Useful Quotes That Stuck with Me • See all

Before Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water. After Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water

—Zen Koan, often attributed to Wu Li, but the origins are unclear (untraceable?). ALSO, PEEP NOTES AT THE BOTTOM YO

đź§©

You == Me. Them. Us. We.

New on the blog, yet fast becoming a daily staple:

Get off your high horse.

You’re still in the weeds.

Always will be.

Stay humble. Do you.

E L S K  ·  A L L E

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In researching this quote and its origins, I found a take on this, with a variation I also really like:

Before, you chop wood and carry water with suffering.
After, you chop wood and carry water with love.

— u/RWJefferies on Reddit


More

Although the key sentiment here is quite clear, as koans go, different interpretations come plenty, in volumes more or less pegged 1:1 to inhabitants of Planet Earth.

Rabbits go here:

  • Canon?
    • Zen Koan, Ancient Proverb
    • Origin unclear (untraceable?):
    • Wu Li often attributed [links]
    • and yet I was unable to trace a single, definitive source for this — just as others before me; this post by Kyle Kowalski is as close to canon as it gets.
  • From r/Buddhism
  • From theodoragoss.com
    • “When I’m stressed or anxious, which is often, I try to think about what I can do that is simple, physical, and useful.”
  • From a Medium post
    • “Chop wood, carry water is like the Zen equivalent of this too shall pass.”
  • From basini.com
  • On Wu Li:
  • 🤔 over at franciscanmedia.org
    • Catholic contrast…