Q0374
“A day without work is a day without food.” — Baizhang Huaihai (Chan monastic tradition)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Chan monastic tradition. Theme: practice.
English
A day without work is a day without food.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Chan monastic tradition and files it under Zen Buddhism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Baizhang Huaihai
Baizhang Huaihai appears in this archive through verified English quotations associated with the Zen Buddhism tradition. Biographical certainty varies by figure and text; where the “author” is a scripture or school anthology, read the name as a traditional attribution rather than a modern individual biography.
How to read this passage
Many traditions insist that understanding without practice is incomplete—Stoic exercises, Confucian self-cultivation, Buddhist path, and pragmatist inquiry all treat doing as epistemic. This passage enters that discussion through practice.
Concepts in this quote
- Practice
- Practice is where thought becomes habit: philosophy as a way of living, training, and repeated action.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Baizhang Huaihai. (n.d.). A day without work is a day without food. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0374
MLA: Baizhang Huaihai. “A day without work is a day without….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0374.
Chicago: Baizhang Huaihai. “A day without work is a day without….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0374.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A day without work is a day without…”?
The passage is attributed to Baizhang Huaihai, Chan monastic tradition. The archive attributes this English wording to Chan monastic tradition and files it under Zen Buddhism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Baizhang Huaihai mean by practice?
Many traditions insist that understanding without practice is incomplete—Stoic exercises, Confucian self-cultivation, Buddhist path, and pragmatist inquiry all treat doing as epistemic. This passage enters that discussion through practice.