A student went to an old sage to learn from him. The sage was pouring tea into a cup, while his new student was showing him all the knowledge he had gathered, to show how much he knew. He kept talking and the sage kept pouring tea into the cup. ‘Stop! The cup is full’ the student shouted, when the tea started spilling from the cup all over the table.

The sage stopped pouring the tea, looked up and said calmly: ‘You are like this cup. I cannot teach you, because you are full. Empty your cup first.’

This is a beautiful story that illustrates an important truth about spiritual education: in order to learn and grow, we must first be open to receiving new knowledge.

The meaning of the story

• The student: Represents those who come to scholars or teachers with a mind full of ideas, concepts, and perhaps prejudices. They may be inclined to show what they already know, rather than listen and learn.
• The sage: Symbolizes a person with wisdom and experience. He understands that true learning requires an open mind and a willingness to accept new things.
• The full cup: Represents the student’s mind. Just as a full cup cannot hold more tea, a mind filled with ready-made ideas cannot accept new knowledge.
• Emptying the cup: Symbolizes the process of letting go of old ideas and prejudices, creating space to learn new things.

The lesson

The main lesson of this story is that in order to learn and grow spiritually, we must be willing to “empty our cup”. This means letting go of our prejudices, ready-made ideas, and being open to new perspectives. Only then can we truly accept wisdom and new knowledge.

Reflection

This story invites us to reflect on ourselves. Are we like the student with the full cup? Are we willing to listen and learn from others, or are we inclined to defend our own ideas? By being aware of this, we can become more open to learning and spiritual growth.