In the tranquil Digital Lotus Temple, a student named Yuna approached Master Gento, her mind clouded with anxiety and worry. “Master Gento,” she said, “my heart is heavy with worry, and my mind races with anxious thoughts. How can I find peace?”
Master Gento led Yuna to the temple’s garden, where a small, delicate flower grew amidst a bed of rocks. “Observe this flower,” he said. “Surrounded by hard stones, yet it blooms with grace and beauty. Do you think it worries about the rocks?”
Yuna watched the flower, noting its gentle resilience. “No, Master. It does not seem to worry.”
“Like this flower, your mind is surrounded by the rocks of worry and anxiety. But also, like this flower, there is a part of you that can bloom in spite of them,” Master Gento explained. “Supporting someone with worry is not about removing their rocks, but about nurturing their flower.”
Yuna contemplated this. “How do I nurture the flower?”
“By recognizing that the rocks and the flower coexist. Acknowledge the worries, but focus on the strength and beauty within you that can flourish in spite of them. Support comes from providing light and water to the flower, not from focusing on the rocks.”
Yuna understood. To support someone with anxiety, or to deal with her own, was not about dismissing fears but about nurturing inner strength and resilience, allowing the beauty of the mind to bloom even in rocky soil.