Layman P’ang
Chan Buddhism · ~740–808
“How marvelous! I draw water and carry firewood.”
Layman P’ang was a Chinese Chan master and householder who never took monastic vows. He famously loaded his fortune onto a boat and sank it in the river, choosing to live in poverty with his family.
His Recorded Sayings are unusual: not the words of a monk on a mountain but a working layperson in dialogue with the great masters of his time.
For anyone who feels “I’m not a monastic, can I really practise?” — P’ang is the answer. Drawing water and carrying firewood, done with full attention, is the whole of it.
Key teachings
The Householder Path
Practice belongs in family, work, and ordinary life. You do not have to leave the world to walk the Way.
Daily Wonder
The marvel is not somewhere else. It is in this water, this firewood, this present action.
Notable works
The Recorded Sayings of Layman P’ang
Dialogues and verses. A unique lay voice in classical Chan.
One teaching like this each morning — and Mu, a companion who remembers your path.
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