Monday, November 18, 2013

Quote of the Week

Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.   
- Zen Buddhist Proverb

What is enlightenment?  In a nutshell it was "a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine".  - Dictionary.com


I think that what the proverb is telling us is that whether or not we have attained an enlightened state per the above definition, the basic human needs remain the same. 

5 comments:

  1. That's very true and always will be :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Linda .. in simple terms - life doesn't change much does it .. we all need shelter and love ... as well as wood to chop and water to carry ...

    Such a good quote - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like your take on the proverb:~)

    Also, the picture is really cool. I like the mosaic look.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "whether or not we have attained an enlightened state - the basic human needs remain the same."

    Yes, indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Babs- Yes, some things never change.

    Hilary- Human needs are always the same no matter how enlightened we become.

    Sara- Thank you! I like playing around with pictures...change things up sometimes.

    Meleah- Yeah, the basic necessities.

    ReplyDelete

Hi, thanks for visiting my humble abode. All comments are read and appreciated.