Rediscovering the Jar

I was born as the first creation of a young potter. Perhaps because I was his first attempt, my shape was awkward and rough. I came into the world after enduring the fierce heat of the kiln, yet I had no idea why I had been born or what purpose my life would serve.

Only after entering the world did I gradually learn the fate of jars. Some were placed on kitchen terraces, holding soy sauce and soybean paste. Others were filled with kimchi, enriching the family table.

I dreamed of such a destiny myself. I hoped to stand proudly on the terrace of a wealthy household and be treasured for my usefulness.

But reality was different.

I was discarded in a lonely field and left unattended for years. One day, someone buried me in the ground. At first, I thought I was destined to become a kimchi jar. Yet no kimchi ever came.

Then one day, a young man approached, lifted my lid, and relieved himself inside me.

Only then did I realize what I truly was—a urine jar.

I was disappointed. I was saddened. I felt humiliated.

As time passed, the potter who had made me died. The kiln disappeared, and eventually the village itself fell into ruin. No one came to visit. Only passing birds occasionally left their droppings behind.

In that long silence, I often thought:

"In my next life, I wish to be something more beautiful and noble than a urine jar."

Then one day, a great temple began to rise on the barren land. Years passed. A main hall was built, and a bell pavilion was completed. The bell itself was magnificent, but people complained that its sound seemed dull and confined.

The head monk, troubled by the problem, happened to discover me.

He buried me deep beneath the great bell.

And then a miracle occurred.

The vibration of the bell descended into my hollow body, circled within me, and returned to the world as a deeper, clearer sound. The complaints ceased. The bell's voice spread gently across the mountains and fields, reaching villages far away.

Only then did I understand.

The value of life is not found merely in what we contain.

Nor is it found in where we are placed.

Its true meaning lies in faithfully occupying the place given to us and helping other beings become more beautiful than they could be alone.

Whenever the temple bell rings through the mountain air, my soul is filled with joy.

At last, I have come to understand why I was born.