Inner Culture

Daiji said to his monks, "Brothers, it is better to dig inwardly one food than to spread Dharma outwardly ten feet. Your inner culture of one inch is better than your preaching of ten inches." In order to balance and clarify this statement, Tozan said, "I preach what I can not practise, and I practise what I can not preach."

One good deed is better than one hundred beautiful words. In ancient days, as today, words were more numerous than deeds. Daiji emphasises the importance of doing rather than talking. Tozan flips the coin and states that both speech and action have value; they should not be compared. But both Masters stand firm on one point: look within!