Pebbles in the Bowl

A young monk was spending some time each day in meditation and contemplation. He wondered how many of his thoughts during those sessions were virtuous (about doing good deeds) or non-virtuous (about deeds based on hatred, greed, or prejudice). He collected a pile of pebbles and put them in front of himself, and he placed a bowl to his left and another to his right. As he meditated, he would put a pebble in the left-hand bowl when he recognized a virtuous thought. For a non-virtuous thought, he would put a pebble in the right-hand bowl. At the end of the first day, he looked down and was surprised to see that all the pebbles were in the “non-virtuous” bowl. Without judging himself, he simply continued this practice, starting over each day. After a few days, the number of pebbles in the two bowls was about equal. After a few more days, almost all the pebbles were in the “virtuous” bowl.

©2002 Dr. Joseph Parent (P)2016 Audible, Inc.