Clay Buddha

It was 1957 in Thailand. In the process of relocating a Buddhist monastery, a group of monks were appointed to move the giant clay Buddha that resided within.

The monks started to push the huge statue, but soon noticed a crack down one side. They decided to wait until the next day to continue with the job. By then, maybe they could think of a way to move the precious cargo without damage.

That night, however, a curious monk returned to examine the clay Buddha. He shined light close to the crack. To his astonishment, he saw something glitter.

Quickly, the monk grabbed a hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the clay. Hours later, he finished his chipping and stood back in awe. He could hardly believe his eyes. Standing before him was a huge, solid gold Buddha!

It was later discovered that several centuries before, while the Burmese army was advancing on the area, Thai monks had concealed the Buddha in clay to keep it from being stolen. During the attack, however, all the monks were killed, so the true nature of the treasure lay in secret until 1957.

You and I resemble the golden Buddha. We often conceal our true brilliance with protective clay shells. We use social masks, boisterous masks, impatient masks, tough masks, insensitive masks, even masks of false humor and enthusiasm, to hide who we really are. Disguising our feelings of inadequacy, these masks also shield us from the outside world - a world we may perceive as overwhelming, uncomfortable, or simply tiresome.

Once we become aware of these masks, we can chip away at the clay and toss the pieces behind us. Only then can we reveal who we really are; caring and sucessful beings on the road to achieving our dreams!

Source :- Toni Turner (chapter 1)
Pic Source :- pinterest