FINDING THE GEM WITHIN: A ZEN STORY

This morning was a bit different for me. I woke up later than usual, but instead of rushing into my morning chores, I found myself in a state of joy. At first, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I was joyful about. It wasn’t joy born from anything specific; it was just an appreciation for being able to breathe, being alive.

As I moved through my morning chores, this feeling of joy didn’t go away. It dawned on me slowly, this realization that my joy isn’t tied to my situation. Instead, it was a deeper joy in simply existing, a genuine peace with being alive, even if I couldn’t immediately explain or identify the source of this joy.

This brought to mind a Zen story that reflects this realization. In the story, a Zen master finds a precious gem in a stream. This valuable gem, could have easily been kept for its material worth. Yet, when a traveler walks by the master and asks if he could have the gem, the Zen master gives it to him without any hesitation. Overjoyed, the traveler goes away with the gem, engrossed by his good fortune.

But after a few days, the traveler returns with the gem. He goes to the Zen master, not to return the gem for its value, but for something far more precious. He says to the master, “I’ve come back to ask you for something more valuable than this gem. Please, give me what enabled you to give this gem to me so freely.”

When I first read the story, I too was like the traveler. Seeking what the master had. I realized today that the master had nothing to feel unhappy about. Like in this story, the most valuable treasures in life aren’t the material possessions or the external validations we chase. Instead, the true gems are the inner peace, the contentment with being, and the ability to live freely and generously, and unattached. The richest moments in life come not from what we have but from what we are within, even if it takes us a moment to realize why we feel such joy.