Tenet 9 - Harmony.

“To find balance one must give and receive freely, celebrate victory with humility, and rest your emotions in order to do so.”

In a land divided by two towering mountains, there lived two villages—one nestled at the base of Mount Asha and the other at the foot of Mount Tala. The people of Mount Asha were known as the Givers, for they believed prosperity came through generosity, always offering food, water, and goods to others. The people of Mount Tala were the Receivers, for they believed in accepting the world’s bounty with gratitude, allowing others to serve them while they focused on contemplation and celebration.

Though the two villages were only a valley apart, they rarely interacted, for each believed their way of life to be the only path to peace.

One year, a great drought swept the land. The rivers dried, crops withered, and the forests turned to brittle husks. The Givers of Mount Asha continued to share what little they had, but soon they had nothing left to give. Weak and starving, they began to despair.

On Mount Tala, the Receivers waited for help, confident that aid would come as it always had. But no gifts arrived, and their storehouses emptied. As hunger gnawed at them, they grew bitter, wondering why the world had abandoned them.

One day, a traveler appeared in the valley between the mountains. Her name was Meilin, and she carried nothing but a walking staff and a small, empty basket. Hearing of the villages’ plight, she climbed first to Mount Asha and then to Mount Tala, listening to the woes of both.

To the Givers, she said: "Your hearts are generous, but you have given beyond your means. What do you receive in return to sustain yourselves?"

To the Receivers, she said: "You are gracious in accepting, but what have you offered to those who provide for you? How can you expect abundance without sowing seeds of your own?"

Both villages were silent, unsure how to answer.

Meilin gathered the elders of the two villages in the valley and spoke:

"You are like the two hands of a single body. One hand gives, the other receives, but neither can work alone. If you would survive this drought, you must learn to balance these forces."

She then led them to a dry riverbed.

Meilin: "The river once flowed freely because it received rain from the mountains and gave life to the valley. Now it is empty, for the balance has been broken. Let us restore it together.”

Under her guidance, the Givers and Receivers began to work as one. The Givers shared their skills, teaching the Receivers to farm and build irrigation channels. The Receivers, in turn, offered their strength and gratitude, helping to carry water and plant seeds.

At first, the work was difficult. The Givers struggled to accept help, feeling ashamed to take what they had always given. The Receivers hesitated to offer, unused to the idea of giving. But over time, they found joy in the exchange. The Givers felt renewed strength in receiving, and the Receivers discovered purpose in giving.

When the rains finally returned, the valley blossomed with life. The river flowed stronger than ever, for it now carried not only water but the harmony of two villages working together.

To celebrate their newfound balance, the villagers gathered in the valley for a great feast. They built a shrine where the river began, carving these words into stone:

"To find harmony, one must give and receive as freely as the river flows. Celebrate victory with humility, and rest your emotions as surely as the mountains stand firm. Only then will balance endure.”

From that day forward, the villages of Mount Asha and Mount Tala lived not as Givers and Receivers but as one people, known as the Children of the River. They learned that balance was not found in giving or receiving alone but in the gentle rhythm of both, flowing together like the waters of life.