The Chan doctrine of 'no-thought'

"The Chan notion of 'no-thought' seems to suggest a sort of mindless, purely instinctual response or perhaps even unconsciousness. Certainly, “no-thought” is not rational in the sense of bare objectivity. However, thoughtless awareness, gained through meditation on the Self, is not inattention; it is an attitude of careful attentiveness to the present situation. "If 'no-thought' is lacking in anything it would be the self-consciousness that typically arises out of the dualism inherent in subject-object thinking. Most assuredly 'no-thought' should not be equated with becoming insentient, that is, an 'object' among others."