When the Zen master attained enlightenment he wrote the following lines to celebrate it:
“Oh wondrous marvel: I chop wood! I draw water from the well!”
After enlightenment nothing really changes. The tree is still a tree; people are just what they were before and so are you. You may continue to be as moody or even-tempered, as wise or foolish. The one difference is that you see things with a different eye. You are more detached from it all now. And your heart is full of wonder.
That is the essence of contemplation: the sense of wonder. Contemplation is different from ecstasy in that ecstasy leads to withdrawal. The enlightened contemplative con- tinues to chop wood and draw water from the well. Con- templation is different from the perception of beauty in that the perception of beauty (a painting or a sunset) pro- duces aesthetic delight, whereas contemplation produces wonder— no matter what it observes, a sunset or a stone.
This is the prerogative of children. They are so often in a state of wonder. So they easily slip into the Kingdom. Anthony De Mello, SJ
Song of the Bird - I CHOP WOOD!
Posted - Jun 11 2009 : 4:38:48 PM
