One day Hotei came into town. Hotei, known as Budai in China, was a fat Zen monk who always had a smile on his face. In the West he is often referred to as "The Laughing Buddha" or sometimes "The Fat Buddha", and is often confused for the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni.

Hotei was well known at this time and in this place as a monk who had achieved enlightenment. Just as most laypeople today aren't quite sure what that term actually means, it was the same at that time. They assumed it was special, but not quite sure how or in what way.

So here comes Hotei, walking slowly into town, his back bent by a large heavy sack thrown over his shoulder, a smile on his face as always. Seeing him, a man decided to ask the question on everyone's mind. He approached the fat monk and asked him "Holy One, please tell me what is enlightenment like."

Without a word, Hotei put down his heavy sack. He stood up straight before the man, his smile growing larger.

The man took the meaning and thanked him. But then another question came to his mind. "Please one more question. What comes after enlightenment?"

Hotei's smile seemed to grow even more. Wordlessly he hunched over, picked up his sack, threw it over his shoulder and bent under the weight of it once again, them ambled off.

This Zen Tale, as people often call these kinds of stories, came to mind last night when I read @raymondspeak's great post about the meaning of life. I might have said it in a more philosophical way, but I am in agreement with what he writes. Go read it and see what you think.

There is a much abbreviated version of this story, by the way. Shortened all the way down to two sentences. It goes: Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.

You may be tempted to think that the meaning of this story is that before and after are the same, but you'd be wrong. And if that confuses you, just go read Ray's piece and that explains things pretty well.

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.