My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone.
"You may create lots of splashes in your life, but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said. "Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles."
"You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both."
That was the first time I realized that each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger.
We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world,creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life.
参考中文译文
在我七岁那年，祖父带我到农场的鱼塘。他让我捡一颗石头扔到水中，并嘱咐我仔细观察石头所激起的波纹。然后，他叫我把自己也看成是那颗石头。
“在生命的水面上，你可能会激起许多波纹，而这些波纹也会打扰到你周围众生的宁静。”祖父对我说，“记住，你需要对你所激起的波纹负责，因为它们会碰到别人的波纹。”
“你应当努力通过自己的波纹将平和静谧传递给他人。而那些带着愤怒或嫉妒的水花，也会将坏的情绪传递。两种情况，你都要负责任！”
那是我第一次明白，每个人心中的平静或不安，都会传播给整个世界。如果我们的内心充斥着矛盾、仇恨、怀疑或愤怒，就不能创造一个和平的世界。
无论是否说出来，我们都在向外传递自己的感情和思想。无论我们内心激起的波纹是哪一种，都会溅向这个世界，并与他人的波纹一起，创造美好或不和谐的生活。