Zuowang Meditation 坐忘

Daoist Studies and Practices

Research by
Michael P. Garofalo
Red Bluff, California

Bibliography Quotations General Meditation

Standing Zhan Zhuang Meditation Walking Meditation

Primordial Wuji Qigong Qigong Tai Chi Taoism

Zuowang, Sitting and Forgetting, Entering Stillness
Bibliography, Links, Resources

Daoist Zuowang Meditation. Michael Rinaldini, Taoist priest, talks about his experiences with different meditation techniques, and his use of Zuowang meditation. "Zuowang meditation is a core Daoist practice consisting of The View that we are already a part of a complete whole- the Dao, and that our Original Nature is realized simply through the resting in non-dual awareness that there are not two things in the entire universe. The method is allowing everything to slip from the mind, forgetting, not dwelling on thoughts, no preferences."

An Exploration of Zuowang. By Lori Furbush. An informative and concise explanation, references, and a poem.

"Interview: Eva Wong - Quanzhen." By Jing, Shi. The Dragon's Mouth, British Taoist Association, Issue 1, 2007.

"An Interview with Liu Xingdi." By Jing, Shi. The Dragon's Mouth, British Taoist Association, Issue 3, 2005, p. 6-.

Kohn, Livia Ph.D., 1954- Extensive informative publications about the history, theory, lore, and practices of Daoism.

Meditation and Psychotheraphy By Greg Bogart, Ph.D. An informative review of the literature regarding the psychotherapeutic benefits or drawbacks of different styles of meditation.

Meditation Opens the Heart Mark Forstater. Discussion of Confucius’ advice to his disciple Yen Hui as found in in Chuang Tzu (6)

Original Tao: Inward Training (Nei-yeh) and the Foundations of Taoist Mysticism. By Harold Roth. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.

"Psychology and Self-Cultivation in Early Taoistic Thought." By Harold D. Roth. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 51:2:599-650.

The Secrets of Chinese Meditation: Self-Cultivation by Mind Control as Taught in the Chan, Mahayana and Taoist Schools in China. By Kuan Lu Yu, Charles Luk. Red Wheel, Weiser, 2007. 256 pages. ISBN: 0877280665.

Seven Steps to the Tao: Sima Chengzhen's Zuowanglun. By Livia Kohn. Nettetal: Steyler Verlag - Wort und Werk, 1987. Out of print.

"Sitting and Forgetting: An Introduction to Zuowang." By Jing, Shi. The Dragon's Mouth, British Taoist Association, Issue 1, 2006, pp. 10-13.

Tao and Longevity: Mind-Body Transformation. Translated by Wen Kuan Chu, Ph.D.. Translated from the original Chinese by Huai-Chin Na. Edited by Karen Allen, Pd.D. Boston, Weiser Books, 1984. Index, 145 pages. ISBN: 087728542X. VSCL.

Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques. Edited by Livia Kohn in cooperation with Yoshinobu Sakade. The Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Harbor, 1989. Michigan Monographs in Chinese Studies, V. 61. Index, detailed notes and bibliographies from the contributors, 384 pages. Essays by: Yoshinobu Sakade, Hidemi Ishida, Akira Akahori, Toshiaki Yamada, Livia Kohn, Isabelle Robinet, Catherine Despeux, Ute Engelhardt, and Kunio Miura. ISBN: 0892640855. VSCL. Includes the essay by Livia Kohn, Guarding the One: Concentrative Meditation in Taoism, pp. 125-158.

Quanzhen (Complete Reality) Taoism attempts to integrate wisdom and useful practices from Buddhism, Chan, Taoism, Chinese Shamanism, Confucianism, Tantric Buddhism, and Yoga. Here are some other types of meditation styles one might hear about when working with Taoists who use Zuowang Meditation.

Qigong (Chi Kung, Daoyin, Yangshengong, Wuji, 18 Buddha Hands Qigong, Yi Quan, etc.) Chinese meditation methods.

Walking Meditation Extensive bibliography, links, instructions, resources, methods, quotations. By Mike Garofalo. A variety of walking meditation methods are covered.

"Yan Hui saw Confucius again and said, "I have made progress."
"What do you mean?" asked Confucius.
"I sit and forget everything."
Confucius was alarmed and asked, "What do you mean by sitting down and forgetting everything?"
Yan Hui replied, "I leave behind my body, perception and knowledge. Detached from both material form and mind.
I become one with that which penetrates all things. This I call sitting and forgetting everything."
Confucius said, "If you are one with that which penetrates all things you will be free from partiality. If you are
transformed thus you have become evanescent. You are truly a worthy man. I ask to follow your steps."
- Zhuangzi, Book 6, Translated by Hyun Hochsmann and Yang Guorong, 2007, p. 123.

