PureInsight | May 23, 2007
[PureInsight.org] Everything in
this world is just like the water in the river: It changes every
second. However, many people nowadays don't know how to hold on to
"today." They do not cherish the opportunities right in front of
them but worry about the future. Actually, time is not the same
as money: you cannot save it for rainy days. No matter what, all
people can have are today and this moment.
In the ancient times, there was a little monk who took care of the yard
at the temple. Every morning he had to get up early to sweep a
yard full of leaves and that was the only thing that required his
effort. That was not an easy job, particularly between autumn and
winter with a huge amount of leaves flying all over the yard. It took
him quite a bit of time to clear the leaves every day. Consequently, he
wanted to find a way to make his life easier.
Later another monk in the temple who considered himself bright told the
little monk, "Why don't you shake the tree really hard before you sweep
tomorrow and all the leaves will fall down, then you only need to sweep
once. The little monk was very excited and thought what a
permanent solution that was! The following day, the little monk
got up early and shook every tree hard. He thought that he could sweep
all the leaves in one day and that would be it. He was very happy
that day. However, the next morning, he found out that there were
just as many leaves in the yard as before. He was depressed that he had
to work hard again. Then the abbot came over and saw him being
unhappy. After hearing the story, the abbot said, "Foolish child, no
matter how hard you shake the trees today, the leaves that supposed to
fall tomorrow will still fall tomorrow."
Everything has been prearranged by Heaven and no one can hurry things
up. Truly managing today well is the correct attitude toward life.
There is no need to wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow consists of a
lot of uncertainty. No one knows for sure what will happen in the
environment around him, how it will change. It will be hard to predict
or even to understand. When you are wholeheartedly waiting for
tomorrow, you are wasting today. Giving up today is giving up
your best opportunity.
Only today is real and valid. In the journey of life, tomorrow seems
pale and dim compared to today. Today, you can heal your wound,
wipe off your tears, and fulfill your dreams from yesterday. Holding on
to today, you have mastered the secret of time. Sow the seeds of
sincerity and kindness in the soil of today and you shall reap the
fruit of happiness tomorrow. Cherish today, so you won't waste it and
you won't let opportunities slide by. Cherishing today is
cherishing your life. Only by cherishing today, can you have a life
without remorse!
Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/5/14/43870.html
