“Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
— Zen Proverb
Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. This ancient Zen kōan captures a profound truth about the spiritual journey – one that becomes startlingly clear when experiencing awakening outside traditional religious frameworks.
The Initial Awakening
The spiritual path carries its own unique challenges. In Buddhist tradition, these challenges are known as the Skandha Māras (the five aggregates of clinging) – subtle temptations that arise as new forms of identity when one begins to experience selflessness. These manifest as compelling yet deceptive resting places along the path to true awakening.
From the moment of first experiencing unconditional reality, transformation begins. Yet these changes occur deeper than identity itself, shaking its very foundations. This process, while necessary, manifests subjectively as profound psychological disruption and suffering. Our long-established habits, though severed from their roots, continue their mechanical motion, creating a pervasive spiritual depression – what mystics have termed the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’.
The Paradox of Emptiness
In truth, we are no more ’empty’ than we have ever been. The difference lies in our painful awareness of this truth, even as understanding eludes us. This is why the wisdom of “chop wood, carry water” becomes essential. Despite glimpsing the bliss of the unconditioned state (nirvana – the cessation of suffering), complete realization remains distant, even if inevitable. Until deeper understanding dawns, we cannot abandon our engagement with ordinary life. We must continue fostering habits that support a healthy, simple existence.
Navigating the Unknown
The integration period is exhausting. The mind opens to extraordinary experiences, yet to outside observers, this awakening may appear as instability or confusion. This presents a dual challenge – managing one’s own uncertainty while maintaining appropriate boundaries between inner experiences and outer expression.
The Physical and Intuitive Shifts
Mystical energy manifests in unexpected ways. In my experience, mechanical watches would simply stop functioning when I wore them. Intuition heightens to sometimes disturbing levels, affecting both oneself and others. The risk of becoming unbalanced is real, as the mind’s need for identity can transform genuine insights into grandiose delusions.
Finding Balance
While experiencing truly remarkable phenomena, I maintained a careful distance from interpreting these events. Perhaps my background in medicine, with its emphasis on objective observation, provided the stability to recognize this as a process rather than a destination.
The Nature of Progress
One cannot deliberately seek or force enlightenment – it simply doesn’t work that way. Instead, we can only cultivate conditions conducive to its natural arising, becoming so absorbed in this preparation that we forget our initial motivation.
The path to enlightenment reveals itself as both profound and ordinary. Like water flowing downhill, it follows its natural course once obstacles are removed. The key lies not in extraordinary experiences or phenomena, but in steady dedication to practice, willingness to face whatever arises, and the courage to keep chopping wood and carrying water, even when the ground beneath our feet seems to disappear.
Further Reading
- Books
- “Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha” by Daniel Ingram
- “The Mind Illuminated” by Culadasa
- “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry” by Jack Kornfield
- “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki
- Online Resources
- Wikipedia: “Dark Night of the Soul” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Night_of_the_Soul)
- Wikipedia: “Skandha” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Skandha)
- Ajahn Punnadhammo’s YouTube Channel: “Forest Dhamma” (youtube.com/@ForestDhamma)
- “What is Zen?” – Alan Watts (youtube.com/watch?v=9p5Oi4wPVVo)