A wise woman, who was travelling in the mountains, found a precious stone in a stream.
She reverently placed the gem in her bag.
The next day, she met another traveller, who was hungry.
The wise woman opened her bag to share her food.The hungry traveller saw the precious stone in the wise woman's bag,
admired it, and asked the wise woman to give it to him.
The wise woman did so without hesitation.The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune.
He knew the jewel was worth enough to give him security for the rest of his life.
But a few days later, he came back, searching for the wise woman.When he found her, he returned the stone and said,
"I have been thinking. I know how valuable the stone is, but I would like to exchange it in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. If you can, teach me the secrets about the power you have within you, the power that enabled you to,
without hesitation, give me this precious stone."
I read the above story on my way to work this morning. It's a short and simple story but it gave me immense clarity. Such an act would be near crazy in the world today. It's like walking into the house of a millionaire and asking for all the material things that he has and he immediately hands over to you wholeheartedly.
Material comforts are important to us inthe world today. Since young, we are taught to ensure we will earn enough to have a good life. To try to have a successful career to live as comfortable as possible. We plan for our retirement. In units of dollars and cents. Sometimes I wonder if being well-off financially and being rich spiritually can co-exist?
Despite all religions and great philosphers' teachings on the transcient nature of material things, our collective conscious stand triumphant as we worship the importance of having enough or the more the merrier. It's takes wisdom and quiet courage to be able to treasure the non-material. There is a thin line between contentment and laziness which most people can't differentiate and choose to abhor altogether in the competitive world today. There is an even thinner line between contentment and detachment.
To all who have enough gems in life for a lifetime of security, I congratulate you.
To you who is able to appreciate the material comforts and yet stay detached, I hope to learn from you.
8 Ripples:
But this story is different from 'being a millionaire and giving away all your fortune' wor... The wise woman did not put in much hard work to get the stone, thus it's easier to give it away than a millionaire giving away his everything that he worked for.
Shek Lew Lew,
The idea of detachment is the same, nonetheless. Maybe if one has worked hard, it would be difficult to give up. But holding too tightly to things in life amounts to equal suffering whether you had worked hard for it or not. Correct?
Which CNY day come my place leh? Last year you did not even get the Ang Pao from me leh. I still have it with me. With Ah Girl written on it :-)
i'd like to cite the example of warren buffet as a successful detached individual. he gave away his billions to the Gates Foundation, and still living in the same house he bought 50 years ago and drives a 2nd hand car. from wat he said in the interview, he just loves making money. =)
Hallos Fresh Fry,
Thanks for your comments on the spirit of Bill Gates. I have read about his contributions to the foundation that he has founded. His spirit in sharing is indeed admirable.
Hmm... somehow, if im the woman i wouldn't mind giving away the stone, but if im the millionaire.. hmm... don't think so..
wah, does tat mean i will get 2 ang pao this year? ;) haha.. 1st day going ur mom's place, u try n psycho my mom go ur place on the first day oso k? =D
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He he he he...balance in life is one of the HARDEST things to achieve. :-))))
Best of luck for each of us to try and live a balanced life. :-)))
By the way, many millionaires rather give away their surplus money for tax reasons. Rather than pay hefty tax, they might as well donate some away to charity. Of course that is only part of the reasonlah, many of them really have philanthrophic intentions.
I don't have alot but I don't feel very attached to material possessions. I used to think that one shouldn't be too stressed out over money but later I find there has to be a comfort level or else naturally the worries start creeping in like what if you can't afford to maintain the home or feed the kids.
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