Buddhism and the cup of tea
The teachings of Buddha explained in a different way
There is a legend about a wise monk who was often visited and was much sought after as an advisor.
One day a learned man came to learn from him.
The monk asked him if he was exhausted from his journey and would like some tea, and the visitor gladly agreed.
The two sat down at a tea table, the monk heated water, prepared the tea, put it in the pot, brewed it hot and started to fill the visitor's cup. But even when the cup was full, the monk continued to pour, the tea overflowed, even spread on the floor. The guest said, "The cup is full, enough," to which the monk replied, "You are like a full teacup, full of knowledge, full of faith, full of your opinion, you have come to me with preconceived notions, full of half-knowledge, unable to learn anything new, unable to listen at all. Before they can learn from me they must first become empty, otherwise they are like this tea"'.
All people today have almost unlimited access to knowledge, to education, to information. They think they know everything, they can build complex machines, fly to the moon, send probes far into space, every corner of the earth is measured, mapped, studied.
But they know nothing about themselves, about their own ego, the self that underlies everything, they deal with thousands of things, but their own personality is not questioned.
Why not, actually? What keeps people from doing this, why don't they go "into themselves", use their potential more, don't arrive at themselves?
Quite simply: Because they do not want it!
They are afraid of what they might find, what the true teaching might be.
The basic structure of our life is simple: "Everything is transient", and therefore a preoccupation with human destiny would be painful, unattractive, frightening.
It is so much easier to distract oneself, to get high, to take refuge in illusions, to be entertained, to maintain a framework of illusions in order not to have to face the truth.
If this is enough for you, you can live like this, for me it is not an option.
Follow the Buddha's example, free your container from useless things. And then fill it with important things.
You can improve the world by changing yourself.
Is your cup already empty?
Tea! Bless the everyday afternoon tea!
- Agatha Christie - English mystery writer - 1890 to 1976
Lady Nancy Astor: If you were my husband, I would put poison in your tea! Winston Churchill: And if you were my wife, I would drink this tea!
- Winston Churchill - British statesman of the 20th century - 1874 to 1965
The only English patients I have ever met who refused tea have been typhoid cases; and the first sign that they were getting well was their craving for tea
- Florence Nightingale - British nurse and inventor of the war hospital - 1820 to 1910
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