A cup of water can be held by copper, but can a copper vessel hold a cup of water?

A cup of water can be held by copper, but can a copper vessel hold a cup of water?

That is how the human mind is. In youth, when pain and trials come in large measure, the mind finds it hard to bear them. But as time passes, maturity born of experience arrives. Then, what once felt like copper water poured into a fragile cup becomes instead a cup of water poured into a strong copper vessel.  

Experience is not the wound that time gives.  

It is the learning that time grants.  

Every trial we face comes not to break us, but to shape us.  

A broken clay pot can be remade, but a shaped mind never becomes weak again.  

When we approach life with this understanding, we gain the wisdom not to carry on our heads burdens we cannot handle.  

Do waves in the sea ever cease?  

Never!  

So too with life’s problems.  

To dream of a life without problems, always peaceful and joyful, is only an illusion.  

Waves cannot be stopped.  

But we can learn to ride over them.  

Life does not give us peace.  

It gives us the ability to create peace.  

When that ability arises within, even in the midst of a storm, a harbor appears in our soul.  

Yet we must not lose joy simply because we know problems will come.  

Facing those problems itself is a joyful experience.  

When we learn to live life as a pilgrimage, it becomes easier.  

With clear vision, our relationships with others become lighter.  

People become easier to live with, and cease to frighten us.  

Human relationships are like mirrors.  

They reflect the face we show.  

When doubt lessens within us, trust grows.  

When compassion grows within us, the world embraces us with compassion.  

Do not mistake my sharing of these thoughts as proof that I have attained such a state.  

I am only attempting the journey toward it.  

I share with you the drops of experience I gather along the way.  

That is all.  

In my restless youth, I longed for what I did not have.  

Now I see it was only chasing shadows instead of reality.  

My wish is that the younger generation should rise as a selfless, confident, serene, peaceful generation.  

This life itself is sweet.  

At times, certain events may bring bitterness.  

But even those are notes woven into the symphony of life.  

Just as music becomes sweet only when hands and instruments harmonize, so too life becomes complete only when joy and sorrow blend together.  

Every sorrow teaches us a new note.  

With time as our companion, we are born to conquer the challenges that leap before us.  

The spiritual purpose of life is to gain the experience of overcoming these challenges.  

Do not think of the thorns that pierced your feet along the path.  

Think of them as stones of knowledge that fed your wisdom.  

Do not think of happiness and joy as pillows that let you rest.  

Think of them as supports given by time to help you bear the dangers yet to come.  

Wind, rain, storm, sun—these are common to all.  

So too are joy and sorrow.  

No one in life is truly abandoned or unfortunate.  

Everyone is a victor in the race.  

Those who receive everything from parents or relatives are not the fortunate ones.  

For they miss the experience that effort alone can give.  

Walk with trust in your heart, calmly, holding the guiding mantra:  

“Every place is my home, every person my kin.”  

Victory will be yours!  

Effort made for selfish gain may lead the mind astray.  

But effort made for the common good naturally guides the mind to the right path.  

Mud does not cling to the fish that lives in it.  

Likewise, even if our environment is unsuitable, we need not fall into its mire.  

Life flows like a river in flood.  

Stopping it is useless.  

But by building channels, we can direct it where we need.  

Do not make decisions in haste.  

Hold to calmness and patience.  

Let your decisions have a goal.  

Every person has unique qualities.  

Yet most minds see only others’ flaws, not their hidden strengths.  

In every mind, good and evil are mixed.  

Circumstance and time sometimes let evil overcome good.  

Society is made of many kinds of people living together.  

Every person has a flaw.  

If all were perfect, life itself could not move forward.  

Every step toward perfection teaches us the essentials of life.  

What seems wrong today may not appear so tomorrow.  

That is why wise men said:  

“Let your heart be guided by your intellect, not your intellect by your emotions.”  

For decisions made in haste, driven by emotion, never bring the expected result.  

Patience, love, dignity, humility—these are priceless human virtues.  

Walk by them, and you will never fail.  

You can do it.  

With love,  

Sakthi Sakthithasan