Empty? Full? Part 1

Holding up a bowl filled with water, the Lord asked his disciples, "Is this bowl full or empty?" One of them replied, "Lord, it is full."

Emptying the water, the Lord asked his disciples again, "Is this bowl now full or empty?" The same disciple replied, "My Lord, it is now empty."

The Lord exclaimed, "How can you say that! You should know better."
Seeing the perplexed faces of his disciples, he explained, "It is not empty, it is now full of air."

The dialog reminds us how misleading our perceptions can be. How our minds can be trapped by past perceptions, notions, dogmas and doctrines if we are to be too attached to what was in the past instead of being mindful of the present moment.

Non-duality is the true face of reality. To hold on to a view that it is or a view that it is not, can be erroneous. Reality needs to be experienced, it cannot be described by words or signs alone. Just like the bowl, it is experiencing reality fully without attachments, thus be it empty or full, it is in full contact with the present moment.

Heehee, maybe oneday, all of us will become bowls. To experience reality fully without attachments. =)