I’ve been reminded over the past few weeks of an old story about a monk who was teaching his class. He asked his students this question: “If you are holding a cup of coffee when somebody bumps into you and you spill the coffee–why did you spill the coffee?”

The students answered that the coffee was spilled because someone bumped into them. The monk told them that was not the correct answer. The class pushed back. The students insisted that the person who bumped into them was at fault for spilling the coffee. The monk replied with a stern “No.”

Then he explained:

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. That is what you were carrying. If there was tea in your cup, you would have spilled tea. If there was water in your cup, you would have spilled water. You spill what you are carrying.”

When you are bumped, when life gets difficult, when things go foul, you will spill whatever you are carrying inside you.

If you are carrying hatred, anger, or fear, and you are bumped, you will spill out hatred, anger, or fear. If you are carrying kindness, love, goodness, or compassion, and you are bumped, you will spill out kindness, love, goodness, or compassion.

So, the question is: “What am I carrying inside of me?”

Peace,
Allan