Today’s Excerpt: Looking At Ourselves
A retelling of a wisdom tale from the Buddhist tradition.

One day the Buddha showed his son a mirror.

“What do you think of this?” he asked. “What’s the purpose of a mirror?”

“The purpose of a mirror is to look at yourself,” said the Buddha’s son.

“Yes,” said the Buddha. “Similarly, whenever we act or speak we should first ask ourselves whether what we’re about to do will harm anyone. If it will, we should not do or say it.”

Discuss:

• Try looking in a mirror to say your intentions. Does it change anything?
• What do you think the symbol of a mirror can teach us about making wise choices?