Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.
Obviously for hungry child the hot porridge is too hot to have and for the cold porridge, it is too cold to be tasty.
Just like in life, what we have must be comfortable for us, not too much or too little, not excessive or bare. This some refer to as the Middle Way. But it is not exactly halfway but in between.
The sages of old in China refer to as the balance of yin and yang the polarities in life. Sometimes, the balance involves more of yin or more of yang. The comfortable point that brings ease and peace is an ever changing point. This is as reflected by Trigrams of Bagua.
It is not as simplistic as in the story of Goldilocks, otherwise all will be Buddhas and saints. Moreover what is comfortable balance for one may not be so for another. Also for the same person, the point ever changes and shifts with time and circumstances.
Nevertheless, the story of Goldilocks is worthy of mention and is one way to teach the young children how to move on in the world, how to make life wholesome, how to balance life without running away from responsibilities and without going for too much and be overwhelmed.
Even the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet astride and atop the elements shows unequal stepping or balance of elements. The balance point is not the midway of sorts. "The doctrine is in the image and the image is the doctrine." This did the lord saint say.
Obviously for hungry child the hot porridge is too hot to have and for the cold porridge, it is too cold to be tasty.
Just like in life, what we have must be comfortable for us, not too much or too little, not excessive or bare. This some refer to as the Middle Way. But it is not exactly halfway but in between.
The sages of old in China refer to as the balance of yin and yang the polarities in life. Sometimes, the balance involves more of yin or more of yang. The comfortable point that brings ease and peace is an ever changing point. This is as reflected by Trigrams of Bagua.
It is not as simplistic as in the story of Goldilocks, otherwise all will be Buddhas and saints. Moreover what is comfortable balance for one may not be so for another. Also for the same person, the point ever changes and shifts with time and circumstances.
Nevertheless, the story of Goldilocks is worthy of mention and is one way to teach the young children how to move on in the world, how to make life wholesome, how to balance life without running away from responsibilities and without going for too much and be overwhelmed.
Even the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet astride and atop the elements shows unequal stepping or balance of elements. The balance point is not the midway of sorts. "The doctrine is in the image and the image is the doctrine." This did the lord saint say.
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| Lord Bo Tien |
