"as if"

Practice is twofold. The first part is training; the second is the act itself. And these are not two separate things; when you train, the act itself is happening; when you are the act itself, your training is deepened.
Practice is to work "as if." The lawyer practices as if she or he were an attorney. The doctor practices as if she or he were a physician. Being and learning are one and the same.
It is just as though you were trying to play the piano with Mozart's hands. At first such action "as if" is awkward, but with practice your music becomes your own best creation. In the same way, your zazen becomes your own best inspiration, and your interaction with others expresses the love which has been in your heart from the very beginning.
--Robert Aitken, Encouraging Words