Chop Wood. Carry Water. Drive Car.

There is an old Zen proverb that reads "Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water." What this means is that one can find enlightenment by doing the things that are required by daily life. How? By paying full attention to the present moment, being mindful in the now.

Since most of us reading this blogpost on our computer or cell phone will never have need to carry water, and only a small percentage of us will have any need of chopping wood, I offer that these two duties can be replaced with "Drive Car". This simple, daily task offers us the chance to set our intention to practice mindfulness while behind the wheel, relax our body, bring our complete attention into the now, and drive. I like to reference the simple gear shift on the interior of the car as an acronym...PRND. This is a constant reminder while I am driving and practicing to reset myself when my attention drift away from the reality of the current moment and into my own egoic thoughts of past or future.

In this way I am able to take a simple, mundane task and repurpose it for the development of a meaningful current moment awareness meditation practice. We may not chop wood or carry water anymore, but we most certainly drive...and often. Let your time behind the wheel be your time to practice meditation that can change your life. Remember...it starts with the intention to practice. That is all it takes.