"Zuowang appears in the 8th century, under clear influence of Tientai Buddhist insight meditation (samatha vipassana) as a form of consciously reorganizing one's perception of self and world. It is not really, at the time, a sitting and doing nothing. I suspect that it becomes that gradually as it evolves in the 9th century. It is then that we also see the classic Zen radicalism of "meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha" and the rejection of all conscious content and aspiration as well as energy work. This continues in the Song dynasty in Buddhist circles and also spreads over into Daoism. Neidan evolves as a separate branch of all this, using longevity techniques, breathing, qi-work, and zuowang-style insight meditation, and combining these methods into a complex system that also uses alchemical vocabulary and a lot of I-ching symbolism. The energy work done in neidan, with however many methods, is thus both similar and different to the zuowang and chan methods. As with all Daoist practices, a lot depends on where the individual practitioner is coming from and what his/her specific strengths and needs are. You may find some quite expert at letting the mind go who need to focus more on physical transformation and whose practice will look completely different from chan/zuowang/insight. You may have others who have a good grip on qi transformation and cirulation who need to work on opening their conscious minds to the Dao and on letting go of preconceptions, whose practice will accordingly be more zenny in style."
- Livia Kohn, commenting on a question from Michael Winn, regarding her book Seven Steps to the Tao

"So let's start by just being aware of the world around us. Look out there at the sky, and just relax your mind; let your mind and the sky mingle. Notice the clouds floating by. Notice that this takes no effort on your part. Your present awareness, in which these clouds are floating, is very simple, very easy, effortless, spontaneous. You simply notice that there is an effortless awareness of the clouds. The same is true of those trees, and those birds, and those rocks. You simply and effortlessly witness them. Look now at the sensations in your own body. You can be aware of whatever bodily feelings are present-perhaps pressure where you are sitting, perhaps warmth in your tummy, maybe tightness in your neck. But even if these feelings are tight and tense, you can easily be aware of them. These feelings arise in your present awareness, and that awareness is very simple, easy, effortless, spontaneous. You simply and effortlessly witness them. Look at the thoughts arising in your mind. You might notice various images, symbols, concepts, desires, hopes and fears, all spontaneously arising in your awareness. They arise, stay a bit, and pass. These thoughts and feelings arise in your present awareness, and that awareness is very simple, effortless, spontaneous. You simply and effortlessly witness them. So notice: you can see the clouds float by because you are not those clouds-you are the witness of those clouds. You can feel bodily feelings because you are not those feelings-you are the witness of those feelings. You can see thoughts float by because you are not those thoughts-you are the witness of those thoughts. Spontaneously and naturally, these things all arise, on their own, in your present, effortless awareness."
- Ken Wilbur, So Who Are You

"To truly drink tea, in fact to really interact with any aspect of life, requires the individual to cleanse oneself, both internally and externally, and still one's mind/heart. To still one's mind/heart, however, does not mean to change one's environment or to run away from the challenges of life. You cannot still your mind/heart by simply changing your circumstances. To still your mind/heart you must practice sitting in forgetfulness (zuo wang). To still one's mind/heart is to forget the self-imposed and society imposed restrictions and judgments that fragment us from the process of Tao. It is to forget the superficiality, the fragrance which pollutes the mind/heart and drives its desires. When we are no longer fragmented, polluted and driven by contrived desires, heaven, earth and people are united into one process. At this point, we are sincerely interacting through all of our senses and mind with our environment and the people who populate it. This interaction is a continual process known as Tao."
- Robert Santee, A Taoist Tea Ceremony

"Just watch out that
Above the concentrated mind
Everything is free and open and coverless,
Beneath the concentrated mind
Everything is wide and spacious and bottomless."
- Sima Chengzhen's, Zuowanglun

"In meditation let there be a continuous non-verbalizing awareness of posture, breath, environment (context). Nothing, such as breath, needs to be singled out for special attention. Maintain an effortless awareness of everything simultaneously. There is no need to zero in on any particular subject/object of awareness, nor to flit from one to another. Verbalizing (thinking), when noticed, may be dropped mid-sentence, with feeling/awareness returning naturally to posture, breath and over-all context.
breathing in -
nothing is left out.
breathing out -
in disappears."
- Buddha Dada

