Friday 5 March 2010

Chop chop carry carry

Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.
Zen saying

In the east there is an old story about the appearance of mastery and humility. It is of an old caretaker in the monastery, contentedly serving all by doing the lowly tasks of sweeping and cleaning. The young arrogant monks suspect nothing but an ignorant peasant, but the abbot and older monks know that in their midst lives the greatest Teacher in the land.

The young monks treat the old man with distain and disrespect, the old sage in turn does not care what anyone thinks of him. The story goes that one monk makes friends with the old man and learns much about appearances, ambition, and his own judgements.

I love this story because everyone wants to be someone. Very rare are those that want to be themselves. People want to be famous, to be recognised. With noble intention we want to make a difference, especially if the difference is noticed far and wide.

We also believe that we should be doing something else. That our lives are not noble as they are. That who we are and what we do is not good enough. Many spiritual people fall into this trap. That if we were truly spiritual we would look and act and be a certain way, most definitely different from what we are right now. That we would ‘arrive’ and make an impact on the world through best-selling books and interviews with Oprah. In that vision there is always an assumption that those who aren’t doing that are compromising, that they aren’t complete.

Again in the east, water is used often as a metaphor for humility and service as it flows to the lowest point, serving and supporting all life, able to be transformed to whatever is needed. It has no ambitions beyond to fulfil its purpose in life.

What is our purpose in life? For me it is to dissolve without trace of limitation into the Ascendant. To know absolute love and joy and peace. To follow the will of God in every moment. Perhaps that means chatting with celebrities about inner peace, perhaps it means sweeping the courtyard. It could simply be looking after the people around me, making sure they have what they need and know they are loved. Whatever it is, it is doing it with presence and connection, service and contentment.