Samu, work practice, is a dynamic expression of Zen practice. It gives us an opportunity to test and deepen what we have learned in the Zendo in the midst of daily activity. Because samu brings the fruit of formal practice into our daily life, it is a vital part of Zen training,

Samu is often explained in simple statements such as, “Give yourself to the work” or “Become one with your working,” which are fine and concise expressions, but we can also look deeper into this practice. Any of our daily responsibilities can be an opportunity for samu: cleaning the dishes after eating, caring for an elderly parent, or walking the dog. However, just doing our work doesn’t mean we are doing samu. The commitment to practice is essential if our work is to be samu.

The responsibilities and obligations we undertake every day may vary, but samu practice is always relationship practice. In samu, we practice realizing the union of subject and object, which is complete relationship. The elements of relationship are always the same: subject, object, and distance. Our practice is to dissolve distance, and unify subject and object. Our practice is to realize zero.

UNIFYING SUBJECT

If subject is to unify with the situation, then subject must be of one mind with the task at hand. If we are cleaning up after dinner, that is the task at hand. When we indulge the various stray thoughts that come up, such as “I’m tired,” or “Someone else should do this,” we divide our effort and prevent unity.

Similarly, if an emotion arises and we attach to it, our commitment to practice is undermined. Bringing our subjective content in line with the situation doesn’t require us to suppress such activity, but to reaffirm our commitment to what is before us. Manifesting this commitment transcends our subjective busyness. Just as we bring our wandering mind back to our breathing during zazen, in samu too, we bring our mind back to our situation.

The more we are attached to our subjective activity, the more difficult it is for us to be clear. We tend to myopically attach to the subject, which inevitably causes problems, because the total situation is always more than just the subject.

UNIFYING OBJECT

The object of our experience is never abstract or vague. It is this specific situation, this particular relationship—immediate, physical, and enveloping. We all have experienced moments when we charge into a situation, filled with good intentions perhaps, but oblivious to the nuances of what is actually happening. During those moments, we “know” what should be done—and perhaps we are right—but if we don’t merge with the actual situation, there is no true relationship; it is not practice. When we misunderstand the context, conflict and confusion inevitably arise. The work of each moment is a dynamic meeting of precisely this subject and this object. It is never defined solely by one or the other; it is never abstract, vague, or conceptual.

Perhaps we decide to clean the kitchen before guests come for dinner. We tear into it, really getting everything very clean; but we lose track of time. Too late we realize our guests are arriving momentarily and the kitchen is in disarray. We’ve missed the point.

Focusing solely on our goals, however, is also a problem. When self-interest consumes us, we commonly fail to appreciate our partner in a personal relationship. Perhaps we are going to visit our elderly father or mother. The last time we visited we saw they “needed” to have the garage cleaned out, so we spend our whole visit clearing out the garage, but what our parent really wanted today was a chance to interact with us, to hear about the children, etc. When we miss what is really going on, no one is satisfied. Mom or Dad doesn’t get the attention he or she wanted, and we feel unappreciated for all the hard work we did– frustration and disappointment on both sides.

UNIFYING SUBJECT AND OBJECT

Every experience is the interaction of subject, object, and distance, which is the self-conscious element of experience—our personal self. Zero is realized only when subject and object unify, when there is no distance between them.

How do we do dissolve the distance and unify subject and object? As long as we perceive subject, object, and distance as separate parts, we cannot realize unity. Commonly, we misunderstand the situation in two different ways. One is to identify our personal self with subject, which reduces experience to subject and object—the object being anything other than our self. The other mistake is to see ourselves as apart from both subject and object, as if our true “self” is on the outside, observing ourselves and the world around us. Religions that believe in a soul or atman usually subscribe to this view.

Both of these misunderstandings result in a divided view of life. The first view interprets experience as self vs. other. The second view divides the observer from his or her consciousness of subject and object, rather than embracing them. This view leads us to believe we are separate from both the world and ourselves. The belief in a fundamental division prevents the realization of unity. Tathagata Zen teaches that our complete self is the union of subject, object and distance. Furthermore, nothing is fixed; subject, object, distance and unity are all impermanent. Any perceived distinction is momentary; it arises from and returns to unity each moment. If we do not understand this, suffering inevitably arises.

Subject and object are not outside of us; they are manifestations of our consciousness, which is our self. Distance is not between subject and object; it embraces both We usually perceive subject as part of our consciousness, but subject is not something separate from the rest of our consciousness; it is our consciousness manifesting “subject.” It is our self. Similarly, the objects we are aware of are not outside our consciousness; they are our consciousness manifesting this dog or person or evening. The perception of separation indicates that we are not fully entering into relationship. When we completely embrace subject and object as our self, there is no separation. Distance, subject, and object disappear. There is only unity. Zero.

Embracing subject and object is the essential step. To do that, we must give our love to our world. When we give ourselves completely, the illusion of an observer and all the distinctions that define our world are subsumed in the embrace of subject and object; we realize our true nature and manifest our complete self. When we give ourselves completely to subject and object, distance is no longer distance, but subjective self embracing and being embraced by objective self. Difficulties are naturally transcended when we give ourselves to our world. The loving mother hears her newborn child cry in the middle of the night and responds by getting up and attending to the baby. She may be tired, but it does not give rise to discontent. This is a new mother’s samu.

When we realize our true nature – zero – then we are our work. Subject is our self and object is our self, unifying and separating clearly. To state it another way, when we realize our work as our self, our self manifests samu. When we practice realizing our work as our self, by embracing the varied circumstances of our life, our practice deepens immeasurably. There is a synergy between formal practice and samu practice; each nourishes the other.

When we embrace subject and object as our self, we dissolve the self-made divisions that give rise to frustration and conflict. Subject is not subject; subject is our self. Object is not object; object is our self. The discriminative mind that distinguishes subject and object is transcended. The compassionate mind realizes subject and object as self, which is only possible when we give our self to subject and object. When our whole life is our self, our life is our samu.