“The Buddha offered this wonderful image. If you take a handful of salt and pour it into a small bowl of water, the water in the bowl will be too salty to drink. But if you pour the same amount of salt into a large river, people will still be able to drink the river’s water…….because of its immensity, the river has the capacity to receive and transform. The river doesn’t suffer at all because of a handful of salt. If your heart is small, one unjust word or act will make you suffer. But if your heart is large, if you have understanding and compassion, that word or deed will not have the power to make you suffer.” – The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by @thichnhathanhsangha
This teaching reminds us that expanding our hearts, like widening a river, can help us navigate life with greater resilience. When our hearts are small, we feel every slight, and even small challenges can overwhelm us. But as we grow in compassion and understanding, we become capable of holding much more—our hearts become like that vast river. Life will always add “salt” in the form of difficulties or unkind words, but with a heart that’s expansive and compassionate, we can absorb these moments without letting them take away our peace. So let’s strive to cultivate a heart as open and vast as a river, one that can receive, transform, and keep flowing, no matter what comes its way.
The Wild Gems 