In Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki combines instrumental and
noninstrumental rhetoric in an interesting way. He does sometimes present Zen practice
as noninstrumental, but more often he presents Zen practice as instrumental but stresses
that one should practice with a noninstrumental attitude. That is, one should practice
without trying to attain some end, although practice is in fact a means to an end.
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Suzuki implies that enlightenment can be attained—Zen practice is
instrumental—but we need to practice with a noninstrumental attitude: “If our practice is
only a means to attain enlightenment, there is actually no way to attain it! We lost the
meaning of the way to the goal.” To attain enlightenment, according to Suzuki, one
cannot engage in practice as if it is merely a means to attain enlightenment. Meaning
needs to be found in the practice in the present, not just in a goal in the future.
Suzuki then suggests that to find meaning in the practice—practicing
noninstrumentally—is enlightenment: “When we believe in our way firmly, we have
already attained enlightenment. When you believe in your way, enlightenment is there.
But when you cannot believe in the meaning of the practice which you are doing in this
moment, you cannot do anything. You are just wandering around the goal with your
monkey mind.” Suzuki is careful to say that he is not dismissing the idea of a goal; it’s
just not what should be stressed: “We do not slight the idea of attaining enlightenment,
but the most important thing is this moment, not some day in the future. We have to make
our effort in this moment. This is the most important thing for our practice.
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The talk “Nothing Special” is another good example of Suzuki’s complicated
mixture of instrumental and noninstrumental ways of presenting Zen practice, including
his unique understanding of practice as instrumental if one practices with a
noninstrumental attitude.
Suzuki begins this talk with some Dogen-like noninstrumental rhetoric, presenting
practice simply as the expression of our true nature and not as a means to any end:
I do not feel like speaking after zazen. I feel the practice of zazen is
enough. But if I must say something I think I would like to talk about how
wonderful it is to practice zazen. Our purpose is just to keep this practice
forever. This practice started from beginningless time, and it will continue
into an endless future. Strictly speaking, for a human being there is no
other practice than this practice There is no other way of life than this way
of life. Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature.”
Suzuki then shifts to an instrumental form of rhetoric, speaking of practice as a
means to realize one’s true nature: “Of course, whatever we do is the expression of our
true nature, but without this practice it is difficult to realize.”
He then moves into his distinctive rhetoric of practice as instrumental if practiced
noninstrumentally. He says that it is in the nature of being alive that we are active and
always doing something. What is important is our attitude as we do things:
As long as you think, “I am doing this,” or “I have to do this,” or “I must
attain something special,” you are actually not doing anything. When you
give up, when you no longer want something, or when you do not try to do
anything special, then you do something. When there is no gaining idea in
what you do, then you do something.