Harmony Within: The Lesson of Veena’s Strings
The story of the Veena
Once, Lord Buddha was sitting quietly when one of his disciples approached, looking pale and restless. The disciple, a musician in his previous life, bowed and said, “Lord, my mind cannot find peace. It swings between extremes—at times full of zeal, at times full of laziness. Please tell me, how can I find balance?”
Buddha looked at him with compassion and asked, “You used to play the Veena, didn’t you?” The disciple nodded softly. Buddha said, “Then tell me—when the strings of your Veena were too tight, what happened?” “They snapped, Lord,” replied the disciple. “And when they were too loose?” asked the Master. “Then they produced no sound,” said the disciple. “And when were they right?” “When tuned neither too tight nor too loose, but exactly in between.”
The teaching of the middle path
Buddha smiled and said, “Exactly so is the practice of life and meditation. When the strings of your effort are stretched too hard, the mind breaks into exhaustion and pride. When they are left slack, dullness and carelessness take over. But when you hold your energy in balance—steady, calm, and gentle—the true music of peace arises.”
“In life, wisdom lies in moderation. Between indulgence and suppression, between rest and restlessness, there is a sacred middle ground—this is where awareness blooms, and the soul becomes harmonious.”
The lesson of balanced effort
Lord Buddha continued, “To walk this path, remember: peace does not come by abandoning effort, nor by overexertion. It comes through right effort—measured and mindful. When you strain beyond measure, joy disappears. When you neglect discipline, dullness sets in. Only the middle way—alert yet relaxed—leads to lasting serenity.”
The disciple bowed deeply, his eyes filled with understanding. His heart, once torn between extremes, now rested in quiet steadiness. In that balance, his meditation began to flower naturally.
The eternal message
This teaching of the Veena’s strings is eternal. In every aspect of life—work, relationships, study, or prayer—the same law holds true. The string of our action must neither be too loose with negligence nor too tight with anxiety. In the middle lies the music of balance, where peace and clarity shine together.
Lord Buddha said, “My path is not one of extremes; it is the Middle Way. When the mind finds balance between effort and rest, between indulgence and renunciation, between attachment and detachment—then wisdom arises effortlessly.”