An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa would get up early in the morning and begin his meditation. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to meditate just like you but thoughts keep disturbing me, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I come out of meditation. What good does meditation do?
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house.
The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time, so go back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough so he sent the boy out to try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa, it’s useless! It’s a waste of time.
“You think it’s a waste of time, the old man said? Look at the basket.
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket to a very clean one, inside and out.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you meditate. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you meditate every day, thoughts start to diminish, like that dirty coal basket that slowly transformed to a clean coal basket, In the same way, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of meditation in our lives.
Moral: Never give up on your physical and spiritual practice. By practicing daily, all heaviness and unnecessary things tend to fall away, and you start feeling lighter. This is an indication that you are evolving. Slowly you will feel peace and calm within you. Instead of reacting, you start responding."