Wisdom story: Imagine your problems as a handful of salt

There once was a wise and elderly master who lived in a peaceful village surrounded by rolling hills and clear lakes. Many young students came to learn from him, hoping to gain wisdom and peace of mind. Among them was a young apprentice who struggled greatly with his troubles. Every day, the apprentice would complain about the unfairness of life, the difficulties he faced, and the burdens he carried. If the sun was too hot, he groaned about the heat. If it rained, he muttered about getting wet. If he failed in a task, he blamed his bad luck. If others succeeded, he felt envy. No matter what happened, he always found something to be upset about. The master, who had listened patiently for a long time, decided one morning that it was time to teach the young man an important lesson. He called the apprentice to him and said, “Go and fetch a bag of salt from the market.” The apprentice, though puzzled by the request, did as he was told. When he returned, the master handed him a small glass of water and said, “Now take a handful of salt and put it into this glass.” The young man hesitated for a moment, but then he obeyed, watching as the salt swirled and dissolved in the water. “Now drink it,” the master instructed. The apprentice took a sip. His face immediately twisted in disgust. The water was unbearably bitter. He spat it out and wiped his mouth, shaking his head. “It’s awful!” he exclaimed. The master chuckled softly and nodded. “Yes, it is.” Then he motioned for the young man to follow him. “Bring the bag of salt with you,” he said.

Together, they walked beyond the village, past the fields, and toward a large, shimmering lake nestled between the hills. When they reached the water’s edge, the master turned to his apprentice and said, “Now, take the same handful of salt and throw it into the lake.” The young man did as he was told, watching as the grains of salt vanished into the vast body of water. “Now drink from the lake,” said the master. The apprentice kneeled down, cupped his hands, and took a sip. The cool water slid down his throat, refreshing and pure. “How does it taste?” asked the master. “It’s fresh,” the apprentice said, surprised. “Do you taste the salt?” the master asked again. “No,” the young man replied. The master smiled and sat down on a rock by the shore. “My son,” he said gently, “the pain of life is like salt. The amount of pain we face remains the same, just like the amount of salt in your hands. But the bitterness we experience depends on the container we place it in.” He pointed to the small glass the apprentice had used earlier. “When you put the salt in a small glass, the water became undrinkable. But when you placed the same salt into the vast lake, the water remained fresh.”

The apprentice listened intently, beginning to understand. The master continued, “Pain, struggles, and hardships are part of life. You cannot avoid them. But whether that pain makes you bitter or whether you rise above it depends on how you hold it. If you let your pain consume your heart, filling it with nothing but sorrow and complaints, your life will feel small, just like the glass of water.” He then gestured toward the vast lake in front of them. “But if you expand your world, if you open your heart, if you look beyond your problems and see the beauty of life, then your pain will lose its power over you. The salt is still there, but it no longer makes the water bitter.” The apprentice stared at the lake, deep in thought. He realized that he had spent so much time focusing on his own problems that he had made them seem bigger than they truly were. He had let every little difficulty fill his heart completely, making his world feel small and bitter. Looking back at his master, he nodded slowly. “I understand now,” he said. The master placed a kind hand on his shoulder. “Then remember this. When you are in pain, do not shrink your world. Do not let your problems define your life. Instead, expand your heart. Open your mind. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.” From that day on, the apprentice began to change. Whenever he faced a difficulty, he reminded himself to think bigger, to see beyond the moment, and to fill his life with things that made his heart vast. And though his troubles did not disappear, he no longer let them make him bitter. He had learned the secret to peace.