Chinese Tale of the Hidden Treasure Chest
- shares
- 4
The enveloping air held a hint of ancient chinese mystique. A woman was sitting alone in a rickety wooden boat on a lake. While she would not be considered as beautiful by standards in those times, her features were pleasant enough. Fairly young, she was wearing simple grey robes. Her dressing indicated that she was a novice nun.
(The page from my art journal depicting the Chinese Woman at the Lake).
All was quiet. She had stopped rowing.
The woman bent over the hull of the boat, looking over. She was lost in her own thoughts. For a while, her thoughts were drifting in and out, nothing of particular significance. Then, she found herself tuning into a sense of melancholy. Curious as to what it was about, she allowed herself to feel her innermost emotions. Aha….she finally got it……it was disappointment. She was brooding over the missed opportunity of living a lay life.
The nun started to trace back to the story of her beginnings. She recalled of having been abandoned at the temple when she was a toddler. Her parents had been too poor to feed her. They were farmers. Life had been pretty much of a struggle. Their harvests had been dismal. The pantry was bare. Eventually, they left her at the temple, thinking that she would have a better chance of survival. While she had tried her best to understand their good intentions, she had always held a sense of bitterness towards them.
Then again, although life was spartan at the temple, the woman remembered that she had felt safe. Indeed, there was enough food donated by devotees and she had no cause for worry about her next meal. Everyday was pretty much a routine. She had to wake up early in the mornings for meditation, chanting and to do housework chores. Bedtime was early every evening on a wooden plank.
At this point of recall, the young woman noted the stirring of her unresolved feelings from within. Would her life pan out differently if she had lived on the outside walls of her temple? She wondered. How would her growing up years be like? Would she be married by now? If romance with another did not appear likely, would she be able to muster enough courage to shave off her head in a few months’ time?
As she pondered, she suddenly became aware of the shadowy reflections on the lake. The reflections ripple out from the boat, in gentle shimmers. She delved into each ripple.
The Hidden Treasure Chest
After what seemed like eternity, the novice nun came into some major insights. The waves of the ripples on the surface of the lake were like challenges that life presented. To ride the ripple was to learn about being in harmony with the events that unfold. Water – whether at the top or bottom of the lake – was of the same essence. Just like consciousness. Peace could be experienced by being consciously aware of the eternal presence that lied deep beneath the rippling surface.
Almost immediately, the nun found herself expressing her gratitude and appreciation. The walls of the temple shielded her from much of the ugliness she knew existed outside. She was grateful for the comfort that she enjoyed at the temple. She had plenty of opportunity to be in silence. At the temple, it was an acceptable thing to spend time in quiet solace. From what she knew, the laypeople had always complained about “the waste of time” to be sitting in meditation. They preferred instant gratification. Most of them who had come to the temple to pray were also largely unhappy about their lives.
The nun realized that what was more important was the “now”. She would never find out if things would be different as a layperson. She had no plans to leave the temple anyway. The temple was the only home she ever knew. A vast “playground” for learning of the mind. There was no point wishing and wondering what might have been. For the past was long gone. Neither was there a need to worry about the future which could only take time to unfold.
In that very instant of insight, she experienced profound joy. She laughed in awareness. She understood that whenever she get too caught up with her thoughts, she would forget about being present.
So once again, she stepped back into silence. The silence of the mind. To be in complete harmony with all there-is. Serenity in the surroundings of the lake.
“X” marks the spot to the Treasure Chest
The scene I have just described came to me while I was meditating early one morning in Botanic Gardens. Now, was it a dream, past life memory or simply a figment of my imagination?
Well, I don’t really know nor care to analyze because what was more important was the message that my subconscious mind was bringing to me. As I drew away from the scene – much akin to the zooming out of a camera lens – I saw a big chest lying at the bottom of the lake. It was an open chest, overflowing with gold. The chest was beneath the nun’s feet on the boat. Where she was marked the spot of her true treasure – The Now.
“An inch of time is an inch of gold. But an inch of gold can’t buy the inch of time.”
— Chinese Proverb
Nature Tapestry Notes
Notes for the Day: Where you are is the treasure. Be present. Ride out the ripples of life by being aware of your eternal presence.
Nature Tapestry Notes is a series of posts that I write and publish from insights gathered while connecting with nature at The Singapore Botanic Gardens. It now comes once every month.
Share Your Thoughts
Like today’s story? Share your thoughts!
Peace,
Download Your Free eBook on 3 Mindset Strategies to Turn Self-Doubt into Confidence When You Subscribe
- shares
- 4
Evelyn Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Hello Laurence,
Thank you for your lovely comments about my site.
Oh yes, a blog takes up a lot of time and effort. Then again, I have found that I learned so much through writing my thoughts and insights down. Hopefully whatever has inspired me can help someone else with the same message.
The idea of mastering time will not be quite as effective as managing space. One day I will write a post on this topic 🙂
I am not a meditation teacher nor have any wish to be one. However, I can share my own personal journey. There are many meditation techniques. My favorite is Vipassana. I can’t go into a long spill on what it is at great length in the comments here. You can check my archives or alternatively google what it is.
My all-time favorite starter tip is that for anyone who has trouble meditating is to release some of his or her negative emotions first. The best route is via energy clearing. My personal journey has shown that I was much able to meditate after letting go some of my clutter. The mind settles down more easily.
While tuning into your subconscious, refrain from questioning what comes up. Just follow your nudges and see where they take you. Mine has taken me to lifetimes ago in Egypt more than once (https://www.evelynlim.com/mind-travel-to-ancient-egypt/) , symbolic stories like this post, or different dimensions (https://www.evelynlim.com/i-dreamed-i-was-a-butterfly/).
All the best,
Evelyn
Laurence Flynn Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Thanks Evelyn. I’ll read up some more on Vipassana. Going to take me weeks to get through the material on this blog and I feel there are many insights here that will have a direct bearing on my inner travels. You’ll be seeing me around. 🙂
Laurence