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Zen is a way of seeing life clearly.
At its core, it’s about being fully  

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present — whether you're watching 
the sunrise, eating a bowl of rice,  

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or listening to the wind. This philosophy 
comes from the Mahayana branch of Buddhism,  

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a path that values both wisdom and compassion — 
not just for ourselves, but for all living beings. 

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But Zen is more than a religion or philosophy.
It’s a way of living. It teaches that truth is  

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right here, in this moment — in the simple act 
of being awake to life as it is. Zen asks us:  

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Can you sit still and simply be? Can you sweep 
the floor without needing it to mean more  

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than sweeping? Can you drink your tea without 
your mind wandering in a thousand directions?  

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Rather than chasing something better, Zen gently 
points us back to what’s already here. That’s  

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why everyday actions matter so much in Zen.
In a Zen monastery, nothing is too ordinary to  

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be sacred. From how you walk to how you eat to how 
you clean your bowl — every movement is a mirror.  

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It reflects your attention, your care, your state 
of mind. Take the morning routine of a Zen monk.  

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It’s not just a to-do list. It’s a quiet way 
to reconnect — with the body, the breath,  

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and the world. Not by force, but by being fully 
here. From the moment the monks rise, each action  

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is performed with intention. And in this video, 
we’ll look at simple Zen morning rituals — small  

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practices that may seem ordinary, but can 
quietly change the way you move through your day.

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1. Wake Up Before sunlight
In Zen monasteries, the day  

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begins very early — often between 3:30 and 
4:30 in the morning. The sky is still dark,  

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the stars still visible, and the world is quiet. 
Monks don’t wake up early to be more productive  

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or to get ahead. It’s not about doing more. It’s 
about showing up for life. Waking early is seen as  

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a quiet act of devotion — a way to honor each day 
by meeting it with full attention from the start. 

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A wooden board called the Han is struck in 
a slow, steady rhythm to wake the monks. 

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With it, a chant is often heard:
“Life and death are of supreme importance. 

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Time swiftly passes by, and opportunity is lost.
Let us awaken. Awaken! Take heed. 

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Do not squander your life.”
These words are a reminder:  

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life moves quickly, and each moment matters.
Before the world wakes, the early morning  

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offers a chance to remember this —
to wake not just from sleep,  

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but into your own life.
In everyday life, most of us hit snooze,  

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feel annoyed at the alarm, or reach for our phones 
before even getting out of bed… I know I do! 

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The day begins in a blur.
But in Zen, mornings are sacred — a  

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space to start slowly, with care.
And you don’t need to wake up  

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at 3:30 AM to experience that.
What matters isn’t the specific time,  

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but the spirit in which you wake up.
Even waking 15 or 20 minutes earlier  

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can create that moment of calm —
that small space to breathe  

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before the rush begins.
You can sit quietly, stretch,  

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or simply enjoy the stillness. But let 
that time be yours — simple and unhurried. 

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Instead of a jarring alarm, imagine 
waking to a soft sound or a gentle light. 

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As your eyes open, pause. Take a slow breath.
You might even say, “This day is a  

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gift. Let me be present for it.”
It helps to remember how quickly time  

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moves and see how precious each moment really is.
When we understand that nothing lasts forever,  

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we begin to hold our days with more care.
Even the little things — a warm cup of tea,  

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a quiet morning light — 
start to feel like treasures. 

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Zen simply invites you to start the day with 
awareness. To wake not just because you have to,  

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but because you choose to. To greet the day with 
presence and not with stress. So let waking up be  

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a gentle return — to yourself, to the quiet of the 
morning, and to the simple feeling of being alive.

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2. Perform basic hygiene
As soon as monks wake up,  

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they begin their routine — starting off with 
the basics like rinsing their face, brushing  

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their teeth, and using the toilet. But there’s 
something different about how they do it: they  

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do everything slowly, paying close attention to 
each movement. Washing your face becomes more than  

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a chore — it's a moment to become aware of your 
body, your breath, and the start of a new day. 

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After washing up, monks carefully put on 
their robes. The koromo is the outer robe,  

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worn with respect and care, but these 
aren’t just clothes — they’re symbols of  

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commitment to a simpler, more intentional 
life. humility and letting go of excess. 

