Walking with Riddles – Active meditation

Walking with Riddles – Active meditation

Posted on August 31, 2018

What do you think of when you are out walking? Perhaps you put in your headphones and listen to music. Maybe you prefer the sounds of nature or you gather some friends up and laugh and walk together.

Focused walking is considered a form of active meditation and adding a riddle to the mix helps with your concentration. You are not so lost in thought where you don’t know where your foot steps next. You are focused on both your surroundings as well as the question at hand. Zen Buddhists practice this form of active mediation and it is called zazen mediation. The riddle that they solve is called a koan.

I was introduced to this form of active meditation a few years back and found the process fun and interesting so I thought, why not try some fun riddles. While it’s not something I would do every time, I do enjoy it. Give it a try and let me know what you think. If this is not for you, enjoy the riddles all the same. Below are some riddles to start you off.

1. What has cities, but no people, has forests, but no trees, and seas, but no fish?
2. What always runs, but never walks, often murmurs but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but doesn’t eat?
3. A precious stone, clear as a diamond, seek it out when the sun’s near the horizon. You can walk on water due to it’s power, try to keep it, it’ll be gone in an hour.
4. Feed me and I get stronger, but give a me a drink and I’ll die. What am I?
5. I touch your face, I’m in your words, I’m a lack of space and beloved by birds. What am I?
6. I can only live where there is light, but if light shines upon me, I will die. What am I?
7. What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?

For answers to the riddles above, use your mouse/cursor and highlight the below text.

1. A Map
2. A River
3. Ice
4. A fire
5. Air
6. A Shadow
7. The letter M

Did you guess any of the riddles? Did it take you long? Feel free to share experience and your riddles with us as well!

Happy Hiking (and meditating),

Audrey