“Contemplating the moon in a cup of coffee.” Answered the Monk with his cup.
“Unless you have broken your neck, why don’t you look at the moon in the sky?”
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups ; porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.”
He continued, “Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.”
“Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money…
and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.”
moral: Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee = life. Enjoy your coffee as if you were tasting your life! The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
36 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 2, 2012 at 7:39 am
silverlining09
really makes sense! thank you for pointing this out. more power to your blogs!
January 2, 2012 at 12:31 pm
zendictive
thank you (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 8:17 am
annedearle
An interesting thought
January 2, 2012 at 12:33 pm
zendictive
(~_~) interesting is good… right!
I liked the moon in the cup story… I had to change it up and ad to it for length and to make it fit the topic… but the point is interesting (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 8:29 am
Cat Forsley
YOU read My heart ——- Art ! i have always believed this “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.” first >>>> Boomeranging back at you !!!! http://catforsley.me/2011/12/30/kreativ-blogger-nominations-awards-long-overdue-by-cat-forsley/ next ——– “Society ” Eddie Vedder – soooooooooooo True ———- !
best xx Cat xx
January 2, 2012 at 12:30 pm
zendictive
bows (~_~) humble
thank you Cat
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”
loved the tune!!!xxoo
January 2, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Cat Forsley
Did You hear Eddie Vedder at the end ! Thought OMG- “Put the silence down “lol when You did the Kreativ Blogger nomination award post ——- and you stated what You do …. I thought wow ! What a leader You are – and how this song fits in again – an uncanny way —— ! xoxo C
January 2, 2012 at 8:30 am
willowdot21
I keep saying this I love the logic you teach your posts have become my “thoughts for the day” thank you so much.xx
January 2, 2012 at 12:28 pm
zendictive
as they are mine (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 11:00 am
Savy
Sometime the things that look brighter and prettier may not necessary bring joy or calmness!
January 2, 2012 at 12:27 pm
zendictive
perfectly stated (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Linda Vernon
You are always coming up with the best stuff!
January 3, 2012 at 6:48 am
zendictive
I have read a lot of stories in the last twenty years and it is like hunting a good movie, when I read one that moves me, I post it, I read a lot that I rarely finish the story and then there is the one, I will read twice and I know it will be a great addition to the collection. Sort of like Da Mo in the first post… enemies of the mind… searching for enlightenment (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Angela
Love reading these stories; they are food for the soul! Wishing you a Happy and Peaceful New Year.
January 3, 2012 at 6:49 am
zendictive
happy new year to you and yours (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Amberr Meadows
Love the perspectives. Happy New Year!
January 3, 2012 at 6:50 am
zendictive
happy new year ms. meadows ~_~
January 2, 2012 at 4:30 pm
zencherry
Lovely post. I like the idea of tasting the moon in this manner. Sweet thought.
January 3, 2012 at 6:53 am
zendictive
I know, I liked that most of all (~_~) moon’s are yummy, like marshmellows (grin)
January 2, 2012 at 6:43 pm
John Northcutt Young
Especially like the “choosing cup” story.
January 3, 2012 at 6:54 am
zendictive
thank you Mr. Young (~_~)
January 2, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Jackie L. Robinson
‘Enjoy the coffee as if you were tasting your life.’ THANK YOU – yes!
January 3, 2012 at 6:43 am
zendictive
yes, savor every drop (~_~)xxoo
January 2, 2012 at 8:30 pm
Pocket Perspectives
I got a comment in an email yesterday about a description I had made about delicous some food I had at a restaurant the other night …here’s part of the comment “I’m glad that you are able to appreciate the simple things…………..I guess as our practice deepens we start to see each moment as a precious new bite of a yummy food, something new and wonderful and incredible in its simplicity…… ” (I’ll make it into a card in a few days…)
January 3, 2012 at 6:42 am
zendictive
wow, I look forward to that one (~_~) I remember when I was a kid I would take forever to eat because I wanted the pudding to last forever, now I nearly suck the meal down in seconds, I realized this and began to savor every bite/sip again.
January 2, 2012 at 10:17 pm
mkmercurio
Thanks for your words today– Coffee always tastes better when you look up to see a friend sitting across from you. Thanks for the precious reminder!
January 3, 2012 at 6:38 am
zendictive
you are welcome and I am glad you enjoyed the read
January 3, 2012 at 2:23 am
granbee
My daughter and son-in-law had a very specially created coffee mug sent to me for Christmas. I am SUCH a coffee hound. Those last two cartoons of the coffee drinkers is me all over! Living in this small Southern town, so concious of how many doctors, lawyers, and bankers are present in any gathering, I especially appreciated this Zen reminder on the difference between life and social status! Let us not waste time choosing cups! Let us savor our coffee!
January 3, 2012 at 6:09 am
zendictive
exactly, I don’t think the coffee cares about the cup that holds it, just that it is savored (~_~) happy coffee drinking to you!
January 3, 2012 at 8:10 am
lorrelee1970
I love how you take beautiful thoughts and wisdom and package it in a way all of us can understand. I love the coffee cup comparison. AND…Love the signs. I have the last one hanging up in my kitchen.
January 3, 2012 at 11:29 am
yearstricken
Great words to ponder over a cup of coffee. I love the second to the last banner and may have to “borrow” it some time. : )
January 4, 2012 at 8:17 am
wittingpress
I was hooked at the mention of coffee. The rest is a wonderful bonus. Thank you.
January 4, 2012 at 11:05 am
Sue Dreamwalker
Ive come across this story before and I was impressed by it as much the second time around as the first… many thanks for sharing x … Life indeed is like a cup of coffee.. 🙂
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