The Zen doctrine of "No Mind" does not imply no awareness. Mind is a configuration of Awareness and when Awareness is un-configured mind does not exist. Awareness un-configured and wholly Aware is the touchstone of being.
It is through meditation that we develop the silence of mind known as "No Mind". This silence is not one of trance but rather one of an Aware stillness in the midst of movement. This is not an end. This is the beginning of life on a different plane of existence. This skill makes possible the understanding of our humanity.
The achievement of "No Mind" is the coming into being of an equilibrium that will sense the sway of creature-hood the same way a ball on an inclined plane will experience the pull of gravity.
In no way does this invalidate the vagaries of creature-hood. But it is the difference between a puppet and a dance master.
