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The Glass of Water
A crash course on the meaning of maya
I first heard the following story many years ago from Prem Rawat. I loved it then and I love it now, as it brings me back to a simple place of appreciation for life
What follows is my retelling of this tale. If I have messed it up in any way, please forgive me. It won’t be the first time. If you enjoy it and would like to know more about my teacher and his message, click here or here or here. If you don’t feel like clicking, no problem — just savor whatever this story evokes in you.
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a young disciple of a great Master who found himself wrestling with a very difficult question — one that would not go away no matter how much he contemplated it.
Though he had asked all the senior monks in the monastery that had been his home for the past 20 years, no one had an answer that rang true to him. And so, one fine Spring day, gathering up all of his courage, he decided to approach the Master himself.
“Oh Illustrious One,” the monk began, “for years I have been listening to your discourses. Time and again, you have referred to something called ‘maya’ — the great…