"Profoundly serene is also called Zuo Wang (Sitting and Forgetting, or Sitting in Abstraction.) The terms 'Profoundly Serene,' 'Sit in Abstraction,' and 'Lofty Tranquillity' are all ancient expressions of detachment. Thus the Han History has, "Laozi was profoundly serene" and Huainanzi has, "The way of heaven is profoundly serene, without fixed form or pattern"; Zhuangzi relates Yan Hui telling Confucius he feels better because he can just "sit in abstraction." Literati artists continued to call on these expressions to describe the attitude they should have when creating works of art."
- Profoundly Serene

"It is futile to travel to other dusty countries thus forsaking your own seat. If your first step is false, you will immediately stumble. All you have to do is cease from erudition, withdrawn within and reflect upon yourself. Should you be able to cast off body and mind naturally, the Buddha Mind will immediately manifest itself. If you want to find it quickly, you must start at once."
- Master Eihei Dogen, 1227, Funkanzazengi (Rules for Meditation).

"Natural Meditation is simply resting as effortless, choiceless, silent awareness. Simply means natural meditation is not difficult or complex. It is a natural, effortless way of being. Resting means you are not up to something. You are not attempting to do, change, or accomplish anything. You are simply resting, allowing everything to be as it is. Effortless means you are not trying to make anything happen. You accept and welcome everything as it is, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Choiceless means you don’t have to choose one thought, feeling, or experience over another, nor think or figure anything out. Silent means resting as the silence that everything arises out of and returns to. Silence is the source of all there is. Silence is what is. You are this silence. Awareness is This that allows everything to be. Awareness is all-inclusive. It is the ultimate context of all and everything. You are this effortless awareness. This is what is true under all circumstances. Even if you argue that there are times you are not aware, such as in deep sleep, how do you know? You are aware that you were not conscious while sleeping. Simply rest as this primordial awareness, aware of itself. When meditating, it is helpful to sit in a comfortable, upright position, with spine, neck, and head in alignment."
- The Awakened Heart, Natural Meditation

"Although you should practice hard and treat this exercise [Preserving Energy - Seated Meditation] seriously and carefully, do not be anxious for a quick result. As ancient Chinese philosophy says: "You should not be anxious to feel something in your mind and there should be no temptation to feel something. If you place your mind too heavily into something, you will perceive the illusion of that something. If you have no temptation, you will not get anything. If you want to achieve something, drift between concentration and no concentration, and it will always be there." In conclusion, relax,
enjoy, do not worry, avoid becoming anxious and try to practice regularly without pushing yourself too hard. Have the motivation to practice but try not to focus on the end result."
- Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, Tai Chi for Health, 2005, p. 66.

"Unlike the Inner Smile, which employs a positive embrace to dissolve fixed perception, zuowang initially employs a negative method in the sense of releasing what is unwanted. The main difference is the Inner Smile stays heart-centered, whereas zuowang does not use ongoing heart-focus. The phrase fasting the heart-mind was made famous by Zhuangzi in 2nd century B.C.E. and later popularized by Sima Chengzhens classic Zuowang lun in the 8th-century (Kohn 1987). Today zuowang's "sitting in forgetfulness survives as a staple of modern Chinese Daoist meditators and their acolytes in the West (Rinaldini 2008; Phillips 2008). Zuowang practice helps the adept to surrender to the impersonal qi-field of heaven and earth. But it does not necessarily integrate human heartedness. Zuowang likely inspired Chan Buddhist sitting in emptiness, which can feel a bit cold, too mental or impersonal for some Westerners. Yet Daoist zuowang differs from Chan methods and their Japanese Zen Buddhist offspring in that attaining absolute emptiness is not the goal. In zuowang the emphasis is more on process, on cultivating spontaneity and openness to ever-changing currents of the qi-field. The dissolving of the heart-mind is achieved by allowing each thought, feeling or sensation to manifest without resistance, and then surrender it to the larger flow of the qi-field to be creatively transformed. Eventually an unperturbed yet engaged state of mind is achieved. So zuowang ultimately shifts from release of the negative to a positive embrace of spontaneity and wu wei. Robinet astutely points out in her preface to Kohns translation of the Zuowang lun that the process goes beyond qigong, which grants only longevity. Zuowang is a method of salvation, and as such is actually preparatory for higher alchemy practice. Zuowang is a double dissolving, first of the contents of the heart-mind and then of the minds method of dissolving itself."
- Michael Winn, Daoist Methods of Dissolving the Heart-Mind.

