not examining time and space, on the inside never conscious of one's body-self. Thus one can be boundless and unattached, going along with beings and fully according with all.The Tang dynasty Daoist scholar Cheng Xuanying 成玄英 (fl. 631-650) wrote a commentary, linking to , based upon the abstruse two-truths theory of Chinese Buddhist monk Jizang (549-623). Kohn explains, "First one forgets the outer reality (Being), then one forgets its underlying ground (Non-being). Once beyond these two, one reaches a state of both Being and Non-being, which, once again obliterated, becomes one of neither Being nor Non-being, a state of perception that neither accepts nor negates, and is sensorially aware yet utterly pure."
The practitioner is also said to leave the outside world behind them: "Cut off contacts, shut the doors, and to the end of life there will be peace without toil" (ch. 52, 56), it likewise says one should "abandon learning" and be "like an infant". The practice is said to be one of "decreasing and again decreasing" (ch. 48).
The Tao Te Ching also notes that the sense of self and body is the source of our vexations: "The body-self is the reason why I have terrible vexations. If I did not have a body-self, what trouble would I have?" (ch. 13).
Through this practice one can return to the Dao: "All things flourish, but each returns to its root. This return to the root means stillness, it is called recovering original destiny. Recovering original destiny is called the eternal, and to know the eternal is called brightness" (ch. 16).
"I am making progress," said Yan Hui.The version appends a (10) quotation, which is not found in the . Besides some minor differences – such as exchanging and with and , and writing "Transformational Thoroughfare" for "Great Thoroughfare" – these two versions are conspicuously similar. Major et al caution against concluding that the compilers drew upon the . Roth suggests that the received text may have been compiled, along with the , at the Huainan court of Liu An.
"What do you mean?" asked Confucius.
"I have forgotten Rites and Music."
"Not bad, but you still haven't got it."
Yan Hui saw Confucius on another day and said, "I am making progress."
"What do you mean?"
"l have forgotten Humaneness and Rightness."
"Not bad, but you still haven't got it."
Yan Hui saw Confucius again on another day and said, "I sit and forget."
"What do you mean 'sit and forget'?" Confucius asked with surprise.
"I slough off my limbs and trunk," said Yan Hui, "dim my intelligence, depart from my form, leave knowledge behind, and immerse myself in the conduits of transformation. This is what I mean by 'sit and forget'."
"If you are immersed," said Confucius, "then you have no preferences. If you are transformed, then you have no more constants. It is you who is really the worthy one! Please permit me to follow after you."
Therefore the says:
"When nourishing your ethereal soul and embracing the One –
can you not let them go?
In concentrating your and attaining softness,
can you be like an infant?" (12)Tr. .
The text has survived in two editions: one in Zhang Junfang's and Xu Song's , and another in the . A shorter copy was inscribed on a stele erected on Mount Wangwu in 829. Other relevant texts from Tang dynasty masters (such as Sun Simiao and Wu Yun) associated with the Zuowanglun tradition include the , the , the and the . According to Kohn, The was widely published, and is still used among qigong practitioners today. According to Kohn, the Zuowanglun outlines seven steps in the progress of meditation:
As Kohn notes, the texts of this tradition make it clear that the progress through these stages happens gradually.
The more advanced religious practice leading toward Dao is meditation. The practitioner concentrates his internal qi and visualizes the body divinities. Sensory impressions cease. Cravings for outer things diminish. The result is complete oblivion. On the outside become oblivious of all seeing and hearing and in due course all desires to see and hear will cease. On the inside become completely oblivious of thinking and tasting, and in due course all craving for language and food will end. When all without and within has ceased, one can be serene and obscure. In such a state one will return to the state when there were no beings.
