A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far, far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, "I've been through countless¹ obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!" But when she decided² to start her journey, she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. "Maybe it's my destiny! I'm not destined³ to reach the vast ocean in the legend," she murmured dejectedly to herself.

 

At this time, a deep voice came, saying, "If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river."

 

It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, "That's because a breeze can fly, but I cannot."

 

"That's because you stick to what you are. If you're willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination," said the desert in its deep voice.

 

The little stream had never heard of such a thing. "Give up what I am now and disappear into the breeze? No! No!" She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn't it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?

 

"How do I know if this is true?" asked the little stream.

 

"The breeze can carry the vapor⁴（蒸汽） across the desert and release it as rain at an appropriate site. The rain will form a river again to continue its course," answered the desert very patiently.

 

"Will I still be what I am now?" asked the little stream.

 

"Yes, and no. Whether you're a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you're a river because you don't know your inner nature," answered the desert.

 

Deep down, the stream vaguely⁵ remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that had carried her halfway⁶ up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze, which carried her to the next stage of her life.

 

The course of our lives is like the experience of little stream. If you want to surpass the obstacles in your life in order to head for the destination of Truth, Virtue⁷ and beauty, you should also have the wisdom and courage to renounce⁸ your ego⁹ (attachment to yourself).

 

Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling to? and What is it that I really want?

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