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During sesshin meditation retreat there is samu practical work Could you give some pointers to how do samu not the work of the hands but of how to use the mind please.

January 11, 2014, 8:16 pmWhen sitting in the Zendo the seated posture is a good support for your mind. Do not get fooled though by that silence. There are those who follow thoughts, those who intoxicate themselves, those who have a good concentration at the beginning but then get weaker - there are many types of people. To really be able to sit until you forget your body in the surroundings is rarely possible. Hakuin Zenji said: The practice in daily life is worth 10.000 times then the sitting practice. You need your complete concentration to become one with the work. Yet working on concentration during samu strengthens your concentration of zazen a lot faster. To not mix in unnecessary thoughts works well. When there are other thoughts entering, it is hard to do the work well. That is why it is possible during concentration in daily work to suddenly encounter your true life energy.