Don’t Keep Drinking The Sour Milk
How to not take things personally and be super happy for the rest of your life
There’s a Buddhist story about a man who got sold a cow — or maybe it was a yak, I don’t remember. Anyhow, this cow or yak’s milk came out rotten and sour. The guy was pissed. “I got sold a rotten cow,” he said. “This milk is sour!” And to prove it he would drink a sip of the sour milk and his face would turn sour too.
One day the Buddha came by and the guy complained to the Buddha. “I got sold a rotten cow! It was this guy’s fault. He tricked me. I’ll show you, Buddha.”
The guy got down and started milking the cow to prove his case. The Buddha looked at him and said, “The guy may have sold you the cow, but you’re the one that keeps milking it for all it’s worth.”
At that moment the guy achieved enlightenment.
I guess he realized that he had been “milking” all his misfortunes for all they were worth. If his wife disappointed him, he milked that teet, and drank the sour milk of that disappointment. If the crops disappointed him, he drank that sour milk. And soon his face was very sour, too.
But after the Buddha talked to him, they say his face became as sweet as honey for the rest of his days.
