Zen Story: The Woodcutter

Stories are more helpful than intellectual explanation in teaching you to feel the present moment. Let yourself enter the feeling of this story and let it remind you of something you can't quite put into words. Let it remind you of the feeling, not the thought, of being alive, Right Now.

Transcript

I have a story for you from the Zen world.

These stories are fun to play with,

Like the experience of a joke.

The point is just to feel the story,

To feel the understanding in your body,

Not to think about it.

The stories point to something that the thinking mind and its dualistic rules of language cannot grasp,

Like a finger pointing at the moon.

Use the story as an orienting finger pointing you in the right direction and then forget the finger and just look.

Look at the moon.

The stories show you a truth you can only know by putting yourself into and feeling the story,

Feeling the vibration.

So here's a story for you.

There once was a woodcutter.

Each day he went into the forest to chop wood.

One day while he was chopping,

He heard a rustling in the bushes nearby,

And he saw an animal poking its head out from the bushes.

Now the woodcutter must hunt for his food,

So he decided to stop chopping wood for the moment and instead catch the animal to have for dinner.

Chasing after the animal,

He chopped his axe,

And just as he was about to make contact,

The animal vanished and reappeared on the other side of the forest clearing.

The woodcutter chased back and forth over and over,

Chopping,

Chopping,

Feeling like he was getting closer each time,

But still,

He could never quite catch the animal.

It was as if the animal could read his mind and anticipate every thought and move.

Finally,

Exhausted and frustrated and even a little embarrassed,

He realized he simply could not catch the animal.

So he gave up and returned to chopping wood.

He took one big swing and chop,

The animal's head went flying.

And this is the way of Zen.

Don't try to understand it,

Just feel it.

You are it.

Reviews

It's like by trying too hard, we push Zen away further from ourselves. It's like in noticing that we must reach for it, we hold ourselves apart, in awareness of separation. When we simply open our hand, we can allow it to take rest within our buddha palm.

There is nothing less than a five star about Charles. A most enlightening couple of minutes. Charles has the perfect voice for facilitating mindfulness!

Nice analogy. Thanks 🙏🏼

Great story, and music

Charles, thank you for this soul searching story🤍❣️. I must listen to it again as I must feel those zen vibes much stronger - a deep lifetime nourishing lesson lies within 🕊️🔆❤️. Much love n light ✨❤️🌻