The Waterfall and the Pond: A Buddhist Parable on Rest and Renewal

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

Have you ever felt guilty for resting in a world that glorifies constant productivity? This gentle, meditative episode offers a powerful antidote to our culture's obsession with perpetual action through a beautiful Buddhist parable about balance and renewal.

At the heart of this episode is the story of Kansho and Yuma – the mighty waterfall and the still pond. Their relationship reveals the profound truth that power and stillness aren't opposing forces but complementary energies that sustain each other. The waterfall's thunderous strength depends entirely on the pond's quiet ability to receive, hold, and renew. This ancient wisdom speaks directly to our modern struggle with burnout, perfectionism, and the relentless pressure to perform.

Through guided breathing and thoughtful narration, this episode creates a sanctuary for listeners to experience what it teaches – that rest isn't weakness but the source of our strength. You'll be invited to recognize yourself as both waterfall and pond, understanding that your moments of quiet reflection are just as valuable as your periods of dynamic action. The episode concludes with a powerful reminder that "by choosing to rest, you are not giving up your power, you are increasing it." Take this opportunity to pause, breathe, and rediscover the restorative power of stillness. What might change in your life if you honored both your need for achievement and your need for renewal?

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?**
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern**
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey there, I just wanted to touch base with you
and tell you that you are enoughand that rest is important.
You know, in our world we tendto over-glorify activity and
performance, often whileneglecting the importance of

(00:21):
rest and regeneration.
Importance of rest andregeneration.
And so I found this littleparable from the Buddhist canon
that I'm going to share with youtoday, and it's something that
you can kind of meditate on asyou think about the importance
of renewal and regeneration.
And, in that spirit, I'm goingto invite you to get comfortable

(00:51):
, to just start to regulateyourself by breathing in for
four, three, two, one, holdingand exhaling three, two and one.

(01:12):
Let's do that one more timeInhaling Three, two and one.

(01:34):
This is your permission torelax, to chill out, to let go
and to heal.
There's nothing to do here.
You are not required to listen.

(01:56):
If you fall asleep to my voice,that's okay.
This is for you, my friend.
The Waterfall in the Pond.
Once upon a time there was awaterfall called Kansho, high on

(02:20):
a mountain.
It was mighty and powerful, andits waters thundered down day
and night.
At the foot of the mountain wasa quiet pond, yuma, whose still
waters reflected the sky.
The pond was so calm that eventhe smallest movements on its

(02:45):
surface could be seen.
Every day, the waterfall sentits water into the pond, and
every night the water from thepond was drawn back up to the
waterfall.
The pond was drawn back up tothe waterfall.

(03:10):
This continuous cycle of giveand take between Kancho and Yuma
was an endless source ofrenewal.
One day, gansho proudly said toYuma See how powerful I am.
My water gushes continuouslyand enlivens everything in its

(03:35):
path, and yet I am always readyto give more.
How can you, so still and quiet, match my power?
Yuma modestly replied you areindeed powerful, kancha.
Your energy and life areunmistakable.

(03:58):
But remember, I absorb yourwater, I keep it and let it rest
, and in my stillness, I prepareit to rise back up to you
renewed and ready for anothercycle of flow".

(04:22):
Kancho considered Yuma's wordsand recognized the truth in them
.
You are right, yama.
Without your silence, withoutyour stillness, my flow would

(04:42):
not be possible.
Just as I fill you with mypower, you fill me with your
stillness.
Fill me with your stillness.
We are both parts of the samecycle of renewal.

(05:03):
From that day on, kancho andYuma understood the true nature
of their connection.
The waterfall appreciated thepeace and constancy of the pond,
and the pond recognized thepower and dynamism of the

(05:23):
waterfall.
They realized that both werenecessary for the cycle of
renewal and that together theycreated a harmony that neither
could achieve alone.
And so the waterfall stillflows today, giving its water to

(05:47):
the pond and receiving it backrenewed.
They are a constant example ofthe cycle of renewal, a reminder
that in give and take, inmovement and stillness, the true
harmony of life is to be found.

(06:12):
Take this with you, my friends,and remember that you are the
waterfall and you are also thepond, and that by choosing to

(06:37):
rest, you are not giving up yourpower, you are increasing it.
Wishing you peace and love andlight, namaste.