True mindfulness means recognising the infinite value in what appears to be worthless. When a young student mindlessly throws away a small leftover splash of bathwater, Zen master Gisan delivers a simple lesson on resourcefulness that unlocks an instant, life-changing spiritual awakening.
“A Zen master named Gisan asked a young student to bring him a pail of water to cool his bath.
The student brought the water and, after cooling the bath, threw on to the ground the little that was left over.
“You dunce!” the master scolded him. “Why didn’t you give the rest of the water to the plants? What right have you to waste even one drop of water in this temple?”
The young student attained Zen in that instant. He changed his name to Tekisui, which means a drop of water.”
Source: http://www.101zenstories.org
Image: A postage stamp issued by Thailand in 1983 depicts the statue of a walking Buddha, an important artistic innovation from the Sukhothai period (13th to 14th century).