The entire civilization is losing itself in doing that is not rooted in Being and thus becomes futile.”Ģ. If you are in the grip of the ego, you believe that by doing more and more you will eventually accumulate enough ‘doings’ to make yourself feel complete at some point in the future. The ego knows nothing of being but believes you will eventually be saved by doing. “Doing is never enough if you neglect Being.As Eckhart Tolle says in his book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose: The being is more important than the doing. Don’t do what you’re not doing while you’re not doing it.” “Do what you’re doing while you’re doing it.Growing up (and still to this day), I can hear my Dad saying:
Nothing is what it appears to be and No thing is what it appears to be.” 4 It teaches us to be aware of the transience of visual forms. To the external eye nothing is different-I still appear to chop wood and carry water but in fact within the internal eye everything is different.
After I found the Essence of my Mind and found true Wisdom then I experience Enlightenment.
“In simple terms we can say that before I developed the true nature of Wisdom I could chop wood and carry water but my mind was everywhere-it was heavily polluted with mental obstructions and worldly thoughts-it was not present. Your body may be busy, but your mind is still. The deeper invisible and internal-your presence, awareness, perception, mindset. On the surface, the visible, external actions of chopping wood and carrying water are the same before and after enlightenment. Although it appears nothing has changed on the outside (doing), everything has changed on the inside (being). Here’s my own personal take along with some of my favorite explanations of the meaning.ġ. One of the great aspects of ancient quotes and stories is that they are subject to interpretation. Now, I understand that the key to everything is that everything is chopping wood and carrying water, and that if one does everything mindfully then it is all the same.'”ģ Meanings from the Chop Wood, Carry Water KōanĪ Zen kōan is “a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the ‘great doubt’ and to practice or test a student’s progress in Zen.” 5 I read all of the scrolls, I met with Kings and and gave council. Like you I understood that someone had to do these things, but like you I wanted to move forward. Every day I would chop wood and carry water. The Abbot gestured to the scrolls on shelves lining the walls. He replied every day all I do is chop wood and carry water. He did so and the Abbot saw he looked sad and asked him why. One day he was told to take some tea to the Abbot in his chambers. He attended prayers and meditation, but the teaching he was given was rather sparse. When he got to the monastery he was told that each morning he had to chop wood for the monks fires and then carry water up to the monastery for ablutions and the kitchen. He dreamed of enlightenment and of learning great things. There’s also a completely different variation that offers more storytelling and explanation 4: 
The novice asks, ‘What, then, does one do after enlightenment?’ģ. “The novice says to the master, ‘What does one do before enlightenment?’ The quote has been adapted and expanded to add a little more context³: Those last two lines are well-known and have been translated many different ways over the years, including²:Ģ. My supernatural power and marvelous activity: In every place there’s no hindrance, no conflict. Layman Pang, a Buddhist in the Zen tradition who lived from 740–808, wrote the following¹: Here are three possible sources that I found while researching.ġ. It doesn’t appear that there’s a consensus about the origin of this quote. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.” - Zen Kōan “Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water.
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