The blue bowl was found broken in two. Had the cheeky little mouse, who shared the hut with me, pushed it off the shelf? Who knows? It was broken. There was a strange beauty in its demise. The sharpness of the fracture contrasted with the curves of its form.
The sight of the broken bowl brought back a teaching I had heard long ago. Like all the best teachings, it was succinct, very succinct:
Everything breaks!
I pondered this simple statement, all those years ago, and it has often returned to my mind. Every time it seems to reach deeper into my consciousness. It is so simple. Nothing is permanent. Nothing lasts forever. Yet how our mind seems to resist this simple fact of life! How we crave for permanence, for things to be enduring so that we may attach ourself to them and become enduring in ourself. We, too, are impermanent though and the sooner we can face this fact, the sooner we can go about enjoying life as it is.
As for me, it seems I still have one attachment at least. I glued the blue bowl back together again. My wise companion commented, “Now the bowl is unique!”