On , Twofold mystery commentator Cheng Xuanying states:
Even though auditory perception belongs to the ears and visual power is a function of the eyes, they ultimately depend on the mind. Once one has awakened to the fact that the body does not really exist, that the myriad states of the mind are empty, then one can smash up one's body, drive out intellect and do away with understanding.According to Livia Kohn:
Twofold Mystery thus envisions the mystical process in two steps, described as double forgetting ( 兼忘). Practitioners must first discard all concepts of being, then proceed to discard all ideas of nonbeing. These two are, moreover, identified as mental projections ( 境), i.e., illusory mental imaginations that are projected outward and create an apparent reality of "being;" and active wisdom ( 智) or mind as such ( 心), the inherent function of active consciousness which signifies "nonbeing". "Forgetting" both means the reorganization of ordinary consciousness to absolute consciousness and again from absolute consciousness to no consciousness at all in complete oblivion. Yet the sagely state is not nothingness but the "embodiment of the Dao of Middle Oneness," a state of radiance and surging activity.Furthermore, Kohn states that this tradition was influenced by Buddhist Madhyamaka thought and meditative praxis. The for example, adopts and integrates many Buddhist ideas. In this work, is listed as one of several meditative practices, which include meditation on deities and inhaling Qi. The makes use of Buddhist Madhyamaka analysis and Daoist apophasis in its explication of meditative progress. It breaks down the sense of self identity in terms of the Buddhist Skandha and then goes on to analyze the "emptiness" of real and apparent dharmas phenomena. Later works from the Twofold Mystery tradition continued to develop the theory and practice of sitting in forgetfulness. For example, the describes a sequence of meditative progress beginning with , followed by , , , and finally to realizing awakening and completing ).
One later Daoist tradition which practiced similar forms of apophatic meditation was the Quanzhen School (Complete Perfection) school, which remains to this day a major Daoist school in China. Quanzhen was founded by Wang Chongyang (1113–1170) and his direct disciples. A central practice of this tradition is the cultivation of clarity and purity by being of no mind and no thoughts and not being attached to anything, this allows one to recover the primordial and deathless 'Real Nature' that humans have lost in their worldly concerns. Practicing , , , or was also a very important practice for the Quanzhen school, for which isolation and seclusion was also paramount. The three main types of sitting meditation in this tradition are , , and .
In its practice of mental training, which focuses on stabilizing or settling the heartmind, Quanzhen took some inspiration from Chan Buddhism and taught that one must be aware during all of one's situations and life activities. This can be seen in the following passage of Wang Chongyang:
Now, to "have a sit" (dazuo, to practice meditation) does not refer to the act of assuming the proper posture and closing the eyes. Such is but false sitting. To true sitting you must throughout the twelve double- hours, whether staying, going, sitting, or lying, throughout all your motion and stillness, make your mind be like Mt. Tai—unmoving and unwavering. Grasp and cut off the four gates of your eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Do not allow outer scenery to enter in. If there is any stirring of thought even the size of a silk thread or a single fine fur, it cannot be called "quiet sitting." One who is able to be like this already has his/her name recorded in the ranks of the immortals, even though his/her body resides in the dusty world. He/she need not travel afar to consult another person. In other words, the wise sage (the Real Nature with its intuitive wisdom) is in his/her very own body. In a hundred years his/her merit will be full; shedding his/her shell, he/she ascends to Realization. The single pill of cinnabar is completed, and his/her spirit wanders the eight surfaces.
Now, in speaking of the ways of the mind: Always serenely the mind is kept motionless. Darkly, silently, you do not look at the myriad objects. Dimly, murkily, without an inside nor an outside, you have no thoughts even the size of a silk thread or a single fine fur. This is the stability of mind; it should not be subdued. If you follow your surroundings and give rise to thoughts, stumbling and falling while seeking now the head and now the tail, this is called the disorderly mind. You must cut it off immediately, and you must not follow its whims. It damages and destroys your Tao-virtue and it diminishes your Nature and Life. Whether staying, going, sitting, or lying down, you must diligently subdue it. What you hear, see, know, and understand is but a disease and an ailment to you.Likewise, one of Wang's main disciples, Ma Yu, teaches:
You should reform your misdeeds, but this is not only to be done through seated meditation. You should keep your mind stable for a long time. Going, staying, sitting, and lying down (i.e., all daily activities—a phrase common in Chan discourse) are the practice of the Tao. Gentlemen, quit giving rise to thoughts! Quickly seek out your Nature and Life. If you can just clear your mind and abandon your desires, you will be a Divine Immortal. Acknowledge nothing else and stop having doubts! These are proper and true words. You only need to be constantly clear and constantly pure. Practice this diligently.Another similar meditation practice taught by Wang was based on focusing one's attention on the lower belly, an area known as the Ocean of Qi: "With your mind think of your spirit residing lengthily in your Lower Elixir Field, embracing and guarding the primal qi, without letting it get scattered and lost. This is the Method of Embracing the One."
