How to Read “Scooping manure is better than sitting in meditation”
Zazen kumu yori koyashi kume
Meaning of “Scooping manure is better than sitting in meditation”
This proverb teaches that practical work matters more than spiritual training. Sitting in meditation to calm your mind has value. But working hard at concrete tasks is more important for daily life and society.
People use this saying when someone talks only about ideals or theories. It reminds them to take action first. You can also use it on yourself when you’re overthinking instead of doing.
The proverb warns against getting lost in abstract thoughts while ignoring real problems in front of you. Even today, it applies when people spend too much time planning and preparing but never execute.
It also fits situations where someone has all the theory down but lacks practical experience. The expression reminds us to value actually rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty.
Origin and Etymology
No one knows exactly when this proverb first appeared in writing. But it likely came from farming villages during the Edo period. Buddhism had strong influence then, and people respected meditation as a way to train the spirit.
However, in actual farming villages, spiritual training mattered less than real labor. Carrying fertilizer to the fields was what truly supported people’s lives.
The phrase “scooping manure” reflects the reality of farming work back then. In Edo period agriculture, fermented human waste was crucial fertilizer. Collecting and transporting this to the fields was hard work. But it was absolutely necessary for good harvests.
This saying captures the practical mindset of farmers. Achieving enlightenment through meditation might be valuable. But first you need to work hard and secure food to eat. That came first.
The proverb shows down-to-earth values in a society where Buddhist culture was widespread. Its special character comes from deliberately emphasizing the value of actual labor in that context.
Usage Examples
- The meeting keeps dragging on with endless discussion. Scooping manure is better than sitting in meditation – we should just make a prototype first.
- If reading self-help books isn’t changing anything, follow the spirit of scooping manure is better than sitting in meditation and take real action.
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has lasted because it understands something deep about human nature. People tend to avoid action and escape into thinking instead. When we face anxiety or fear, we avoid actually moving. We convince ourselves by thinking more or preparing more.
Meditation as spiritual training certainly has value. But it can also become a way to escape from reality.
Our ancestors knew how hard it is to balance reaching for spiritual heights with keeping your feet on the ground. Pursuing ideals looks beautiful. But if you don’t solve real problems in front of you, neither life nor society can function. This truth never changes across time.
What’s interesting is that the proverb doesn’t reject meditation itself. Rather, it points out a question of priorities. Humans have limited time and energy. When choosing how to use them, we must not forget the value of actual work.
Thought and practice. Spirit and body. Ideal and reality. Humans constantly swing between these poles. But living ultimately means accumulating concrete actions. The proverb teaches us this universal truth.
When AI Hears This
Inside someone sitting in meditation, neural circuits in the brain might be organizing themselves. But thermodynamically speaking, that person is just consuming energy in a closed system. The calories from eaten rice dissipate as body heat into the universe. Nothing new gets created.
Scooping manure and spreading it on fields is completely different. You’re taking waste material in a high-entropy state and introducing it into an open system – the soil. Microorganisms break it down. Plants absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.
Then photosynthesis happens using solar energy, creating low-entropy organic matter. Rice and vegetables are born.
What matters here is that life systems are always open systems exchanging energy and matter with the outside. All life on Earth can locally decrease entropy and create order only because of the sun – a massive energy source.
The farmer spreading manure unconsciously practices this universal law. By cycling matter from human waste to food, they work against the universe’s flow toward entropy increase. They nurture new life.
If meditation is an activity that completes itself internally, scooping manure connects with the outside world and circulates energy. The laws of the universe teach that joining the cycle of circulation, even if messy, is far more creative than meditating in isolation.
Lessons for Today
Modern society drowns us in information. We tend to spend too much time learning and thinking. This proverb reminds us how important it is to just move first.
If you want to start something new, you don’t need to wait for perfect preparation. Attending seminars and getting certifications aren’t bad. But they can’t replace actually doing the work.
Take a concrete step, even a small one. Real learning and growth happen through action.
In modern terms, this proverb teaches a “practice first” attitude. In business, hobbies, or relationships, nothing changes from just thinking. Make something even if it’s imperfect. Reach out to someone. Try it.
These concrete actions accumulated move your life forward. Having ideals is important. But what makes them real is your hands, your feet, and your sweat.
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