Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice

The words “Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment” were written by Eihei Dōgen, the thirteenth-century Japanese Zen master and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. Dōgen’s teaching radiates a profound and humble truth — that enlightenment is not found in distant heavens, nor reserved for scholars or monks in meditation halls, but is woven into the very fabric of daily labor. In these few words, he reveals the secret path of awakening: that through sincere practice — through care, presence, and devotion, even in the smallest acts — one can touch the infinite. The tending of a garden, the mending of a fence, the shaping of a wall — these are not mere labors of the hand, but mirrors through which the spirit awakens to its unity with all things.

Dōgen was no stranger to the illusion that enlightenment lies beyond ordinary life. In his youth, he studied the great scriptures and sought the highest teachers, traveling from temple to temple across Japan and even to China in search of truth. Yet it was not through debate or scripture that he found understanding, but through the discipline of simple work — sweeping the grounds, cooking rice, cleaning floors, and caring for the monastery gardens. In these acts, he saw that no moment was separate from the sacred. To work with plants and trees was not a distraction from spiritual practice — it was the practice itself. Every stroke of the hoe, every repaired wall, was an expression of mindfulness, a dialogue with the living universe. Thus, Dōgen taught that enlightenment is not something to be acquired; it is realized through sincere engagement with what is before us.

The essence of his quote lies in one word: sincerely. Dōgen did not promise enlightenment through labor done out of duty or ambition, but through wholehearted attention. When one tends a garden not for reward, but from love; when one repairs a wall not from pride, but from care — then the separation between self and task dissolves. The worker, the work, and the world become one. In that unity, the mind ceases to wander, the heart becomes still, and the truth of existence — that all things interpenetrate, that every leaf and stone contains the whole — is revealed. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, not through transformation, but through awakened awareness.

This teaching finds a powerful reflection in the lives of many who discovered wisdom through humble labor. Consider Masanobu Fukuoka, the twentieth-century Japanese farmer and philosopher who rejected modern agriculture to follow what he called “the path of natural farming.” He refused to plow, to weed excessively, or to use chemicals. Instead, he observed, listened, and worked in harmony with the land. In doing so, he came to understand that nature itself is a great teacher, and that to work with it mindfully is to participate in a living meditation. Like Dōgen, Fukuoka found that enlightenment was not hidden in monasteries, but in the soil — that when one works with sincerity and presence, even the simplest labor becomes a sacred act.

Dōgen’s words also carry a lesson against pride. In a world that glorifies complexity and intellect, he reminds us that wisdom is often born from simplicity and humility. The gardener who tends her plants with love may be nearer to truth than the philosopher lost in argument. The mason who shapes his wall with patience may know more peace than the monk reciting scriptures without heart. Enlightenment does not bloom in the noise of ambition but in the silence of sincerity. The plants and trees, the fences and walls, become metaphors for the aspects of life we touch daily — our work, our relationships, our challenges. When we approach them with mindfulness and compassion, they cease to be obstacles and become portals to awakening.

This teaching transcends time and place. It speaks to every generation that has forgotten to live fully in the present, that has sought fulfillment in distant goals rather than in the immediacy of being. To practice sincerely is to be present in the act itself, whether it is washing dishes, walking a path, or speaking to another person. When we lose ourselves in the moment — not with distraction, but with awareness — we return to what Dōgen called “the original mind,” the state of harmony where all things are already complete.

The lesson is simple yet infinite: enlightenment is not a destination, but a way of being. The sacred is not found by escaping the world, but by embracing it completely. Practical actions: Begin each task with mindfulness. When you work, work fully; when you rest, rest deeply. Tend your life as you would tend a garden — with patience, care, and reverence. Approach even the smallest duty as an opportunity for awakening. For as Dōgen teaches, if one practices sincerely, even among plants, trees, fences, and walls, they will find that the path to enlightenment has always been beneath their feet.