Walking with the Method – Chan Walking

Hiking has always been a popular trend. Some have also advocated "walking 10,000 steps a day." We walk every day, but do we really know how to walk properly? 

In addition, walking is a method of Chan practice, also known as "walking meditation." Depending on the speed, the walking can be categorized into slow-, natural-, or fast-walking. Natural walking meditation is practiced at normal walking speed, but with the mind focusing on the posture and steps, paying no attention to other discursive thoughts. Therefore, it is referred to as "Chan walking."

When practicing Chan walking, the feet are gently raised and carefully planted. Regardless of whether a short or a long walk, the walking pace and the stride length should remain consistent. Meanwhile, instead of being occupied with thoughts about how far it is to the destination or how much longer it will take, simply walk on, step by step, experiencing the feeling of "taking only one step at a time." As Master Sheng Yen indicated, be clearly aware of each and every step we take.

The essence of Chan walking is also to "keep your mind where your body is; be clearly aware of the relaxation, and relax the whole body." When we walk mindfully, not only can we walk more at ease, but we will also not get tired easily. Even when we have to cut the time by walking quickly, we can move quickly while keeping our mind relaxed. As the saying goes, "Be quick, but don’t hurry." Focusing our attention on the movement itself is also a very good way to collect our mind.



Related articles:

Toning the Body and Strengthening the Mind – Exercise and Chan

​Adding Chan to Your Exercise: Q&A on Exercise and Chan Practice

Let's Practice Chan Running

Walking with the Method – Chan Walking


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Resource: Issue 423 of Humanity  Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation: Sinag-ling Li (李祥苓)
Editing: Keith Brown, Chia-Cheng Chang (張家誠)
Photos provided by Fan Lee, 李東陽