A 13th-century monk said sitting still isn't the path to enlightenment

Dōgen, founder of Japan's Sōtō Zen school, taught that practice and enlightenment aren't separate stages: the act of zazen, or 'just sitting', is itself the goal, not a means toward some later awakening. His sprawling text Shōbōgenzō remains one of Zen Buddhism's foundational works.

— Dōgen, Shōbōgenzō — 13th century