The story of the tree, the rock, and the blade of grass  •  flexibility, steadiness, resilience: these are the qualities that are cultivated in meditation practice  •  rooted and flexible; you may be knocked over, but you bounce back  •  seeming power can be quite weak and brittle, easily undermined when circumstances are hard  • the porcelain cup breaks, the lacquer cup bounces  •  from softness comes flexibility and resilience; from stillness comes engaging the world with power and strength