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And besides, what’s truly powerful is how they 
dress. Every movement is calm and unhurried. Some  

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monks even recite quiet chants while putting on 
their robes, reminding themselves of their purpose  

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— to live with kindness, simplicity and presence.
In Zen, there’s no split between “spiritual” and  

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“ordinary” life. Even getting dressed is 
seen as part of the path. The idea is:  

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how you do anything is how you do everything.
We too can take a few silent minutes after waking  

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up. Just sit, breathe, and notice how you feel.
As you brush your teeth or wash your face,  

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try slowing down. Notice the temperature of 
the water, the smell of the soap, the feel  

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of your body waking up. Be fully present.
Instead of getting dressed on autopilot,  

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try slowing down. Notice your clothes — their 
feel, their shape, the way they’ve been folded.  

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Take a moment to fold them with care, or choose 
what to wear with a little more attention.  

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Even something as simple as picking an outfit 
can become a quiet act of self-respect. 

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Simple things — like washing your 
face or getting dressed — aren’t  

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just chores. They’re small chances to care for 
yourself with presence, one moment at a time. 

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You don’t need to move to a monastery to 
live like a monk. It’s not about changing  

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everything. It’s about changing how you 
move through the life you already have.

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3. Practice Zazen
Zazen — or seated meditation — is at the  

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very heart of Zen. Everything else, from rituals 
to teachings, points back to this one simple act:  

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sitting still and being fully present. In many 
monasteries, after washing and putting on their  

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robes, monks gather quietly in the meditation 
hall, called the zendo. They enter in silence,  

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bow, and take their seats on cushions. They sit 
cross-legged, usually in full or half lotus,  

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with their backs upright and their eyes soft and 
half open. The room is still. There’s no chanting,  

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no music, no instructions. Just 
people sitting. Breathing. Being. 

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Zazen is practiced a little differently 
depending on the tradition. In Soto Zen,  

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it’s known as shikantaza, which means “just 
sitting.” That’s exactly what it is — no  

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techniques, no mantras, no special breathing. 
You simply sit. You stay aware of your body,  

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your breath, the room around you, and 
whatever thoughts or feelings arise.  

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They come and go — like clouds moving 
across the sky. You don’t chase after them,  

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and you don’t push them away. You just return, 
again and again, to the simplicity of sitting.  

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It’s not about reaching a special state or 
becoming a better version of yourself. It’s about  

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being exactly where you are, just as you are.
Rinzai Zen adds something unique to meditation:  

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the koan. A koan is a question or a phrase that 
seems impossible to figure out with logic. You’ve  

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probably heard ones like, “What is the sound of 
one hand clapping?”and “If a tree falls down in  

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a forest and there’s no one around to hear it, 
does it make a sound?” At first, they sound like  

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riddles — strange and unanswerable. And that’s 
the point. In Zen, a koan isn’t meant to be solved  

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with clever thinking. It’s not about coming up 
with the right answer. The point is that it’s  

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something you sit with. You feel it. You let it 
sink in and stir something deeper than thought. 

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Take the deceptively simple question, 
“Who am I?” The mind rushes to answer:  

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“I’m a designer,” “I’m someone who loves books,” 
“I’m a son, a friend...” But Zen invites you to  

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look before all that. Before the name. Before 
the story. Before the labels. What’s left? Well,  

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the koan doesn’t actually ask you to explain. It 
asks you to experience — to notice what’s present  

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before the mind starts talking. And if you stay 
with it long enough, something curious happens.  

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Your thinking mind begins to tire out. It tries 
to find an answer… and fails. Again and again.  

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Until it stops trying. And in that moment — 
when thought lets go — something else shows  

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up. Not an answer. But a quiet presence. A 
kind of awareness that doesn’t need words. 

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That’s how a koan works. It isn’t 
there to teach you something new. 

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It’s there to peel away what’s false.It 
shows you all the identities you cling to.  

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All the beliefs you hide behind. All the 
noise you didn’t know you were caught in. 

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You don’t need to be in a monastery to begin. You 
can start right where you are. Even five or ten  

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minutes is enough. Find a quiet spot. Sit on a 
cushion, a folded blanket, or just a chair. Keep  

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your back straight but relaxed. Let your hands 
rest. Your eyes can be open or closed — whatever  

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feels natural. Let your breath come and go. No 
need to change it. You’re not trying to feel  

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peaceful or reach some special state. You’re just 
sitting. Just being with your breath, with your  

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body, with this moment. That’s the practice.
So forget about doing it perfectly,  

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because Zazen isn’t about getting it right. It’s 
simply about showing up — just as you are. Again  

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and again. It’s learning how to sit still, 
even when your mind is busy. How to be here,  

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even when life around you is noisy or restless. 
And over time, something starts to shift.  

