The day was very special for the daughter
of the sage. It was her twentieth birthday. According to the customs of
ancient China, this marked the end of adolescence and the beginning of
adulthood.
The sage gave her the birthday present. She
was excited and could not resist asking: "What is it?"
"That is for you to discover on your own,"
the sage replied. "Open it tonight, after you have quieted your mind
through meditation."
She followed the instructions to the
letter. Alone in her room that evening, she composed herself and
unwrapped the present. She found three exquisitely crafted boxes, to be
opened sequentially.
She opened the first box and found a
beautiful mirror inside. She took it out and saw herself reflected. She
smiled, and her reflection smiled back, showing pretty dimples. On one
edge of the mirror, there were small words engraved in the glass:
The Present You
She nodded in satisfaction. She looked at
herself for another moment, and then set the first box aside.
She opened the second box. It contained a
skull carved from crystal. This startled her. Why did the sage give her
a symbol of death for her birthday? Thoughts of mortality were so sad
and depressing. She examined the skull closely, and saw small words
etched into its forehead:
The Future You
She frowned. Feeling perplexed, she turned
her thoughts to the third box. What was in it? Could it be something
beautiful like the mirror? Or could it be something scary like the
skull?
She hesitated. Then, overcome by curiosity,
she opened the third box. It contained a figurine of the Buddha. In the
light of the room, it seemed to shine with a warm glow. There was a
timeless quality about its serene expression, and it gave her a feeling
of comfort and calmness. She looked for words similar to the ones on the
mirror and the skull, and found an inscription:
The Eternal You
She began to realize that this was no
ordinary birthday present. There was a deeper meaning in the three boxes
that she was just beginning to grasp. The sage's real gift was not the
physical objects at all. It was a lesson she needed to explore... and
discover on her own.
Chapter 43 of the Tao Te Ching tells us
that sages not only act without attachments, but also teach without
words. This story gives us an example of such wordless teaching. Rather
than to lecture his daughter - using many words, but probably to little
effect - the sage chose to convey his lessons in the form of three
exquisitely crafted boxes.
The Present You
The first box may appear to be a lesson
about the present moment, but there is much more to it than that. The
mirror in the box is a symbol for self reflection. This is a Tao
practice where cultivators review their actions. Have they consistently
acted in accordance with the Tao? What positive or negative consequences
have they caused? Which areas of cultivation require more work?
As Tao cultivators learn from their
mistakes and improve themselves, the world seems to respond in kind.
Just as they treat people with courtesy, people also seem to give them
consideration in return. It is as if the entire world is a karmic mirror
for the true self. Thus, the more we reflect internally, the better our
external reflection becomes. This is the first lesson from the sage.
The Future You
The daughter found the second box
startling, even a bit frightening. This represents the difficulty we all
have in learning life lessons from death. The sad and depressing nature
of death that she thought about is a reference to the Buddhist teaching
on suffering. As sentient beings, we cannot help but become aware of
mortality as we age. This is a burden that can sometimes be too much to
bear.
The sage's lesson about death speaks to its
inevitable finality. At twenty years of age, the daughter was young and
vibrant, but her youth and vibrancy mattered not at all to the
relentless march of time. Given the passage of enough years, she would
become old and, one day, nothing more than a bag of bones.
The sooner we accept the finality of death,
the sooner we can turn to the more important question of how to live.
Our time in this world is not only finite, but also very short. Many
people do not wake up to this realization until they are well into their
sunset years. Tao cultivators must train themselves to reach the same
understanding as soon as possible. Life is far too precious to waste.
The Eternal You
The third box is the sage's most important
message of all. It is about the ultimate purpose of human existence. Why
are we here? What are we supposed to do while we are here?
Surely our purpose cannot be just to
produce another generation. Such a purpose can be fulfilled by any
living thing and does not require human existence. We are here to do
what human existence enables us to do: elevate our spiritual selves
through learning.
This spiritual elevation has many names,
but regardless of our different labels and descriptions, we are all
pointing to the same thing. It is the state of ultimate awakening and
pure compassion. The sage used the figurine of the Buddha to represent
it, and his meaning is clear.
Many people think of the Buddha as a deity.
In reality, the Buddha is a human being, no different in essence from
you and me. When we honor the divinity of the Buddha, it is not to
elevate the Buddha into godhood. Rather, the real meaning is to
recognize within ourselves the same divinity of the true self, which is
undergoing an unfolding process even as we speak.
If the true self is like the moon obscured
by clouds, then the unfolding process is like the clouds moving away and
dissipating gradually. When we finally return to the true self, it will
be like the moon being fully revealed in all its heavenly glory. This is
the meaning of Buddhahood - our ultimate purpose, and the final lesson
of the present.
The Real Gift
The sage intended the three boxes to be
understood one after another, and then together as one entity. Each box
is a lesson that builds on the previous level of understanding.
Collectively, the lessons give us a guide to lifelong spirituality that
takes us step by step through the following:
- Become mindfully
aware of karmic consequences. Every word or action, no matter how
trivial, has an impact. It is up to us to determine the impact we
want to have, and shape what we say and do accordingly. This is the
basis for the other steps.
- See life and
death clearly to really appreciate the marvelous opportunity we
have. This is an advanced practice where cultivators at a higher
level realize there is more to the Tao than just "going with the
flow." They waste no time at all in using the flow to direct
their journey.
- Realize that the
Buddha is something to become, not just to revere. The cultivation
of awareness and clarity will lead us to the path to enlightenment.
The more we follow this path, the more we will resonate with a
profound sense of serene comfort. This will happen naturally when we
live in fulfillment of the ultimate purpose.
The birthday is a celebration of birth, and
the daughter's birthday is a symbol for spiritual rebirth. Just as she
passed from adolescence into adulthood, we also have an opportunity at
this moment to make another transition into the next level of spiritual
growth.
The most meaningful present of all for such
an occasion would be everlasting wisdom for a lifetime. This is what the
sage gave - not only to his daughter, but also to us. We may not have
the mirror, the skull and the Buddha in our hands, but we have received
the real gift in the heart. Let us quiet the mind before opening this
present. Once unwrapped, it will live on within us... for all eternity.
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