The Monk & The Empty Boat
Once there was a monk who was struggling with bad temper and would lose his cool even with the slightest provocations. One of his senior monks advised him to practice meditation in a serene environment for few days and see if that would help.
So, the monk took his boat out to the middle of a lake nearby and decided to meditate there. He closed his eyes and began his meditation. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly felt the bump of another boat colliding with his own. With his eyes still closed, he sensed his anger rising, and by the time he opened his eyes, he was ready to scream at the boatman who dared disturb his meditation.But when he opened his eyes, he was taken by surprise to see an empty boat that had probably got untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.At that moment, the monk had a self-realization. He understood that all the distractions and triggers that made him lose his temper were just like that empty boat – which didn’t deserve any immediate angry reaction.
The anger is within you. External factors that provokes you are merely an empty boat that has no direction. A wise man would choose to ignore it since it is pointless.
People are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them. We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
4th Rule of LoveBy Shams of Tabriz
Intellect and love are made of different materials. Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing, but love dissolves all tangles and risks everything. Intellect is always cautious and advises, ‘Beware too much ecstasy’, whereas love says, ‘Oh, never mind! Take the plunge!’ Intellect does not easily break down, whereas love can effortlessly reduce itself to rubble. But treasures are hidden among ruins. A broken heart hides treasures.
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