According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water.
The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly, and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water.
The young man returned to his village with a happy heart. Later, the teacher let another student taste the water.
He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.
The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”
The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”
