Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Meditation on water


Received two e-mails this past week that gave a teaching lesson from the 'way' of water. One has roots in Lao tzu, embellished by Korea and the other was taken from a Korean poster.

Although water has great strength it is humble and soft and from that we can learn.

Water is adaptable. If we put it in a square container it takes that shape, in a triangular shaped container it will become triangular. In every case it doesn't change its nature but adapts to the situation.

Water has great strength. Depending where it goes: it can make rice grow or slack the thirst of a deer. But it can also on its course break rocks and demolish mountains.

Water always flows from the higher to lower ending up in the wide ocean. Like water, when sociable, adaptable, and accepting, not hesitating but acting bravely before justice, like a rice plant that lowers its head when ripe, we will live with wisdom.
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A child in kindergarten on a picnic, asked her teacher: "Why does the stream make a noise when it flows?"

The teacher gave her attention to the stream listening intently, and agreed that the stream was making a noise.

The teacher on her return starting looking at all kinds of books to find an answer. She found that it was the uneven stones in the stream that was causing the beautiful sound.

A beautiful and mature personality also will have the gift of beautiful music with the 'stones' of adversity present in life.

Hopefully, this is the way we will see difficulties.