The past few days have been full of emotional turmoil for me. The tidal wave formed by all the bad news and the negative emotions of the past weeks crashed over me on Monday. Anger, disappointment and sadness would not leave me alone, and it was with their unwanted company that I went to meet Chia Meng, a good friend of mine who also directed me in my first short film.
He recounted a story that had an extraordinary effect on me.
While he was in Taiwan with some friends, they visited the grave of Teresa Teng, a famous singer that his mum liked. On the way back, they passed by a Buddhist temple that would have been rather out of the way for a casual visit. Taking this opportunity, they went into the temple.
The temple was situated in such a position that looking out in one direction, devotees could see the city from a distance. In the middle of the temple, there was a serene pool. The reverend said that devotees should keep in mind the peace and serenity that the temple offers, in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city that was in sight. The pool signified Buddha’s heart. If a stone is thrown into the pool, ripples would form, destroying the mirror-smooth surface of the water. The more stones are thrown at the same time, the more chaos there would be interrupting the water’s tranquility.
Buddha’s heart is the same as every individual’s heart. The stones represent events that happen to us, and the ripples represent the emotions they cause. We can choose to cast the stones into our hearts and disrupt the calm, or we can choose not to do so. Peace of mind will only be achieved when we choose not to allow events to affect the tranquility of our emotions.
After hearing that story, I decided to focus on maintaining the calmness of my heart and mind, and refrain from casting any stones in anymore. I hope I can keep this Zen-like outlook.
