Work as practice (samu)

Bring full, wholehearted attention to ordinary tasks, treating activity itself as meditation.

Why it works

Zen extends practice off the cushion through samu — mindful work. Giving complete attention to a simple task (sweeping, cooking, cleaning) generalizes the present-moment awareness trained in zazen into daily activity, dissolving the split between "meditation time" and "real life" so awareness becomes continuous rather than compartmentalized.

How to do it

1. Choose a routine task and do it with full attention to the movements and sensations involved.
2. Drop the goal of finishing fast; let the doing itself be the point.
3. When the mind wanders to other things, return attention to the task at hand.
4. Treat humble, repetitive chores as prime practice, not interruptions to it.

Evidence

Work-as-practice overlaps with informal mindfulness in daily life, which has general support within the broader mindfulness literature. The specific samu tradition is experiential and not separately studied. (mechanistic)

Informal present-moment attention is broadly supported; samu as a distinct practice has no dedicated controlled evidence.

Common mistake

Reserving "practice" for the cushion and rushing through chores on autopilot, missing that mundane activity is exactly where Zen aims to make awareness continuous.