The Meaning of Practice

Text

A monk asked Wuzhun, "What is the meaning of a lifetime of practice?" Wuzhun said, "Walking, standing, sitting, lying down." The monk said, "Everyone walks, stands, sits, and lies down. How is that practice?" Wuzhun said, "When I walk, I only walk. When I sit, I only sit. You walk and think of sitting. You sit and think of walking. That is the difference."

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Speaker
  Wuzhun Shifan

Lineage: Yangqi line

From Traditional Zen Encounter Dialogues

• My Mind Is Not at Peace
• Thinking of Not-Thinking
• Not Knowing Is Most Intimate
• The Boat Monk's Transmission
• The Sound of Bamboo
• Vast Emptiness, Nothing Holy
• Ordinary Mind Is the Way
• Nanquan Kills the Cat
• Wash Your Bowl
• The Oak Tree in the Garden

Sources

• contentWikisource — English-language free library

  Wuzhun Shifan Chanshi Yulu, encounter dialogues

  Traditional Zen Encounter Dialogues: The Meaning of Practice