Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo, was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher and statesman during the Song Dynasty. His memoirs speak of his life experiences:
“When young, I once met a hermit who said to me, "Young man, you must stay close to the Dao; and that requires to worry and ponder as little as possible and remain without pursuit."
I asked him, "Is pondering and worry as detrimental as pursuit?" His reply, "Worry and pondering are worse than pursuit."
Two water-filled vessels stood in the courtyard. The hermit pointed at one of them and said, "If this vessel had an ant-size hole at the bottom and the water would seep out of it, and you would remove a liter of water from the other vessel each day, which vessel would be empty first?"
My reply, "the vessel with the tiny hole."
The hermit replied, "Thinking [too much] does no one any good, because people rarely realize their constant loss."
I became aware of the hermit's message and internalized what he had given me for my life's journey. Since then I enjoy the blessings of no pursuit and desires, and non-thinking.”
