Empty Your Cup December 6, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Meditation, Mindfulness.trackback
I’ve shared this Zen Parable before:
An arrogant man, who felt that no one could teach him anything, visited a Zen master for tea. The Zen master poured the tea until it overflowed the cup, and still he continued to pour.
The arrogant man cried, “Master, stop! Why do you keep pouring? The cup is full.”
The master replied, “You too are full of your opinions and judgments about the world. You must empty yourself of the past, to receive the present.”
Now, let’s take it a step further. Do we “empty the cup” so that we can refill it with Zen wisdom?
No.
We empty the cup so we can mindfully experience THIS moment and all that it offers without looking through the dirty lens of stale judgments.
Zen wisdom is merely the voice that reminds us to empty our cup . . . again and again and again.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote: [W]hen we dump out our teacup . . . we make room for the really good tea. Zen is the dumping of the teacup. The really good tea is your life, your existence, your you. ~ The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Zen Living, p. 91.
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Spirit Lights The Way 
I’ve heard of spilled milk and the crying thing
Exactly. IT is what IT is. We must accept what we cannot change. We cannot control the world . . . but we can control how we CHOOSE to relate to IT. 😎
We become attached to what we have in our ‘cup’ and are sometimes scared to empty it or let in anything new. Great story, thanks, Nancy.
One suggestion from Zen Living is to state “the obvious” as the possible to remind ourselves that many of the “facts” we hang on to are merely “opinion.”
For example, instead of saying, “This IS a dog’s chew toy,” we can say, “This might be a dog’s chew toy.”
It reminds us that everything is subject to change . . . and even planets (like Pluto) can be demoted as we learn more. 😉
I’ve never heard this zen parable, Nancy. Thank you for sharing it again. Emptying the cup is something I need to remember to do multiple times a day. 🙂
Same here. As soon as I find myself “resisting” the “what is” or wanting things to be different than they are . . . I remind myself to empty my cup.
Embrace all with JOY . . . anything can be a gift of gold in disguise. 😀
I try to empty my cup every day… but sometimes there are old dregs left at the bottom. Oh well… try harder, I suppose.
If we let go all at once . . . we might lose our balance, eh? 😉
That’s a wonderful parable…I really like the image of releasing the past= emptying the cup…thanks!
We don’t need to let go of our memories and remembered experiences . . . but if we want to continue to LIVE, we need to be fully present in the present.
What if the tea in our cup is good?
Does that mean you’re already enlightened and living in the NOW, unburdened by worries, fear, pain, regret, judgments, opinions, expectations, attachments, preconceptions, and guilt? 😉
I like the story. It’s a good reminder to let things go. Emptying the cup is a great way to consciously think of dumping our perceptions so we can have fresh experiences.
Exactly. The best way to NOT go through life with a “been there, done that, got the t-shirt” mind-set is to realize that you have NEVER experienced THIS moment before . . . because the you you were is NOT the you you are.
Just ask Ebenezer Scrooge (or the Grinch) what it feels like to lighten the load by emptying the cup of past hurts and stale grievances.
I’ve always loved that story… and it’s a great reminder for all of us to unload form time to time… TY Nancy for your patience as I adjusted to a new schedule… will be doing a marathon of catching up on commenting tonight and the next. 🙂
When we remember to “empty our cup” first, we can really LISTEN to what others have to offer . . . instead of hanging on to endlessly recycled stale opinions.
Don’t worry about “catching up” on SLTW. Just enjoy THIS moment . . . and the NEXT.
This Zen parable is a favorite one of mine and as usual you added clarity by emphasizing the need to let go of judgement so our vision/perception is clear.
Some people are resistance to the notion . . . believing that they are to develop amnesia to the past by letting go of all their treasured memories.
Experiential memories are not the problem . . . it’s the baggage we’ve attached to those memories that slows us to a crawl. 😉
Your post made me think of the religious strife in the Middle East or anywhere for that matter. Fanatics need to empty their teacups and allow that other beliefs have a place in the world.
If we each emptied our teacup right HERE, right NOW . . . the world would know peace.
It is just like the Godly widom prayer:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”
That’s definitely part of it.
As soon as I find myself “resisting” the “what is” or wanting things to be different than they are . . . I remind myself to empty my cup.
But it goes a bit further than the Serenity Prayer.
It reminds us not to become attached to THIS moment . . . even if we LOVE everything about it. Because THIS moment must flow into the next and the next and the next.
