Eating and Sleeping with Awareness

One day, Zen Master Yuanlu asked Great Pearl Huihai(Dazhu Huihai): “Venerable, do you also exert effort in practicing the Chan?”

Huihai replied: “I do.”
Yuanlu pressed: “How do you exert effort?”
Huihai said: “When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep.”
Perplexed, Yuanlu asked: “But isn’t this what all people do? How does your effort differ?”
Huihai declared: “It is entirely different!”
Yuanlu questioned: “Where lies the difference?”
Huihai explained: “When ordinary people eat, they do not truly eat—their minds swarm with distractions. When they sleep, they do not truly sleep—their thoughts race with fantasies. I am not like them.”

Cultural & Philosophical Notes

The Art of Full Presence:

Huihai’s “effort” is not about special rituals but complete immersion in each act. Eating when hungry, sleeping when tired—seemingly simple—becomes Zen when devoid of mental commentary.

Non-attachment in Action:

While others are distracted by thoughts and desires during daily tasks, the enlightened person performs them with full attention and without clinging to outcomes.

Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Awareness:

While others perform actions mechanically (eating while planning, sleeping while worrying), Huihai embodies wuwei—effortless action aligned with natural flow. His “effort” lies in releasing effort.

The Trap of “Cultivation”:

Yuanlu’s question reflects the delusion that enlightenment requires added practices. Huihai shatters this: true cultivation or Chan practice is subtracting distractions, not accumulating techniques.

Simplicity of the Path:

The dialogue critiques hyper-intellectualized spirituality. Chan practices and enlightenment is not something exotic or distant. It can be realized right here, in the simplicity of daily life, when done with full awareness.