An Old Man chopped wood.

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  • Getchi
    Member
    • May 2015
    • 612

    An Old Man chopped wood.

    This happened to me. Ive removed the more colourful Austtralian slang.

    At this time of year, the cold winds start to enter the house. Wood fire is the only way to stay warm and healthy. I visisted the wood pile I share with the neighbour, a good man of older years.

    I swing, and split, the branch. Carrying on, I amass a pile of wood, and am proud.

    Looking at my neighbours pile I ask, "How can you chop wood so fast?"

    He looked at me, laughed and said, "looking at me, how could you think it was speed? While you have been swingin to make wood, an impressive amount of noise and show ill admit, I was reflecting on my every wasted breath. It was not speed, but faith. Faith is knowing it takes thins long no matter what you do, knowing that you cannot avoid the unpleasentness of the act, and faith that it cannot last forever."


    It hit me really hard, and thought id share it here with you all. I immediatly thought of that butcher we read about, one knife lasts 20 years if it passes between the bones.




    Gassho,
    GEoff.
    SaTToday
    LaH.
    Nothing to do? Why not Sit?
  • Jundo
    Treeleaf Founder and Priest
    • Apr 2006
    • 40372

    #2
    Originally posted by Getchi
    This happened to me. Ive removed the more colourful Austtralian slang.

    At this time of year, the cold winds start to enter the house. Wood fire is the only way to stay warm and healthy. I visisted the wood pile I share with the neighbour, a good man of older years.

    I swing, and split, the branch. Carrying on, I amass a pile of wood, and am proud.

    Looking at my neighbours pile I ask, "How can you chop wood so fast?"

    He looked at me, laughed and said, "looking at me, how could you think it was speed? While you have been swingin to make wood, an impressive amount of noise and show ill admit, I was reflecting on my every wasted breath. It was not speed, but faith. Faith is knowing it takes thins long no matter what you do, knowing that you cannot avoid the unpleasentness of the act, and faith that it cannot last forever."


    It hit me really hard, and thought id share it here with you all. I immediatly thought of that butcher we read about, one knife lasts 20 years if it passes between the bones.




    Gassho,
    GEoff.
    SaTToday
    LaH.
    And thank you to all in chilly Australia, up there, which is the example I often use to explain to people that even "up and down" are relative concepts in Mahayana Buddhism, that things are often how one looks at them, and that space has no absolute up or down.

    Stay warm.

    Gassho, J

    STLah

    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

    Comment

    • lorax
      Member
      • Jun 2008
      • 381

      #3
      Thank you Getchi for this teaching. As one of the "old men" I am still chewing on this both for its relevance in my life and the reminder there are reversed seasons on the bottom half of our world. I know I will be commenting again on this thread.

      SAT TODAY
      Shozan

      Comment

      • Tairin
        Member
        • Feb 2016
        • 2826

        #4

        Tairin
        Sat today and lah
        泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

        Comment

        • Shinshi
          Treeleaf Unsui
          • Jul 2010
          • 3663

          #5


          Gassho, Shinshi

          SaT-LaH
          空道 心志 Kudo Shinshi
          There are those who, attracted by grass, flowers, mountains, and waters, flow into the Buddha way.
          -Dogen
          E84I - JAJ

          Comment

          • Jundo
            Treeleaf Founder and Priest
            • Apr 2006
            • 40372

            #6
            Originally posted by Getchi
            This happened to me. Ive removed the more colourful Austtralian slang.

            At this time of year, the cold winds start to enter the house. Wood fire is the only way to stay warm and healthy. I visisted the wood pile I share with the neighbour, a good man of older years.

            I swing, and split, the branch. Carrying on, I amass a pile of wood, and am proud.

            Looking at my neighbours pile I ask, "How can you chop wood so fast?"

            He looked at me, laughed and said, "looking at me, how could you think it was speed? While you have been swingin to make wood, an impressive amount of noise and show ill admit, I was reflecting on my every wasted breath. It was not speed, but faith. Faith is knowing it takes thins long no matter what you do, knowing that you cannot avoid the unpleasentness of the act, and faith that it cannot last forever."


            It hit me really hard, and thought id share it here with you all. I immediatly thought of that butcher we read about, one knife lasts 20 years if it passes between the bones.




            Gassho,
            GEoff.
            SaTToday
            LaH.
            I thought about this story much today. Lovely story.

            Gassho, J

            STLah
            ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

            Comment

            • Meishin
              Member
              • May 2014
              • 818

              #7


              Gassho
              Meishin
              STLAH

              Comment

              • Kyonin
                Treeleaf Priest / Engineer
                • Oct 2010
                • 6749

                #8
                Thank you Geoff.

                Gassho,

                Kyonin
                Sat/LAH
                Hondō Kyōnin
                奔道 協忍

                Comment

                • Washin
                  Treeleaf Unsui
                  • Dec 2014
                  • 3796

                  #9


                  Gassho
                  Washin
                  sat today
                  Kaidō (皆道) Every Way
                  Washin (和信) Harmony Trust
                  ----
                  I am a novice priest-in-training. Anything that I say must not be considered as teaching
                  and should be taken with a 'grain of salt'.

                  Comment

                  • Choboku
                    Member
                    • Sep 2017
                    • 156

                    #10
                    Thank you for sharing. That was a really good thing to hear.

                    Sat today, might stand later

                    Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

                    Comment

                    • Getchi
                      Member
                      • May 2015
                      • 612

                      #11
                      Thankyou all for reading this

                      And thankyou Jundo for posting the "true" map of Earth.

                      I think alot about the idea of Faxans Golden Lion, Form and Emptiness but mostly in how its expressed through everyday actions.

                      Peace to you all.

                      Gassho,
                      Geoff

                      SatToday
                      LaH
                      Nothing to do? Why not Sit?

                      Comment

                      • Heiso
                        Member
                        • Jan 2019
                        • 834

                        #12
                        Thank you for this teaching, it's one to think about while I take my time at work today.

                        Gassho,

                        Neil

                        STLah

                        Comment

                        • Tai Shi
                          Member
                          • Oct 2014
                          • 3418

                          #13
                          _/|\_

                          Deep Bows
                          Tai Shi
                          sat
                          Gassho
                          Peaceful, Tai Shi. Ubasoku; calm, supportive, for positive poetry 優婆塞 台 婆

                          Comment

                          • Jakuden
                            Member
                            • Jun 2015
                            • 6141

                            #14
                            Oh this rings so true! Thank you for sharing [emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]
                            Gassho
                            Jakuden
                            SatToday/LAH


                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

                            Comment

                            • Shokai
                              Treeleaf Priest
                              • Mar 2009
                              • 6394

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Jundo
                              relative concepts in Mahayana Buddhism are often how one looks at them, and that space has no absolute up or down.



                              This explains why my tea cup suddenly dumped in my lap

                              gassho, shokai
                              stlah
                              合掌,生開
                              gassho, Shokai

                              仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

                              "Open to life in a benevolent way"

                              https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

                              Comment

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