Once day, a young novice approached his master and asked:
“Master, what is the greatest value in person life?”
The Zen Master replied:
“Young novice, you go to the garden, seeking the stone and clean it, and take it to the market to sell. If someone ask for the price, do not speak, just show two fingers. If they bargain with you, don’t sell it. Bring it back and I will tell you the greatest value in person life”.
The next moring, the young novice took the stone to the market. In the market, people come and go, someone is curious. After a while, a housewife came by asked, “How much is the stone?”.
The young novice remember his master’ words, he showed two fingers. The housewife said, “Two dollars?”. The young novice shook his head and an other housewife said, “Twenty dollars? All right, I will use it to press pickled vegetables”.
The young novice thought, “Oh, someone is willing to pay twenty dollars for a worthless stone. There are so many stones in our monastery’ garden”. He thought like that and remember his master’ words, he didn’t sell the stone and happily went back to the master.
“Master! A housewife was willing to pay 20 dollars for my stone.
Can you tell me the greatest value in person life now?”
The Zen Master said, “Slowly, take the stone to museum tomorrow. If someone ask the price, you just do like before, show two fingers again. If they bargain, do not sell it. Bring it back and we will talk”.
The next morning at the museum, a crowd gathered, wondering about the stone’s value. Everyone was surprised and whispered about the value of the stone.
“what value does a stone like this have to bring here?”,
“The stone displayed here obviously must be valuable, maybe we don’t know”
There was a person who came out from the crowd and offered 2,000 dollars for the stone, and saing they would use it to carve a statue. The young novice was astonished but followed the master’s instruction tp bring the stone back.
“Master, someone offered 2,000 for the stone today.
Please, Can you tell me the greatest value in person life now?”
The Zen Master laughed and said that let’s continue take the stone to an antique shop tomorrow and if someone bargain, like before don’t sell, bring it back. I’ll tell you the person life’s greatest value.
The next day at the antique shop, people were curious about the stone. One person offered 20,000 dollars. The young novice was shocked, and the person increased the offered to 200,000 dollars.
The young novice took the stone back to the master. Exited about their potential fortune.
“Master, today someone offered 200,000 dollars for our stone!
Please, Master! Can you tell me the greatest value in person life now? I really want to know”.
The Zen Mater lovingly said.
“My child, your life’s value is like this stone.
If you place yourself in a vegetable market, you are worth 20 dollars.
If you place yourself in a museum, you are worth 2,000 dollars.
If yoy place yourself in an antique shop, you’re worth 200,000 dollars. Different platforms and positions bring different values to your life”.
Life is full of possibilities, and we all have the power to shape our own journey.
Life the young novice in his stone, we must remember that our worth is not set in stone, but can change depending on where we stand and the choice we make.
Sometimes we get stuck in places that do not truly value our potential. It is important to step back and ask ourselves if we are in the right place and surrounded by the right people. Are we allowing ourselves to shine or are we hidden in the shadows of self-doubt and fear?
We each hold a unique gift, a talent or a passion that deserves to be nurtured and shared with the world. But to truly find our worth, we must first believe in ourselves.
We can not expect others to see our value if we don’t recognize it in our own hearts.
So take a moment to reflect on your life where are you now and where do you want to be? Are you taking steps towards your dreams or are you holding back due to fear or uncertainty?
Remember, It is never too late to make a change and pursue your true calling for when you believe in your own worth and follow your heart. The world becomes canvas for your dreams.
Your life is a precious gift. And your worth is not determined by others, but your own actions and the choice you make. Choice wisely. Believe in yourself. And your life will become a beautiful masterpiece.