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The Root Of Suffering Is Attachment
Things come and things go
A Zen master was once gifted a beautifully crafted crystal cup.
He loved the cup so much and enjoyed drinking from it.
And because of how fond he was of this cup, he would often show it to his guests.
Yet, each time he used the cup, he reminded himself that it was already broken.
And so it happened that one day, a guest at his house mistakenly toppled the cup from where it was kept.
As the cup fell to the ground and shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, the other guests in the room gasped in shock.
But the Zen master was calm. Looking at the mess in front of him, he said: “Ah. Yes. Let’s begin.”
Then he picked up a broom and began sweeping.
Unlike most of us, the Zen master understands that nothing in this world is forever. His awareness of the impermanence of the things of life taught him to enjoy his crystal cup while he still had it knowing that one day it might be broken.
Though he loved, enjoyed, and was grateful for his crystal cup, he stayed unattached to it knowing that everything comes and goes.
