Samu
Zen monks at the Samu in Myōshin-ji
Samu ( jap. 作 務 ) is the name in Zen Buddhism for meditative work in a monastic context, which can lead to complete awareness just as much as the practice of zazen .
Many Zen stories tell of the realization of the vision of being ( kensho ) and awakening ( satori ) while peeling vegetables in the kitchen or sweeping the yard. Samu is also often practiced by laypeople with sesshins in order to facilitate the practice of Zen in everyday life later. In this work, how is decisive, not the result or the time in which the work was completed. Samu is usually done one to two hours a day as a supplement to zazen. The devotion is shown in the fact that the practitioner carries out every work assigned to him with great mindfulness.