There’s an old Buddhist story:
A young man enters a monastery to walk the path of enlightenment. He asks a question: “Master, what shall I do while I seek enlightenment?” The Master replies “You must chop wood and fetch water.”
The long, slow years pass as the young man studies and meditates. Eventually, he realises he is close to enlightenment and asks another question: “Master, what shall I do once I have attained enlightenment?” The Master replies “You must chop wood and fetch water with joy.”
I think this is the wrong way about. How can we attain enlightenment, however we define it, without approaching our daily tasks with joy.
I really need to look at this in my own life. Yesterday, I went back to work after a fortnight’s holiday. I had such a peaceful, contemplative two weeks that I really resented getting back to the office environment with its completely different priorities.
In truth, there’s something about chopping wood and fetching water that seems very appealing. My job as a human resources manager in the London office of an international professional services firm is certainly less poetic than what I might call the Walden Pond approach to life. But that doesn’t mean I should not carry it out mindfully and with joy.
So I will try, yet again, to live in the moment and give it my full attention.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
i think you are right about approaching our life with joy. i always get re-joy-vunated, on my days off, then as soon as i get in there to work, I forget. i keep trying…
ohhhhhh, returning from those lovely “away” times can be tough to encounter with joy. BUT I do agree that chopping and fetching, in a job that you enjoy, can be joyfully done. Setting your mind to it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Even now in my life when I have more time to do volunteer work, I find volunteers moaning and groaning and being testy with one another – what’s that all about??!! Volunteering is supposed to be joyful, isn’t it? Oh well, I just keep being joyful in the midst of the little tornadoes – it ticks them off:)
Can you really “do” joy? Joy is more a gift than a virtue. I am not sure that you can decide to be joyful at work or on holiday. One can work with an open, generous and loving heart… but I am not sure you can resolve to be joyful. That’s perhaps why joy comes after enlightenment.
This from someone who started work in a decidedly unjoyful mood today! It got turned around in less than half an hour by the humourous banter of a colleague.
great question from barbara: “can you really do joy?” i do think it is a gift that comes along the way, however, we must be open to receiving it. if we chop our wood with bad attitudes and scowls on our faces, it is pretty difficult to get the wrapping off of the package to find the gift of joy. which reminds me of a quote about the present (moment) being a gift
your co-workers are fortunate to have you in their midst as are we fellow bloggers!
here’s to abundant joy!!!
For sure, lucy, we have to be open to receive those gifts that are constantly being offered to us. You can choose to be positive and affirming and that might leave you open to joy.
It is well to remember that a bad attitude may be the external expression of some inner pain –physical or emotion. That was the case for me and I only realized that after the physical cause was treated.
My co-workers may beg to differ with you.
What a great conversation. First of all, Beverly, welcome and thanks for stopping by. I love your word re-joy-vunated.
As to whether you can “do” joy, I’ve been thinking about that. I think you’re right that joy is a gift, but doing something joyfully is a resolve. Perhaps I’m using words interchangeably (a bad habit of mine), but to me, working with an open, generous heart etc is working joyfully. And joy itself might sometimes be the result.
Ohh, I do love Thoreau’s Walden Pond….
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Thanks Rebecca, and welcome. I love his phrase “live deliberately” that you quote, it says so much.
You know, your resentment at going back to work is ‘it’. Not realizing this is one reason why it takes so many such a long time to wake up. To look for joy, or manufacture joy is painting legs on a snake. The joy is found when we stop resisting our resentment, boredom, mind chatter and general dissatisfaction and learn to be with things as they are. In so doing we begin to embrace all the disparate parts of ourselves that we so often place at arm’s length and decry as not really part of this moment, this totality.
Genryu, welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment on this post, which has made me consider again what I said.
I’m not entirely sure I understand what you mean about my resentment being “it”. I think that what I was getting at is what you talk about – to stop resisting, rather than paint legs on a snake (fantastic image and phrase, I may borrow it). It’s about being fully present, isn’t it?