A genuine heart of sadness

How sad is your love?

I shall begin with the story about an ageing Buddhist master who was growing really tired of his student’s constant complaints. One morning, he sent him to get some salt. When the student returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.

“How does it taste?” the master asked.

“Bitter,” said the student.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt the same size and put it in the lake. The two walked together in silence to the nearby lake and once the student swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”

“Fresh,” remarked the student.

“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.

“No,” said the young man.

At this the master sat beside this serious young man, and explained, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amoun…