The Glass Is Already Broken
An extract:
โYou see this goblet?โ asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. โFor me, this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, โOf course.โ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.โ [Citation]
Viewing the glass as a broken one is a Buddhist teaching. The essence lies in understanding the changes of life, the cycle of life to be more precise. Germination, for instance, every tree grows from a seed, and will eventually be a part of the earth again. Every object living and non-living will be non-existent at some point in life.
When you know that the glass will break one day, you can deal with your disappointment better, when it does. This gives you more command over your emotions. It becomes easier to accept it breaking.
We need this.
We have many things we hold close to our hearts. The teaching does not ask us to let go of attachment completely but merely accept the possibility of things ending.
The beauty lies in its ability to help us cope with fear. When we know things will end, we value it. Every moment with the object becomes more valuable, more earned. True happiness lies in acknowledging the mortality and fragility of life.
One of my friends says this often โ โWe must disconnect to reconnect.โ We must go a step beyond, to understand the truth of life and reflect upon it. The purpose of life will automatically be discovered, with time, with understanding.
Those who have understood their lives are glasses are the ones who are enlightened.
Thank you for reading :)
Wishing you a great day !
