#88. Buddha: Fill Your Water Pot & Hit the Rock posted by brian @ Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:43:10 -0000

brian — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:43:10 -0000

"Little by little a person becomes evil, as a water pot is filled by drops of water...

Little by little a person becomes good, as a water pot is filled by drops of water."

Every great teacher will advise you to build habits and to consistently train yourself to do your best.

I love the Buddha’s wisdom above.

And, I think the stonecutter is another perfect metaphor for the process of growing into our full potential. You may have heard the story:

A stonecutter hits a rock with his hammer. The stone splits. The casual observer sees this and thinks, “Wow. That guy is really strong. I can’t believe he broke that huge rock with a single blow!”

The reality (obviously) is that the stonecutter didn’t break it in a single blow—he’d been hammering away at that rock for a long time. Many, many blows went into the rock before it finally split. Most people see someone who has achieved some level of success--whether it’s enlightenment or celebrity status or financial wealth--and think, “Wow, they sure must be lucky.”

Obviously, the stonecutter isn’t strong enough to break a rock in one blow and no one is “lucky” enough to reach any level of excellence without an equally diligent and consistent effort.

So, hit the rock.

Again. And again. And again.

You will break the rock.

(Oh, and by the way, quick FYI: once you’re done with that rock get ready to start swinging at the next one. :)

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#88. Buddha: Fill Your Water Pot & Hit the Rock posted by brian @ Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:43:10 -0000