"Keep in mind that "Zuowang" refers to the state of mind that is reached during the meditation and not any specific method. Zuowang meditation is a state of open awareness of any thought or sensory input that may arise. You do not try to control thoughts, emotions or sensory feelings, just watch them come and go. Understand the difference between wu wei and yu wei. Wu wei is the absence of intentional action, whereas yu wei is action that is directed by intent. Ultimately, Zuowang is a state of effortless awareness, but you may need to practice yu wei to arrive at that state. Sit down in a chair, or on the floor. Make sure your spine is straight. Relax your body and your mind. If you cannot enter directly into choiceless awareness, you may need to employ yu wei instead of wu wei. To do this, you can unite the mind with the breath by focusing on the breath without controlling it. After a while, your mind will settle down and your only awareness will be of the breath. After practicing breath focus for a while, your concentration will develop to the point that you can keep an open awareness of anything that comes into your mind without dwelling on it. This is the point that you enter Zuowang, with wu wei. Gradually increase the time spent in Zuowang meditation. Practice every day, preferably at the same time of day. Incorporate Zuowang into your everyday activities. If you are washing dishes, practice Zuowang to remain present in the moment, not dwelling on anything."
- Practicing Zuowang

"A foundational Daoist meditation practice centers on clarity, stillness, and emptiness. One sits in a comfortable position either on a cushion or in a chair, and begins to draw the senses inward, to withdraw from the world of sensory phenomena and habitual reactivity. The spine is erect, and the crown of the head and coccyx relax away from each other. One allows breathing to be natural, for respiration to find its own rhythm. The hands are either placed palms down on the knees or joined in front of the navel in a Daoist mudra position. With the tip of the tongue touching the upper palate, one focuses on emptying and stilling. The ears listen to the center of the head. With the eyelids hanging and the eyes slightly open, the gaze rests on the tip of the nose. Then the gaze extends down the front centerline of the body to rest on the lower elixir field (lower abdomen). One allows emotional and intellectual activity to become stilled and to dissipate naturally. Over time, stillness deepens and clarity increases. In Daoism, this practice is often referred to as "entering stillness" (rujing 入靜), "guarding the One” (shouyi 守一), "quiet sitting" (jingzuo 靜坐), "sitting-in-forgetfulness" (zuowang 坐忘), or "fasting the heart-mind" (xinzhai 心齋). For those beginning Daoist meditation, daily practice in the morning and in the evening, lasting from twenty to forty minutes is recommended. Of these various parameters, commitment to daily practice is most important."
- Daoist Meditation, The Daoist Foundation

"Strictly speaking, any effort we make is not good for our practice because it creates waves in our mind. It is impossible, however, to attain absolute calmness of our mind without any effort. We must make some effort, but we must forget ourselves in the effort we make. In this realm there is no subjectivity or objectivity. Our mind is just calm, without even any awareness. In this unawareness, every effort and every idea and thought will vanish. So it is necessary for us to encourage ourselves and to make an effort up to the last moment, when all effort disappears."
- Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

“You must fast. I’ll tell you why. Is it easy to work from pre-conceived ideas? Heaven frowns on those who think it is easy. ... Your will must be one. Do not listen with your ears but with your mind. Do not listen with your mind but with your chi. Ears can only hear, mind can only think, but chi is energy, receptive to all things. Tao abides in emptiness. Emptiness is the fasting of the mind. ... It is in emptiness that light is born. There is happiness in stillness. Lack of stillness is called sitting while wandering. If you are open to everything you see and hear, and allow this to act through you, even gods and spirits will come to you, not to speak of men. This is the transformation of ten thousand things, the secret of the wise kings.“
- Chuang Tzu, Book 6.

"Taoism includes a number of meditative and contemplative traditions, said to have their principles described in the I Ching, Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu and Tao Tsang among other texts. The multitude of schools relating to Qigong, Neigong, Internal alchemy, Daoyin and Zhan zhuang is a large, diverse array of breath-training practices in aid of meditation with much influence on later Chinese Buddhism and with much influence on traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese as well as some Japanese martial arts. The Chinese martial art T'ai Chi Ch'uan is named after the well-known focus for Taoist and Neo-Confucian meditation, the T'ai Chi T'u, and is often referred to as “meditation in motion”. "The Guanzi essay 'Neiye' 內業 (Inward training) is the oldest received writing on the subject of the cultivation of vapor and meditation techniques. The essay was probably composed at the Jixia Academy in Qi in the late fourth century B.C. Often Taoist Internal martial arts, especially Tai Chi Chuan are thought of as moving meditation. A common phrase being, "movement in stillness" referring to energetic movement in passive Qigong and seated Taoist meditation; with the converse being "stillness in movement", a state of mental calm and meditation in the tai chi form."
- Meditation - Wikipedia

"When a man's body is at ease and his spirit is recovered, he becomes One with heaven."

Ripening Peaches

Zuowang Meditation 坐忘

Daoist Studies and Practices

Research by Michael P. Garofalo Red Bluff, California

Research by
Michael P. Garofalo
Red Bluff, California