Tag: Zen Philosophy

After Enlightenment

“As they say, before enlightenment, chop wood carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood carry water.”
This phrase is often repeated as reassurance that awakening does not remove one from ordinary life. Yet when examined carefully, it exposes a deeper paradox that cannot be resolved by sentiment alone.

Wood is Maya.
Water is Maya.
The body that lifts the axe is Maya.
The action of chopping is Maya.
The sense of a doer performing the act is Maya.

Nothing in the scene escapes appearance.

If awakening reveals that all phenomena are expressions of Maya, then what is being chopped? What is being carried? One cannot act upon illusion from outside illusion. Maya does not stand opposed to some other realm where truth resides. There is no second substance available to intervene.

This is where the saying begins to point beyond itself.

Before awakening, chopping wood feels purposeful. A future outcome motivates the action. Hunger will arise later. Cold must be prevented. Life appears as a sequence of needs demanding management. The world seems solid, personal, and unfinished. Actions feel necessary because something is believed to be lacking.

After awakening, the appearance of chopping may continue, but necessity dissolves. Nothing is required for completeness. No future state needs securing. The movement of the body happens without reference to deficiency or gain. Action no longer attempts to fix reality.

Wood is chopped, not because it must be, but because chopping happens.

This distinction is subtle and easily missed. Enlightenment does not negate Maya. It reveals its status. Appearance continues without being mistaken for truth. Function remains without belief in ultimate significance. Life moves, but no longer claims ownership of movement.

Chopping and carrying are no longer means to an end. They are expressions without agenda.

The phrase does not suggest sameness of experience across awakening. It points to sameness of appearance with a radically different orientation. The world looks the same, yet its weight has vanished. Consequence still operates, but urgency evaporates. Responsibility remains, but without the burden of identity.

Nothing is being done for reality after awakening.
Reality is not managed, improved, or corrected.

Action occurs because appearance unfolds.
Movement moves because movement is present.
Maya dances without needing justification.

After enlightenment, chopping wood carries no metaphysical significance. Carrying water does not symbolize humility or virtue. These interpretations belong to the mind seeking meaning where none is required.

What remains is effortless participation without belief in a participant.

No one chops Maya.
No one carries Maya.
Maya appears as chopping and carrying, empty of centre, complete as it is.

That is what the saying gestures toward when read beyond comfort.
Nothing special happens after enlightenment—except that nothing is believed to be happening to someone anymore.

Morgan O. Smith

AI for Wellness and Spirituality Summit

February 9 & 10, 2026

https://aiforwellnessandspirituality.com/mosm

Embracing the Void

The Liberation in Nothingness

In our world, brimming with constant stimulation and endless narratives, the concept of ‘Nothingness’ seems almost alien. It’s a state often misunderstood, perceived as a void of despair or a lack of being. Yet, this misconception veils a profound truth. Nothingness, in its purest form, is not a gaping emptiness but a space of boundless freedom. It’s an existential canvas, untouched and unburdened by the layers of human conditioning and societal constructs.

Nothingness is a realm where concepts don’t exist. It’s a landscape where ideas, beliefs, and expectations don’t anchor us. In this space, the false self – that avatar sculpted by external influences and internal conflicts – dissolves. What remains is the essence of being, unshaped by narratives, uncolored by prejudices, and unconfined by the boundaries of identity.


This concept is not new. Philosophers, mystics, and thinkers throughout history have grappled with the notion of ‘Nothingness.’ They’ve seen it not as a pit of nihilism but as a sanctuary of potential. In Zen Buddhism, for example, ‘Mu’ or ‘Emptiness’ is a state to aspire to, a space of pure existence and awareness without the filters of the mind.

The journey to this state is not about negation but about liberation. It’s about peeling away the layers, not to find nothingness but to discover everything in its unaltered form. When we detach from the myriad thoughts, stories, and labels we’ve collected over time, we start seeing the world and ourselves in a clearer light. We begin to experience life not as a series of reactions to preconceived notions but as a flow of unfiltered experiences.

Imagine for a moment, a life free from the tyranny of the ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts,’ a life where our choices are not dictated by ingrained beliefs but are born out of pure awareness. In this space, creativity flourishes, for it is not hindered by fear of judgment or failure. Relationships deepen, as they are not clouded by expectations or past grievances. Every moment becomes an opportunity for genuine discovery, unmarred by the past or the future.

However, embracing Nothingness is not a denial of reality or responsibility. It’s about approaching life with a fresh perspective, one that is unencumbered by the weight of preconceptions. It’s about living authentically, aligned with one’s true nature, rather than a constructed persona.


In a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming, the state of Nothingness offers a sanctuary of peace and clarity. It reminds us that at the core, beyond the noise and the clutter of our conditioned minds, there is a space of pure potential, waiting to be explored.

The state of Nothingness is not a destination to be reached but a journey to be embraced. It’s a continuous process of unlearning, of letting go, and of returning to the essence of who we truly are.

Morgan O. Smith

Yinnergy Meditation, Spiritual Life Coaching & My Book, Bodhi in the Brain…Available Now!

https://linktr.ee/morganosmith