第一章 桶底的小洞

On the mountain there was a temple, and in the temple lived an old monk and a young monk.

Every day people came to the temple to ask the old monk for help. Some worried about their relatives' health, some didn't know how to make choices, and others were unhappy because of past events.

The old monk always listened to them quietly.

He rarely gave answers immediately, just asked a few simple questions. But when those people left, their hearts often felt much lighter.

The young monk saw these things and thought his master was amazing.

He thought: "Master must have a way to solve all problems."

One day, a pilgrim came to the temple. He sat in front of the old monk and talked for a long time.

He said: "Family matters worry me, and work is not going well. I also made some mistakes in the past, and I think about them every day. The more I think, the more miserable I feel. I don't know what to do."

After listening, the old monk didn't speak. He led the pilgrim and the young monk to the courtyard.

In the courtyard stood a wooden bucket, and at the bottom of the bucket there was a small wooden plug. The old monk asked the young monk to pour water into the bucket. The young monk poured basin after basin of water into the bucket. The water in the bucket increased more and more, and finally it was almost full.

The old monk said to the pilgrim: "People's troubles are like this water. One thing may not count for much, but when many things are put together, the heart cannot hold them."

Then he bent down and pulled out the small wooden plug at the bottom of the bucket. A small hole appeared at the bottom of the bucket, and water slowly flowed out.

The pilgrim looked at the water and asked: "Such a small hole, is it really useful?"

The old monk said: "The water will not drain immediately, and the troubles will not all disappear right away. But as long as it starts to flow out, the water in the bucket will become less and less."

The pilgrim asked again: "How can we let our troubles flow out?"

The old monk replied: "First calm yourself down, then focus on what you need to do now; if it takes time, be patient; if you can't change it, try to let go."

The pilgrim thought for a moment and said: "I understand. I cannot solve all problems today, but I can first do one thing well."

The old monk nodded: "The path is still for you to walk on your own. I just helped you see the first step clearly."

After the pilgrim left, the young monk asked: "Master, can you really not solve his problems for him?"

The old monk smiled and said: "The water in others' hearts can only be let out by themselves. What I can do is help them find the small hole at the bottom of the bucket."

From then on, the young monk no longer rushed to tell others what to do.

Many times, what people need is not an answer, but to clear the fog in front of their eyes. But anxious people often cannot see clearly what is in front of them.