If your heart is a big as a river, it can absorb any amount of dirt

In "Preach My Gospel" (the LDS Missionary handbook) it says:

"Just as the Christian world was blessed by the courage and vision of the reformers, many other nations and cultures have been blessed by those who were given that portion “that [God] seeth fit that they should have” (Alma 29:8). Teachings of other religious leaders have helped many people become more civil and ethical."

First off, I love that we are taught that many leaders who were not Mormons have light and knowledge given to them to help mankind. It goes on to talk about several important religious leaders, including Buddha. The title of this post is a paraphrase of Buddha's teaching of inclusiveness. You'll see variations of it (salt instead of dirt for instance), but the idea is always the same.

If you pour a handful of dirt into a glass of water, it is contaminated. No one can drink it. But if you pour the same handful of dirt into a great river, then the dirt becomes part of the river and the people can still drink from the river. So in life, you will experience injustice or offense. If your heart is small, then the injustice will ruin you. It will gnaw away and contaminate you. But if your heart is large, then you can absorb the injustice (inclusiveness). You will experience it, but your heart will remain pure. I love this idea. If only this teaching were more widely practiced, much of the hatred and disagreements that we have would disappear.

So today I'm grateful for a wise saying from Buddha.