One day, in order to inspire his apprentice, the old monk gave him a very beautiful stone and asked him to go to the vegetable market to sell it. Although the little monk felt strange in his heart, he still accepted it happily. Before leaving, the old monk said to his apprentice with a smile: "Be careful, don't sell this stone. Just sell it in the vegetable market and see how long it takes for someone to come and ask for the price. Then you just need to sell it." Just tell me how much this stone can be sold for in the vegetable market."
Although the apprentice was puzzled, he still went to the vegetable market with the stone. In the vegetable market, many people looked at the little monk with strange eyes. They thought to themselves: Why is this monk selling such ordinary stones here? Several kind-hearted old people among them enthusiastically came forward to inquire about the price and planned to buy the stone. But what disappointed the little monk was that most of those people were only willing to pay a few copper coins to buy the stone. Finally, the young monk had to return to the temple with the stone in his arms and told the old monk the whole situation.
The old monk said: "Then, hold this stone and go to the gold market tomorrow and ask the people there. Likewise, just ask the price, but don't sell it." So the next day The little monk held the stone and walked around the gold market. Soon many people came to inquire about the price, and some were even willing to pay 1,000 taels of silver to buy the stone. The young monk happily reported the exciting news to his master and asked if the stone should be sold at such a price.
The old monk shook his head slightly and said happily to the young monk: "Tomorrow, take this stone to the jeweler and ask the people there about the value of this stone. But still don't sell it."
The little monk felt completely confused, but he still went to the jeweler holding the "magic stone". He simply couldn't believe that people there were rushing to see the "strange stone". Quotations came one after another, and some were even willing to pay 50,000 taels of silver. But the young monk still obeyed the master's orders. People became even more crazy when they saw that he was still unwilling to sell in the face of such a high price. They continue to raise the price: 100,000 taels of silver, 200,000 taels of silver, 300,000 taels of silver, or as much as you want, as long as you sell!
It took a lot of effort for the little monk to break away from the entangled crowd, and he returned to the temple with the stone. The master looked at the sweating little monk and said, "Tomorrow you will take it to the auction house and ask the people there the value of this stone. But still don't sell it." After hearing this, the little monk couldn't sleep all night. He hated that the dawn was too slow. When it finally dawned, he hurriedly ran to the auction house with the stone in his hands. As a result, the most famous auctioneer in the country told him that this was a gem that had not been seen in thousands of years. It was so rare that this stone was also regarded as the highlight of the day. The treasure finally appeared, and it turned out that the king of a country was willing to offer three cities in exchange for the young monk. The young monk fainted on the spot, and was later sent back to the mountain in eight sedan chairs with the person and the stone. When the young monk woke up, he cried and said to the master: Master, this time we have made a fortune!
The old monk pointed at the stone and interrupted him: "Actually, we don't intend to sell it, but now you should understand why the shape and appearance of the stone are so different." Your thoughts and practices have not changed, but your thoughts and practices have changed again and again. The main reason why I ask you to do this is to cultivate and exercise your ability to fully understand your self-worth and your ability to understand things. If you live in a vegetable market, then. If you only have the understanding of the market, you will never know higher value."
In the vegetable market, the gold market, the jewelry market, and the auction house, the same person will tell you. You may be held high, but someone may put you down very low. Valuable things only have value in front of people who understand value. Don't worry about what others think, the key is how you think about yourself.
To a large extent, you can control your own destiny and determine your own value!
In fact, this is the same as our life. Maybe you are a gem, but you have chosen the wrong place, and you are influenced by the environment and think that you are only worthy of being a stepping stone for others. Remember In other words, people are the product of their environment. As long as you think about it, there is nothing you can't do.