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Not all at once, and not in some big, dramatic 
way. But slowly. Quietly. Like remembering  

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something you’d forgotten. A kind of calm that 
was always there — just waiting for you to notice.

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4. Chant
After the morning meditation,  

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monks often gather for what's called the morning 
service — a quiet time of chanting. These chants  

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are usually drawn from ancient Buddhist texts, 
like the Heart Sutra or the Great Compassion  

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Dharani, and they're often spoken in old languages 
— Sanskrit, Sino-Japanese — that most people,  

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even the monks, don’t fully understand.
But that’s not really the point. 

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The power of chanting doesn’t come from 
translating every word. It comes from being  

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with the sound. The steady rhythm, the flow 
of breath, the gentle vibration of the words  

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as they move through your body — all of it 
becomes part of the practice. And when voices  

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rise together in unison, something beautiful 
happens. A sense of connection. Not just with  

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the people around you, but with something 
older… something larger than any one person. 

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It’s a way of remembering: you’re not alone. You 
belong — to a tradition, a community, a thread of  

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life that stretches far beyond this single moment.
At its heart, chanting is an act of devotion — not  

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necessarily to a god or a figure, but to life 
itself. It’s a way of speaking with care,  

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of breathing with awareness, of showing up 
fully, even in the repetition of a single phrase. 

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You can begin your own version of this. Just 
five minutes in the morning. Sit quietly,  

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and find a line or phrase that feels true 
to you. It could be something traditional,  

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or even something as simple as:
“May I meet this day with openness.” 

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“All beings are connected.” or;
“This breath, this moment, is enough.” 

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Say it slowly. Softly. A few times. Let the sound 
land in your chest. Feel it. And when you finish,  

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maybe bow your head — not to the 
words, but to the day ahead. To your  

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own willingness to meet it with presence.
If you’re drawn to traditional chants,  

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you might listen to recordings of the Heart 
Sutra or other Zen chants. You don’t have to  

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understand them. Just let the sound carry you.
And throughout your day, this practice can  

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continue. A quiet phrase whispered to yourself 
while washing dishes. A line spoken as you walk or  

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wait in line. A small reminder. A soft return.
5. Practice Samu 

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In some monasteries, after morning meditation, 
the monks ease into gentle movement. A few light  

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stretches… slow martial forms… sometimes 
a bit of Qi Gong or yoga. Not to push the  

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body — but to wake it up. To move with 
awareness. To let breath and motion meet. 

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In other places, the day moves straight 
into samu — the practice of work. 

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Samu is a Japanese word that means “work 
practice.” In Zen, it’s not just about  

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finishing a task. It’s about doing something 
— anything — with full attention. Folding a  

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blanket. Sweeping the floor. Pulling weeds from 
a garden. It becomes a kind of moving meditation. 

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You’re not just wiping a table. You’re feeling 
the cloth move in your hand. You’re noticing your  

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breath. Your posture. The pace of your movements.
That’s samu. 

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It’s not separate from meditation 
— it is meditation, just in motion. 

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At a Zen monastery, this is part of daily life. 
Every morning, the temple grounds are cleaned  

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— not because they’re messy, but because caring 
for the space is a form of care for each other.  

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Sweeping becomes a way to sweep the mind. Wiping 
a window becomes a way to bring clarity inside. 

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There’s no music. No small talk. No rush.
Just the sound of the broom, the rhythm of  

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breath, and the task at hand.
There’s an old Zen saying: 

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“A day without work is a day without eating.”
It means work isn’t something outside of  

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practice — it is the practice. You don’t stop 
being mindful when you get up from the cushion  

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after meditating. You carry it with you… into 
everything you do. Even scrubbing the toilet! 

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In the world outside the monastery, we tend 
to separate the spiritual from the ordinary.  

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Meditation goes here. Chores go there. Peace 
is something we look for once the work is done. 

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But Zen doesn’t separate like that.
In samu, you train yourself to bring  

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presence into the small things. And when 
you do, you start to see — the small  

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things were never that small to begin with.
Samu teaches you to slow down. To do all the  

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things with care not because they’re important, 
but because you’re fully present while doing them.  