We cannot hang on to the shore if we want to sail the sea of life.
I have been consciously trying to live in the moment for the last while, Nancy, and I must say I am so much more at PEACE. No more rushing against time. I think the whole world could do with this lesson. Thank you.
Exactly! In the NOW, time ceases to exist. We relax into the moment and time no longer tugs at our sleeve . . . demanding that we ignore THIS moment to focus on something else.
We relax into whatever we are doing and embrace it completely. We chop wood. We carry water. We peel carrots. We mindfully focus on the task at hand.
Our minds stop racing and squeaking like hamster on an exercise wheels. Instead, they are like a water wheel. We scoop up THIS moment, embrace it fully, and then empty it out to make room for the next moment.
We are HERE and it is NOW . . . what else is there?
This Zen living has some good tips!
Life is easier when our thoughts are under control rather than bouncing around like ring-tailed lemurs on steroids.
Reminding the mind to be mindful and pay attention to THIS moment is the heart of Zen.
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It’s difficult to see the “real: picture when we already have one formed in our heads. Letting go of “conditioning” and reforming beliefs is a very beneficial concept to living in the now…
Yes! The more we empty our minds to really focus on what is before us . . . the more awake, aware, and alive we become.
Instead of sleepwalking through a gray landscape day after dreck and dreery day . . . the vibrancy of life re-materializes. We laugh, we sing, we dance . . . our joy is unconfined.
It’s empty, now to get a refill 😉
Bwahahaha! 😆
Like this very much, have come across it in martial arts, not easy to do sometimes, but amazing when it does happen.
Thanks, Nicola. It can be challenging to rein in an unruly mind that it used to running free. But it’s worth it.
Some Christians call this “the sacrament of the present moment”, Nancy. How often we find similar concepts in different strains of philosophy. Two great posts.
Thank you
John
Thanks, John. One thing that I love about Zen teachings is that they enhance our daily lives no matter what religious or spiritual beliefs we hold ~ it’s experiential wisdom, not faith-based dogma and tenets. And the benefits are immediate ~ not just in THIS lifetime, but in THIS moment. 😀
I held my breath when you said, “Now, let’s take it a step further.”
I kept reading.
Ah…she is there!
XO, Nancy.
Thanks, Amy.
Just so! The act of emptying our minds allows us to mindfully experience the intersection of HERE and NOW.
What a great place to BE! 😀
Doing repetitive, physical tasks is good for achieving this like weeding and pruning 🙂
Exactly. As long as we keep our focus on what we are doing, without resistance, we are LIVING NOW.
Zen helps us to concentrate on one thing at a time (by reining in our monkey mind). If we are doing the dishes, we are washing dishes. We are not thinking: I don’t want to wash dishes. I hate washing dishes. What a waste of time. I have better things to do. Etc.
We calmly wash the dishes WITHOUT adding to our stress levels by resisting the “what is” or by allowing our mind to wander at will.
Aah . . . that’s better.
Wonderful post, Nancy. A daily time when we are empty: it’s the path to happiness, I feel sure.
It’s funny how doing “nothing” can benefit us in so many ways. Don’t just do something . . . sit there! 😀
Nancy, thanks for sharing this wonderful post!
Thanks, M!
ypu can’t control what happens, but you can control how you perceive it and react
I’ve been getting lots of practice the last few days . . . I feel like I’m playing Whack~A~Mole with the challenges cropping up around me.
Life is often a mystery. Yet only we can work out our own mystery.
The twists, the turns, and the uncertainty are what make life worth living.
I’m all for the ‘now’. Life would be so boring without it.
I am making more of an effort to remain “present” in the present and I am noticing a real difference in how I relate to the world.
Such a great post. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of letting fo of past judgements, fears and negativity in order to be able to appreciate this moment.
Thanks, LOL. Your last post rocked! Really good examples of how we get pulled out of the NOW by thoughts that are not conducive to happiness.
never think you have arrived, always be open to the new, the now. Flowers do not bloom all year but flower, go to seed, lie dormant and bloom again. So can we, eh?
Lovely thought . . . our “down times” are the death of a single bloom, not of the entire plant. If we remove dying blossoms by “deadheading” them . . . we can encourage new growth in the rest of the plant. 😀
Thanks – I came over from Julie’s Blog, and found just the right message at the right time.
http://www.pierotucci.com/accessories/gift_ideas/
Excellent! Glad it resonated with you. 😀
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