there was a wise old monk named Taro who lived in a small village in the mountains he was known all over the country for his wisdom and insight many people all around the country came to seek his counsel One Day Tara was approached by a young woman named ma seeking help she was overwhelmed with anxiety and her mind was filled with worries and fears she approached the Monk and told all her problems looking forward for advice from the Monk which would give her Peace of Mind Taro listened quietly his gaze was kind and very peaceful
when M finished speaking he simply looked at her with a gentle smile and did not say a word confused and frustrated ma wondered why the monk remained silent she had traveled far seeking his advice and all she received was a silent smile M turned to leave dejected when Taro called after her and held out a small bowl while he poured water into it please take this bowl of water over to the other side of the courtyard Taro whispered in the most Gentle Way She gave him a confused look but accepted the bowl and began a
slow walk through the courtyard on the other side she looked back at Taro wondering what this exercise was going to teach her Taro then gestured for her to walk back across the courtyard with the bowl as she walked ma watched the water in the bowl sloshing back and forth she focused intently on keeping the water from spilling when she reached the other side tarot asked what did you notice I was careful not to spill the water so all my attention was on it I didn't notice anything else ma replied Taro nodded and smiled good now
carry the bowl of water back and forth across the courtyard again but this time do it without thinking about the water although confused ma did as she was told she carried the bowl full of water back and forth across the courtyard but this time she didn't think about the water she simply walked feeling the weight of the bowl in her hand and listening to the sound of her footsteps on the ground when she returned back to Taro he asked her again what did you notice Master this time I noticed the weight of the bowl in
my hand and the sound of my footsteps on the ground ma replied Taro nodded and smiled once more good now imagine your worries and fears are like the water in the bowl when you focus too much on them they Sosh around spill over and create even more worries if you keep focusing it can cause you to lose your balance and eventually hurt you but when you don't focus on your worries they become like the weight of the bowl in your hand something you're aware of but not overwhelming Med by Taro continued ma from now on
focus on the present moment instead of letting your worries and fears consume you embrace the gift of Silence practice the art of being present and you'll find more peace and Clarity in your life Ma's eyes widened with understanding she nodded feeling a sense of clarity and peace that she had not felt in a long time she thanked Taro for his wisdom and left the monastery feeling lighter and more at ease
