Give Space – Let The Mud Settle

Once the Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his
followers. While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake.
They stopped there for a rest and the Buddha told one of his
disciples, “I am thirsty, do get me some water from that lake there.”

The disciple walked up to the lake but just as he reached it, a bullock cart started crossing the lake.
As a result, the water became very turbid and muddy.

The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to the Buddha to drink!”
So he came back and told the Buddha, “The water in there is very
muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.”

After about half an hour, the Buddha asked the same disciple to go back
to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went
back to the lake. He found that the lake was still muddy. He returned and informed the Buddha that the water was unfit to drink.

After another hour or so, the Buddha again asked the same disciple to go back to the lake to get him a drink.
The disciple reached the lake to find the lake calm and still.
The mud had settled down and the water above it was clean and clear.
So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to the Buddha.

The Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said,
” See what you did to make the water clean.  You let it be – The mud settled down on its own and you got the clear water.

Our mind is also like that!  When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will
settle down on its own.”

So remember, the next time a situation has you all frazzled, just let it be, don’t act in haste.   Let the Mud settle and come back to the situation later.