Chop Wood Carry Water
Posted on Apr 19th, 2007
by 
Enlightened.thinker
Enlightened.thinker
Before Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water.
After Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water
I have always loved this zen saying. Before awareness, we sleep walk through life. We focus on the outer, without really seeing what is in front of our eyes.
Once we consciously see what we are looking at, shifting ourselves to inner awareness, there is a difference. It may not be anything more than a subtle shift, but we or shall I say I, was expecting a loud “bang”! All my life I was told the answers, the key was to go inside…but I was not told it was awareness, or living in the moment! NOW.
So….“Dawn breaks over marble-head” as my dad used to say! Yes, the “light” is on , but the bulbs need to be changed occasionally! And so, my world changes daily. THE world changes with my awareness because everything is connected!
Maya=illusion, I have been living a dream and have awakened to reality .Daily, I must remind myself daily of staying awake to the world that “is” and not falling back into patterns of illusion.
“Mind is like a mirror. In the mirror the world is reflected. The reflection is not real, it is just a reflection. When the mirror is no longer there the reflection disappears and you can now see what is real.” Osho
I am not my mind, I only use my mind. Once I become a witness, a watcher, an aware observer, I then am not identified with my mind, but with awareness. There is a different type of activity involved and thinking is not a part of it. This is a passive activity, not an active activity, no thinking involved. Dreaming awake?
I think the real issue of understanding this concept is that in growing up in the “West” I did not grow up learning or integrating the beautiful eastern philosophies into my patterning! It was not until I was in graduate school in my forties that many of the wondrous workings of the Eastern mind were gifted to me in my Hinduism and Buddhism class! And yet, there are still many ideas I am still trying to understand daily.
You never know what you know until you know and when it is time for you to know! And knowing is fluid, and is never complete, until we finish our time here on earth! Isn’t that grand? I want to drink all the nectar from life! NOW!
I’m off to chop more wood and carry more water. Care to join me?
After Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water
I have always loved this zen saying. Before awareness, we sleep walk through life. We focus on the outer, without really seeing what is in front of our eyes.
Once we consciously see what we are looking at, shifting ourselves to inner awareness, there is a difference. It may not be anything more than a subtle shift, but we or shall I say I, was expecting a loud “bang”! All my life I was told the answers, the key was to go inside…but I was not told it was awareness, or living in the moment! NOW.
So….“Dawn breaks over marble-head” as my dad used to say! Yes, the “light” is on , but the bulbs need to be changed occasionally! And so, my world changes daily. THE world changes with my awareness because everything is connected!
Maya=illusion, I have been living a dream and have awakened to reality .Daily, I must remind myself daily of staying awake to the world that “is” and not falling back into patterns of illusion.
“Mind is like a mirror. In the mirror the world is reflected. The reflection is not real, it is just a reflection. When the mirror is no longer there the reflection disappears and you can now see what is real.” Osho
I am not my mind, I only use my mind. Once I become a witness, a watcher, an aware observer, I then am not identified with my mind, but with awareness. There is a different type of activity involved and thinking is not a part of it. This is a passive activity, not an active activity, no thinking involved. Dreaming awake?
I think the real issue of understanding this concept is that in growing up in the “West” I did not grow up learning or integrating the beautiful eastern philosophies into my patterning! It was not until I was in graduate school in my forties that many of the wondrous workings of the Eastern mind were gifted to me in my Hinduism and Buddhism class! And yet, there are still many ideas I am still trying to understand daily.
You never know what you know until you know and when it is time for you to know! And knowing is fluid, and is never complete, until we finish our time here on earth! Isn’t that grand? I want to drink all the nectar from life! NOW!
I’m off to chop more wood and carry more water. Care to join me?
Access: Public
awareness
July 2008
I can so relate to this. I've been on a Zaadz binge since joining. It has interferred with other activities - getting my work done, emailing old friends and family. I admit it, I'm obsessed. It finally reached a point, where when challenged, I began trying to peel back the layers of clutter that were building up.
That is where I am now. I am able to get into bliss, a bliss that's not dependent on anyone else or anything that is going on in my life and then I'll falter and have a “rough, bumpy” day, like yesterday. Even though it began optimistic enough, I became frustrated and cranky, stressed out, because I seemed blocked from doing what I wanted to get done. Had discussions with my husband that not doing something (like gardening) didn't mean that I didn't want to or love to do it, it is a function of x number of hours in a day and priorities.
But at the end of the day, I decided to do photography of my favorite places during my walk and it kept me so in the moment. This morning, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to run up to our construction site to use the portable toilet. Since I was there, early morning, I went to the place on the cliffside we call “Debbie's Chair”. It is a natural cutout in the rock, with a comfortable backrest. But I sat up cross-legged instead.
At first, there were the waterfall sounds from below, bird sounds and unbelievably some kind of motor sounds - whether it was loggers, the electric company taking the poles out of our field at our request or some recreational ATV riders, it was there. Finally, it quieted down to the waterfall, the feeling of the warm sun on my face and a light breeze tossling my hair. I let myself sit there, claiming this place, knowing I could come here again and would come here again. I set my timer to be the next sound to interrupt the stillness. The cawing of a crow came all too soon but I had been there long enough.
Thank you for welcoming me to blogs, what is for me a new dimension of Zaadz.
Deborah
Everhthing is exactly as it should be.
: )
have you read Ethics For a New Millenium by His Holiness the Dalai Llama yet?
I think you would enjoy it.
this year I have been taking a Comparative Religion class and we touched on HIndusim and Buddhism and I am immersing myself more and more in the wisdom traditions of the world and it is such a pleasure. I find so much of Buddhism so inspiring.
Thanks for posting Debyemm,Keith and SFL>I have read some wonderful books by
HHoliness.And this is one of them! I also love Lama Surya Das. Great stuff! Right now I am immersed in Osho, and am rereading Awareness.