Through its practice, adepts eliminate all sensory perception and the conscious mind as inherently dualistic and potentially misleading, avoiding the use of the sensory apparatus in attaining higher states. Practitioners thus strive to access what they call pure experience or "sitting in oblivion of everything" by letting go of all ordinary perception while strengthening intuition, the potency of the inborn, natural mind—a pure reflection of original cosmos in human beings. Posture and body control become essential; all analytical, dualistic thinking as well as connection to deities are radically overcome.
Daoists today use to mean a specific form of practice involving loss of self and conscious thought.
Victor H. Mair, polymathic Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, explains:
("sit-forget") is the technical term in early Taoism for meditation. It corresponds roughly to Buddhist (i.e., Zen, from Sanskrit ) but more specifically to ("conjoining"), a trance state in which the mind loses itself in the object of contemplation. This may be thought of as complete obliviousness. There are numerous precise stages and states in Indian meditation. In general, they may be described, in Patanjali's term, as various types of ("mental-action-control"). The highest levels are the various types of trance (, "calming, pacification") in which the yogi becomes one with the universe and in which all trace of mental activity ceases. Similar trance states are described in the , although here the emphasis is less on the voiding () of the mind than it is on "bodilessness" () or exteriorization.
Liu Xingdi of the Leigutai Temple in Shaanxi says:
is allowing everything to slip from the mind, not dwelling on thoughts, allowing them to come and go, simply being at rest. It is important to take a good posture to still the body and calm the mind. Otherwise disperses, attention wanders, and the natural process is disturbed. Just remain empty and there is no separation from Dao. Then wisdom will arise and bring forth light, which is the clear of the person. Do not think too much about the theory of this, otherwise you are sure to disturb the mind. It is like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. To think about stopping it halfway is a futile exercise. Just trust the inherent natural process.
Shi Jing, leader of the British Taoist Association, explains:
is to sit and forget. What we forget is the thing we hold most dearly: self, with all its opinions, beliefs, and ideals. We can be so caught up in the concept of self that we only see the world as a place to fulfill personal ambition and desire.
Eva Wong, author and Quanzhen practitioner, says:
is a dropping of conceptions. When we drop conceptions, what we have is the natural emergence of the natural self, the natural celestial mind, which has been with us all the time. It is only because of our conceptions that we can't experience it. So when we practice , we are simply saying that here is a method where we can begin to drop conceptions.Louis Komjathy, Daoist studies scholar and ordained Daoist priest states:
Apophatic meditation focuses on emptiness and stillness. It is contentless, non-conceptual, and non-dualistic. One simply empties the heart-mind of all emotional and intellectual content...
...First, one withdraws from sensory engagement with the phenomenal world. Then one empties the heart-mind of intellectual and emotional content. Finally, one enters the state of cosmological integration, wherein qi, subtle breath or one's vital force, is the primary layer of being that one listens to. This condition is described as , "emptiness" ( or ), and . As the Dao is Stillness from the Daoist prospective, by entering one's own interior silence one returns to one's innate nature, which is the Dao.
Santee compares Herbert Benson's "Relaxation Response" with Daoist meditation practices. Benson (2000:104-106) cites the classic passage on Yan Hui's as an example of culturally diverse methods for evoking the relaxation response and reducing chronic stress.
The psychiatrist Charles E. Stroebel's "Quieting Reflex" also uses concentration for healing. Kohn describes it as "somewhat closer to Daoist practice," notably the notion of circulating through meridians and Zang-fu.
The holistic psychologist John Diamond's "Behavioral Kinesiology" (1978), which is based upon the controversial applied kinesiology, involves social, physical, and psychological measures to enhance bodily well-being, which Kohn finds to be "very much in agreement with those described by Sun Simiao and Sima Chengzhen."
Livia Kohn concludes:
To sum up, while many of the practices associated with oblivion as an integrated system are still present today—as much as itself is still practiced in Daoist communities—the focus for the most part has shifted toward the more immediate gratification of modern desires: stress release, pain control, healing, and enhanced success and well-being. In addition, there are certain branches of modern science: such as kinesiology and energy medicine, that allow the integration of traditional Daoist views of body and mind into a contemporary scientific framework and are shaping current new developments.
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