Samu is the manual work carried out in a Zen temple, such as cleaning, cooking, gardening and repairs, treated as a form of practice and not as a chore to get through.
The emphasis on work is old. The Chinese teacher Baizhang, who is credited with early rules for monastic life, is remembered for the saying "A day without work is a day without food."
The same attention given to the breath in sitting is given to the broom or the knife. Samu is one of the clearest expressions of the Zen view that practice and daily life are not separate.