I was sitting at the Chimney Café in Gubei, in Changing district with a friend of mine. They asked me about my clay cup, they commented that it looked like the sky and the stars. I reminisced about one of my journeys…
In my youth I had the opportunity to go to a monastery on the top of a mountain. In my backpack, I packed a 10kg bag of rice. Despite the struggle of climbing the mountain with a heavy backpack, I made my way to the top. I was greeted by a monk who asked ‘What is the meaning of life?’ I responded that I did not know. I took out the rice and gave it to the monk, he responded ‘That is the meaning of life – to share with others’. As the sun set upon the mountain, the monk offered me a cup of tea – initially the cup appeared to be blank, however as I sipped upon the tea, the reflection of the sky and the stars seemed to appear embronzed into the cup. By the time I finished the tea, I felt a deep connection with the universe. The cup returned with me and remains part of my life and I offer it to friends so that too can share in my experience.
Note: The second paragraph is a fiction developed by myself with the help of the ponderings of my friend.