Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

Usually people think that work is contrary to leisure. And they also have different feelings and attitudes when they work and when they are at leisure. But I think it is desirable to unite work with leisure because the pursuit of value in work could also be realized in leisure, and the feeling of freedom in leisure could take place at work as well. At this point of view, I’d like to discuss Buddhism as an example manifesting the integrative relation between work and leisure. We cannot devide leisure from work in Buddhism, since all aspects of Buddhist life is unified as a whole. Externally, there is only ascetic exercises but no leisure in the life of a Buddhist. But Internally, what runs throughout the ascetic exercise is the spirit of 48 ● 불교학연구 제19호 불교학연구회 제19호(2008. 4.) ● 49 freedom. Ascetic exercise in Buddhism means nothing special but the ordinary life. The attitude in the Buddhist exercise is natural, free and not being hindered by nor excessively attached to any. Buddhist practice seems to have no excitement, but it has profound pleasure while practicing. In this Buddhist ascetic exercise, we can find the perfect unification of the intensity of work and the freedom of leisure.