Chiyono's sudden liberation when her bucket breaks is one of the most iconic enlightenment stories. The old wooden pail represents the constructed self – held together by hoops of conditioning, habit, and identity. When the hoops break, the water (the world of phenomena) rushes out and the moon's reflection (the self's idea of itself) vanishes. What remains is the unobstructed, mirror-like awareness that was always there. Awakening often comes when we least strive for it.