If you have ever been to Thailand, you may have heard about the Golden Buddha. Millions of people from all over the world visit it every year. Do you know why this Golden Buddha statue is so popular?
There are three reasons.
- Firstly, it’s the world’s largest statue of the Buddha made of pure gold; not gilded. Every ounce of it is pure gold. It is estimated to be worth 250 million dollars.
- Secondly, it has an amazing story behind it, which I am sure, you’ll love.
- Thirdly, the story you are going to read has a life-changing message. Once you get the message, you won’t be the same person again.
So let’s dive in!
THE GOLDEN BUDDHA
Sometime in the 18th century, an ancient monastery in Thailand housed a magnificent solid gold statue of the Buddha.
One day, word came to the villagers that an invading army was coming to their region.
Frightened, the villagers and monks decided to cover the golden Buddha statue with mud and clay, so as to make it look like a clay Buddha.
Hence, the army would perceive no value in it.
Sure enough, the invaders rolled in and when they saw nothing but a big mound of mud they ignored it, after all, it was of no value to them.
Decades went by, generations of people came and went; and when the invading army finally left the region, the villagers had long forgotten the treasure that was hidden under the old "mud" statue.
Then, one day, a young monk was meditating at the bottom of the Buddha and a little piece of mud cracked off, revealing something shiny beneath that crack.
Before long, the monks and villagers gathered with hammers and chisels and to their surprise, they realized the whole statue was a golden Buddha
YOU ARE A PIECE OF GOLD NOT A PIECE OF MUD
We are born with enormous potential and like the Golden Buddha, we shine when we come to life.
But then something happens.
We go to school and we are told, “This is the way you need to dress, this is what you can do and this is what you can’t do”, and the list goes on and on.
As we go through childhood and adolescence, we pack mud onto ourselves; we cover ourselves with "mud" - fears, insecurities, and doubts.
We cover our true identities as we try to fit in with our friends, our neighbors, and ultimately the society we live in.
Every time we are judged or criticized, we plaster our souls just a little bit more.
Each time we doubt our abilities, reputation, and worth, we pile on another layer of mud.
This mud casing becomes almost a second skin for us and we forget what we are really made of.
At a certain point, however, something or someone comes along in our lives, and a "crack" creeps into the armour of mud that we have covered ourselves with.
Whether it is a divorce, a financial crisis, a burnout, a new encounter, or the birth of a son, something knocks off a piece of our mud armour.
It is at this very moment that we have the opportunity to bring out what shines within us.
“You have seeds of greatness inside you. Today can be your new beginning. Today could be the start of something amazing”. - Joel Osteen
SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND
Once we realize that, beneath all the mud, we are golden we will want to be golden for the rest of our lives.
However, to definitively get rid of all the mud - the layer of fears, insecurities, and doubts - we must embark on a journey - the Hero's journey.
For thousands of years, this same journey has been taken by men and women who didn't want to surrender to the comfort of mediocrity.
This journey includes 12 stages.
Understanding what stage you have reached in your life will help you face the journey in the best possible way and find your path to reach the next stage.
Since you are here, I assume you don’t want to settle for a life of mediocrity, but rather for a life of greatness.
That’s why to help you discover your inner hero, and chip off all the mud casing that covers you, I advise you to read my post illustrating the 12 stages of the Hero’s journey - of our journey.
Are you ready to start this journey together to discover your inner hero?
Then, make sure you don’t miss out: THE HERO’S JOURNEY HAS MUCH IN COMMON WITH YOUR LIFE
FINAL THOUGHTS
Only apparently are we clay Buddhas, covered with a crust made up of fears, insecurities, and doubts.
However, under this covering dwells our golden Buddha, our true self.
We must therefore always believe in ourselves and, just like the monk and villagers in the story, discover our true essence.
Every day, especially on the bad ones, let's remember that we always have the great opportunity to bring out the resources hidden under the thick layer of mud.
Within us there are all the resources to make a masterpiece of our life!
“You have something special. You have greatness in you. You have the ability to do more than you can ever begin to imagine”. - Les Brown
More resources for YOU:
I love the story. I have never heard it. My first thought was to look for gold in others. When you meet another person who seems to be a statue of mud you may be surprised that there is gold inside if you look for it.
Yes indeed! If you don’t let yourself be deceived by appearances you can always find gold in other people too.💪🏻