Become a Lake

An aging master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

"How does it taste?" the master asked. "Bitter," spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?" "Fresh," remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the master. "No," said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside this serious young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.

So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things .... stop being a glass. Become a lake."

This Hindu parable is told by Mark Nepo in “The Book Of Awakening.”

And how do you become a lake, you might ask? What’s the practical thing to do?

It is very difficult in the midst of pain to focus on anything other than the pain. But you can gradually work on expanding your focus by practicing concentration on other things besides the pain, engaging in activities that keep your mind busy.

One way to do this is to reflect on one thing, no matter how significant or seemingly insignificant, for which you are grateful: your pet, a friend, family, a memory, your home, your job.

Another way is to serve others with a smile, doing your best to provide them with an amazing experience. Give a helping hand wherever it’s needed. That’s what I did when I was heartbroken, working in restaurants as a server. I channeled my pain and converted it into energy to do things. It took time, but it worked.

Or, write your thoughts and feelings down. Express your emotions to a blank piece of paper. There’s magic in writing things down. There’s a release. And in the process, you reflect on the pain, you sit with it, you feel it. And eventually, it goes away.

Transform pain into purpose and become a lake, not confined by bitterness but filled with the boundless waters of gratitude. For the experience gained, for the lesson learned from it, for the countless other things that make your life beautiful, for discovering how strong you really are, for the support of those around you, for being alive and breathing.

Every challenge is an opportunity for growth, and every drop of pain is a potential source of strength.

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