Empty Your Cup

Knowledge versus Wisdom

Not long ago, a client asked for some support in discovering more about the relationship between her ancestry and current events in her life and the world. Her personal and organizational work is in the DEI space, so although her inquiry is subjective, it translates to the work she does in the world. It matters to her – a lot.

I asked her what she had done to date to explore the biases, stories, and events of her life and generations before her. She told me about all the workshops, models, and frameworks she had investigated. Numerous seminars, many books, teachers expounding on theses, and on and on; she spoke for about thirty minutes.

I listened, not with an ear of an advisor but from the most profound wisdom within me born of my experiences with shamanism and wisdom traditions. With each word, I could feel my energy being depleted, and I wondered how she managed to retain her vitality in the face of a deluge of material.

In the end, I was conflicted. Do I tell her what I sense or simply acknowledge her journey? How could I best serve her?

I asked permission to share my observations. I shared a story that has always stayed with me, given my curiosity to explore many ways of gaining knowledge and experience.

Here is the story:

A university professor visited a famous Zen master to inquire about Zen. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked on and on about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim and then continued pouring. Finally, the professor watching the overflowing cup could no longer restrain himself. "It's full! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "This is you," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."

"You see," I explained to my client, "Your exploration is not to be done with the mind. It is to be done with the heart. What you seek is not ‘out there.’ Your mind is so full that you can't hear the stories that travel through time. There is no room. There is too much noise. Instead, use intuition, ask for dreams, and feel into your body which holds all the DNA and history of your ancestors. Stop taking workshops and following models and frameworks to explain what can only be felt. They are distractions keeping you from looking inward where all your ancestors' stories reside."

I’m not sure she understood the message. Our conversation ended pleasantly, yet I sensed resistance to my observation.

* * *

We live in a culture that emphasizes knowledge more than imagination, analysis more than intuition, and predictable, linear processes over uncertain, iterative, and circular learning. We miss so much by relying on social and cultural constructs as if an explanation of our existence were enough for us to thrive. It's not.

I want to dance in the wind.

I want to watch the ocean waves go in and out, wondering where they start and end. I don't need to look at the forecast to predict the weather. It's coming, no matter what. I cherish the moments, often days, of quiet reflection without any need for productivity, where I can simply be present to my inner world.

My life now is about removing things that do not serve my writing, health, or happiness. I am done adding, whether it's relationships, work, filling my calendar, or buying more stuff.

Ultimately, we all leave this life the same way we entered, with nothing but spiritual consciousness. When I exhale my last breath, I want it to be light, so as I walk across that threshold, I bring with me only love and wisdom.

Dear Reader, stop seeking out there. Your answers are within and can only be heard in emptiness and silence.

Empty your cup.