The professor arrived at the Zen master's house, and while jubilant about all the titles and degrees he had acquired during his long years of study, he introduced himself. He then told the Zen master the reason for his visit, which was to learn all the secrets of Zen wisdom.
Instead of explaining everything to him, the master invited him for a cup of tea. When the cup was almost full, the wise man, apparently distracted by something, kept pouring the tea, causing the liquid to spill onto the table.
The professor couldn't resist saying something. "The cup is full, no more tea will fit," he warned. The master set the teapot down and affirmed, "You are like the cup: you arrive here filled to the brim with opinions and prejudices. Unless your cup is empty, you will not be able to learn anything."
The first of these five Buddhist stories teaches us that if we are full of prejudices, it is impossible to learn and be able to consider new beliefs. It is necessary for us to "empty ourselves" of old principles and be open to new teachings.
Buddha was conveying his teachings to a group of disciples when a man approached him and insulted him, intending to attack him. In the presence of all present, Buddha responded with the utmost calmness. He remained completely calm and silent.
When the man had gone, one of the disciples, furious at the behaviour, asked Buddha why he had allowed himself to be abused in this way by a stranger. Buddha replied very calmly, "If I give you a horse as a gift, but you do not accept it, whose horse, is it?" After a moment of doubt, the disciple replied, "If I do not accept it, then it remains yours."
Buddha nodded and explained that although some people may choose to waste their time insulting others, we still have the choice whether to accept these insults or not, just as with any other gift. "If you accept it, you accept it. And if not, the person who insults you is simply left with an insult in his hands."
We cannot blame the person who hurts us; after all, it is our decision whether we accept his words or leave them at the same mouth where they came out.
Two Buddhist monks, one old and one young, were walking outside the monastery near a river that had flooded. A beautiful woman approached the monks and asked them to help her cross the river. The young monk was shocked at the very idea of taking her in his arms, but the old monk simply lifted her up and carried her across. And the monks continued their walk.
But the young man could not get the incident out of his mind, and finally he cried, "Master! You know that we have taken the oath of abstinence. We are not allowed to touch a woman in that way. How could you take that beautiful woman in your arms, allow her to put her arms around your neck, press her breasts against your chest and take her across the river in that way?" The old man replied, "Child of mine, you are still carrying her!"
This third Buddhist story helps us understand that we still carry the past and all the guilt and resentment associated with it, and that in our minds we often make it worse than it actually was. By accepting that the incident is not part of our present, we can drop a great emotional burden from our shoulders.
One afternoon some people noticed how an old woman was looking for something outside her cabin. "What is going on? What are you looking for?" people asked her. "I lost a pin," she said. And all the people present began to search for the pin with the old woman.
At one point, one of them said, "The street is very long and the pin is very small. Why don't you tell us where exactly you dropped the pin?" "In my house," said the old woman.
"Are you out of your mind? If you dropped the pin in your house, why are you looking for it outside?" the people asked her. "Because there is sunlight outside, but not in my house," the woman said laconically.
This fourth story reminds us that out of convenience we often look for something outside ourselves, when in reality it could be found within ourselves. Why do we try to find happiness outside ourselves? Have we lost it there?
No one has ever been as benevolent and compassionate as Buddha was in his time. One of his cousins was the evil Devadatta, who was always jealous and bent on making him look bad. He was even willing to kill Buddha.
One day, while Buddha was walking peacefully, his cousin Devadatta threw a heavy stone at him from a hill. The stone landed next to Buddha, and so Devatta's attempt to kill him had failed. Buddha remained unmoved even after realizing what had happened, and he continued to smile.
Days later, Buddha ran into his cousin and kindly said hello to him. Devatta asked him in surprise, "Then you are not angry?" "No of course not," Buddha assured him.
Still staggered, Devatta asked him, "Why not?" And Buddha said, "Because you are no longer the one who threw the stone and I am no longer the same person who was there when the stone was thrown."
This story teaches us that everything is subject to change at all times. You and I are constantly changing. Try to let go of the picture of who you think you are in order to observe with an open mind. Every moment is a new, unique moment. And if you think you know who you are, you are already attached.