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And in the end, this moment is all we truly have.
You can try this for yourself. 

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In the morning, wake your body gently — some 
light stretching, maybe a few yoga poses,  

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or just mindful movement. Whatever helps you 
arrive in your body. Do it slowly. Feel each  

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breath. Let that be enough.
Then pick one small task. 

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Make your bed.
Wash a dish. 

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Wipe the table.
No music. No phone. No distractions. 

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Just slow, simple movement. Feel the warmth 
of the water. Hear the sounds around you.  

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Notice the rhythm of your breath as you work.
You’re not doing this to get it over with. You’re  

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doing it to be with it. That’s the shift.
Even a few minutes a morning like this and  

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over time, you start to care less about 
how fast it’s done… and more about how  

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present you were while doing it.
And in that… there’s peace.

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6. Practice Oryoki
Oryoki is an old way of  

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eating practiced in Zen monasteries.
The word means “just enough.” 

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It’s a quiet, mindful way to share a meal — 
not just to fill the stomach, but to honour  

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the food as something sacred.
In the early morning,  

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monks gather in silence for breakfast.
Each person carries a special set of bowls  

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— nested inside each other, wrapped in cloth.
From the moment the cloth is opened, to the final  

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wash — everything is done slowly, with care.
Nothing is rushed. Nothing is wasted. 

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And just like Samu, there’s no talking, 
no phones, no music, no distractions. 

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Just the simple act of eating, 
done with full presence. 

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Before the meal begins, there’s a chant — not 
out of habit, but as a way to give thanks: 

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Thanks to the farmers.
Thanks to the cooks. 

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Thanks to the life that 
gave itself, so we may eat. 

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The meal itself is simple — warm rice porridge, 
a bit of soup, some pickled vegetables. 

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It’s not about flavour or 
indulgence. It’s about nourishment. 

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Because the beauty of oryoki is not in 
what’s eaten — but in how it’s eaten. 

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Every movement matters. Every bite is noticed.
Eating becomes a kind of meditation. 

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When the meal is done, it doesn’t just end.
A small piece of pickled plum or radish is  

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placed in the bowl with warm water.
The monk gently cleans the bowl  

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using their fingers.
That water — now filled  

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with the taste of the meal — is sipped quietly.
So nothing is wasted. Not even the rinse water. 

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It’s a small act — but a powerful one.
A reminder: every drop matters. 

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Every part of this meal came from effort — from 
the earth it grew from, to the hands that cooked  

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it, nothing is taken for granted.
When the bowls are clean and dry,  

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they’re wrapped and folded with care.
No part of the process is hurried. 

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Even the clean-up is part of the practice.
Now think about how we often eat — 

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While working.
While watching something. 

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While rushing to the next thing.
Food often becomes background noise. 

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We don’t even taste it.
We keep eating even when we’re full. 

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And we forget how lucky we 
are to have food at all. 

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Oryoki asks us to slow down 
and turn mealtime into a 

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moment of gratitude, simplicity and presence.
It teaches us not to take more than we need. 

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It teaches us to let go of 
strong likes and dislikes. 

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It teaches us to receive what’s in front of us 
— whether it’s delicious, or even just plain. 

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In a world that pushes for 
more, oryoki quietly asks: 

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What is enough?
You don’t need monastery bowls or  

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ceremonies to bring this into your life.
Instead, simply: 

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– Start with gratitude.
Before your meal, pause. Take a breath.  

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Say thank you — in your own way.
– Eat in silence. 

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Even for just a few minutes. No 
phone. No TV. Just be with the food. 

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– Use your hands with care.
Notice how you hold your spoon. How you place  

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your cup. Move gently, respectfully.
– Listen to your body. 

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Ask yourself: Is this enough?
Oryoki is about “just enough.” Not  

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too little. Not too much.
– Clean up slowly. 

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Washing your plate can be the final 
thank you. A quiet part of the ritual. 

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So hopefully, you can see that Oryoki 
isn’t about being strict or perfect. 

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It’s about remembering.
Remembering that this meal… this  

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body… this life — none of it is guaranteed.
And in this moment, we are fed. 

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We are here.
And that… is enough.

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sure to check out our full philosophies  

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00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:34,000
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