Explaining the Koan: “The river is not flowing, it is you who is moving.”

At first glance, this koan seems to contradict common sense. We see rivers flow, we hear their movement, we watch them carry leaves downstream. Yet Zen koans are not meant to confirm what we think we know—they are meant to disrupt ordinary perception and awaken deeper insight.

This koan points to illusion, perception, and the nature of reality itself. It invites us to question not only what we see, but also who we are and how we experience change.

Breaking Down the Meaning

“The river is not flowing…”

We assume that rivers flow because we see water moving downstream. But what if this movement is an illusion? Is the river truly moving, or is movement just how we perceive it? The koan invites us to question whether motion is intrinsic to the river or simply a construct of our own perception.

A river, in its essence, is always present, always whole. While individual droplets move, the river itself remains. The movement we perceive may not be as absolute as we believe.

”…it is you who is moving.”

This line shifts the focus from the river to us, the observer. Instead of seeing the river as changing, the koan suggests that we are the ones in motion. Our minds are constantly moving, shifting perspectives, interpreting reality based on our conditioned views.

If you were standing in a boat, floating downstream, you might assume that the riverbank is moving past you—when in fact, it is you who are drifting. The same applies to life. What we perceive as change in the world may actually be change in our own awareness, our own mind, our own sense of time.

What Does This Koan Teach?

Reality is Not as It Seems

What we take as objective reality is often just our perspective. The river appears to flow, but is this movement real or just a matter of perception? This applies to everything—life, time, even the self.

Illusions of Change and Stability

We believe that the world moves around us, that we are stable while things change. But Zen challenges this assumption. The world may not be changing as much as we think—it is we who are in flux, we who are transforming, we who are in motion.

Impermanence and Non-Attachment

This koan subtly points to impermanence (anicca)—one of Buddhism’s core teachings. The river, the self, and all of life are constantly shifting. But clinging to the idea that the world moves around us creates suffering. When we realize that we, too, are part of this change, we let go of attachment to control, permanence, or fixed identity.

The Observer is Not Separate from What is Observed

Zen teaches that subject and object are not two separate things. We do not simply “see” the world as passive observers—we co-create reality with our perception. The river is not flowing independently of us; its movement exists in relation to us, just as we exist in relation to it.

So, What is the Lesson?

The river may not be flowing as we think. The world may not be changing—we are. What we see is not absolute; it is shaped by our perception, our position, our awareness.

The next time you feel like life is rushing past you, pause. Ask yourself: Is life moving too fast, or am I the one moving through it? Maybe it is not time that flows—it is you who is traveling through time.

A Zen master might smile and say: If you stop moving, perhaps you will see that the river has never moved at all.