Devices Zen and the Direct Path

[Astus]

"Generally speaking, Zen teachers nowadays instruct people by setting up rules or using devices. believing that without devices they can't manage, behaving as if without them it's impossible to instruct anyone, they're unable to teach by simply pointing things out directly. To teach people [this way], unable to manage without devices, is 'devices Zen.'
"Others tell students pursuing this teaching that it's no good unless they rouse a great ball of doubt and succeed in breaking through it. 'No matter what,' they tell them, 'you've got to rouse a ball of doubt!' They don't teach, 'Abide in the Unborn Buddha Mind!' [but instead] cause people without any ball of doubt to saddle themselves with one, making them exchange the Buddha Mind for a ball of doubt. A mistaken business, isn't it!"
(Bankei Yotaku, tr. Peter Haskel)

[LastLegend]

"Generally speaking, Zen teachers nowadays instruct people by setting up rules or using devices. believing that without devices they can't manage, behaving as if without them it's impossible to instruct anyone, they're unable to teach by simply pointing things out directly. To teach people [this way], unable to manage without devices, is 'devices Zen.'
"Others tell students pursuing this teaching that it's no good unless they rouse a great ball of doubt and succeed in breaking through it. 'No matter what,' they tell them, 'you've got to rouse a ball of doubt!' They don't teach, 'Abide in the Unborn Buddha Mind!' [but instead] cause people without any ball of doubt to saddle themselves with one, making them exchange the Buddha Mind for a ball of doubt. A mistaken business, isn't it!"
(Bankei Yotaku, tr. Peter Haskel)

If the teachers are not enlightened, they cannot teach direct path.

[Astus]

If the teachers are not enlightened, they cannot teach direct path.

Neither can they teach Zen.

[Malcolm]

If the teachers are not enlightened, they cannot teach direct path.

Neither can they teach Zen.

Guess there are not many teachers of Zen, then.

[Kyosan]

There is nothing wrong with using expedients/devices if it helps beings. Helping beings is what Buddhism is all about. This is explained in chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra.

[PadmaVonSamba]

Hooray for Bankai! He always knew what to say.

[Astus]

It is not that there is a problem with expedients. But Zen - unlike the other paths - is about directly seeing the nature of mind. Using methods and techniques to gradually come to realisation and instantly accessing the buddha-mind are both valid. Bankei was among those few who kept alive that tradition of Bodhidharma, Huineng, Mazu and Linji to teach the immediate way. On the other hand, Hakuin - who lived a bit later - established a gradual practice of training with koans.

[Kyosan]

It is not that there is a problem with expedients. But Zen - unlike the other paths - is about directly seeing the nature of mind. Using methods and techniques to gradually come to realisation and instantly accessing the buddha-mind are both valid. Bankei was among those few who kept alive that tradition of Bodhidharma, Huineng, Mazu and Linji to teach the immediate way. On the other hand, Hakuin - who lived a bit later - established a gradual practice of training with koans.

I think that the teachers should use whatever methods they feel are most helpful to their students. Different teachers might have different ideas on what the most effective methods are. That's one reason why we see such a large variety of methods in Buddhism. And different methods are meant for different types of people.