PureInsight | July 11, 2010
[PureInsight.org]
Hello fellow practitioners,
Once I read the following story: There were two villages. In one of the villages lived a saint. The residents of both villages wanted to be close to the saint and wanted him to stay in their village. But neither of the two villages wanted to give in to the other. If the saint was staying in one village, people from the other village would sneak in at night and kidnap the saint. In the morning, the villagers of the first village would wake up in a rage upon finding out about the kidnapping, and in a few days would organize the kidnapping back of their saint. So it went on like this for many years; the two villages were kidnapping the saint from each other, and neither village would give in to the other.
When I read this story, I found it remarkable on many fronts. It is quite obvious that the people in those villages missed the point of spiritual growth and considered spirituality as a kind of possession. But what was more remarkable is the fact that the saint did not oppose being kidnapped like that. He was so humble that it did not matter to him where fate placed him. He did not resist, fight or complain.
I think this lesson can be applied to our cultivation. Sometimes practitioners may have different opinions about working on a certain project, but if we learn to be more flexible, more open, and more humble, then there will be fewer misunderstandings and conflicts among us. I tell myself: “I have to be more flexible, like a river, and I have to be more humble, like that saint.”
Master said: “For example, if a bottle filled with dirty things is sealed tightly and thrown into water, it will sink all the way to the bottom. You pour out some of its dirty contents. The more you empty the bottle, the higher it will float in the water. If it is emptied entirely, it will float on the surface completely.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture One)
It always feels more comfortable to be around people who have less ego. The less the ego, the more the space, and it feels like being with yourself. I see the spiritual journey as a kind of emptying the “self” from myself. Once I heard these words in a song: “A white cloud on an empty chair.” There can't be an empty space in the Universe; whenever something is empty, it must be filled. When we empty ourselves entirely, the whole Universe will rush in to fill that space.
Please point out anything incorrect.
Heshi.
July 2010
