You Can Be Still And Still Moving

A senior monk and a novice monk took turns to carry water to the temple. As there was a distance between the well and the temple, the senior monk needed to make 10 trips, whereas the novice monk took only 6 trips, to fill the urn with water.

09.05.2016

The senior monk was puzzled. He asked the novice monk, “I am stronger than you are and I certainly walk faster than you. Furthermore, our buckets are filled to the brim at every trip. Why then are you able to fill the urn with less number of trips?”

The novice monk replied, "This is because you are stronger and walked with greater speed and movements, hence causing more spillage. I am weaker and walked slowly but more steadily, hence only a little spillage occurred. As such, I reach the temple with a bucket almost full of water each time.”

Slow and steady yield better results. Hastiness yields more waste. Don’t be rash in whatever we do as the key to yielding better results is stability.

Bodhi - Meditation & Health Magazine