The Overflowing Teacup

A wise old monk sat under a shade tree, waiting to have tea with a young monk from a distant temple. The old monk wore a faded robe, stitched with years of wear. The young monk, in contrast, wore a vibrant new robe that gleamed in the sunlight, much like his confidence.

The old monk motioned for him to sit and asked, “Why did your master send you to me? What do you wish to know?”

The young monk replied eagerly, “I don’t really know why I’m here, but I want to learn everything you know. I want your wisdom to lead me to enlightenment.”

The old monk smiled faintly and asked, “What do you know about meditation?”

“I know a lot already. I’m nearly a master,” the young monk answered proudly.

“And mindfulness?”

“Oh, I’ve studied mindfulness in-depth with my master. I’m very experienced,” the young monk said, puffing his chest slightly.

At that moment, tea was brought to the table. The old monk began to pour tea into the young monk’s cup. Slowly, the tea rose to the brim. The young monk, puzzled, reached for the cup.

But the old monk didn’t stop pouring.

The tea overflowed onto the saucer. It dripped onto the table. It even began to spill toward the edge. The young monk jumped up, afraid the tea would stain his immaculate robe.

“What are you doing, old man? Can’t you see my cup is full?!”

The old monk stopped pouring and smiled.

“Yes,” he replied gently. “Your cup is full. It is like your mind. If you truly want to taste my tea, you must first empty your cup.”

What This Story Teaches Us

Most of us think we’re open to learning new things, but often, we approach life like the young monk—with a full cup. We cling to what we already know, convinced that we’ve “mastered” the answers.

The overflowing tea is a metaphor for how a cluttered mind blocks wisdom, growth, and fresh ideas. It doesn’t matter how good the tea (or knowledge) is—if your cup is full, it will only spill over.

The Lesson: Empty Your Cup

In a world where everyone is trying to sound like an expert, this story offers a timeless reminder:

• Be open, not overconfident. True mastery begins with humility.

• Listen more, assume less. The best learners approach life as empty cups, ready to be filled.

• Unlearn before you learn. Sometimes, you need to let go of old assumptions before you can grow.

So, ask yourself: Is my cup full?

And if the answer is yes, don’t be afraid to pour some out.

Because wisdom, much like tea, can only be tasted in an empty cup.

At Surya - our mission is to help 8bn people live mindfully - all the time, effortlessly, on command. Everything we do stems from that mission. And, the only way for us to accomplish that mission is by reaching…well…everyone. This is where you come in.

So here’s my ask on behalf of a struggling individual you’ve never met: Please help that individual by sharing this post. Your gift costs no money and less than 60 seconds to make real, but can potentially change a life forever.

If you find this helpful - share it.

I wish you happiness.

Share

December 2022

I felt like I just escaped death.

I’d just landed on Lukla, Nepal - the world’s most dangerous airport. 9383 feet above sea level, surrounded by mountains and with a runway of less than 1700 feet - it’s a land or crash type of airport.

I survived. And I’m getting restless.

It was all too exciting - Solo trip. 20 days of trekking across the Himalayas. Meditation in a cave 4000m above sea level. Conversations with reincarnated monks. Rituals of burning of corpses publicly.

Little did I know - I was about to go on a journey that’d change my life forever. I’d learned so much about life and happiness that it transformed my life, business, my relationship with others that I see it absolutely necessary to share it with as many people as possible. Here we go.

What is happiness and how to have it

Day 1: The journey begins.

12 days of hike to a temple at 4000m above sea level on top of one of the Himalaya mountains. Nothing but my backpack and no one but myself and a guide who doesn’t speak a word of English except stop, pee, eat and of course - beer 🍻

And I had only one goal - to reach the temple and meditate in this mysterious cave built by a reincarnated monk. Nothing else mattered.

Turns out - the hike was extremely tough. My heart rate was 170-180, I had to stop every 30 minutes, oxygen was thin, I was out of breathe. I was burning with heat on the inside but if I take my jacket off the cold wind pinched my skin like a thousand needles.

What the actual fuck have I signed up for? I was in pain. I was complaining and I was suffering.

“How far away am I..? I can’t wait to be hanging out with the monks.. I can’t wait to arrive the temple!”

Two days in - I ran into a solo American trekker who apparently had food poisoning - he was all curled up and crying “Send me a helicopter! I can’t do this anymore!”

I was like “Poor guy. Didn’t get to enjoy this beautiful journey. Wait.. this beautiful journey…”

BOOM. Then it hit me - I had been so focused on the goal of getting to the temple, the end result, that I’d completely ignored all the beautiful things around me - the birds chirping, the cattle’s walking around with payload, the horses with bells ringing gently around their necks, the river, the mountains.. the local kids running around with the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on a human being.

As I journey along, my desire to reach the temple disappeared and was replaced with the joy of taking in every single thing around me.

I wasn’t in a hurry. I’d stare the river for hours. The sound of rocks crackling as I walked became so crisp and soothing. The wind, still cold, didn’t matter that much anymore. I became light. I became one with the nature.

Secret #1 Open your eyes to everything that’s happening around you right here right now and you’ll find miracles and joy all around. Be excited about the goals, but remember - the journey is what matters.

Happiness lies in the everyday. It’s right in front of our eyes. The smallest things. If we have to chase for it - it’s not happiness.

What is Love?

Top of the mountain. Story of reincarnation.

Eureka! I made it to the mysterious temple. I was greeted by nuns and monks, we sat down for lunch. And it’s story time.

Before the temple was built, there was a guy. And a cave. The guy was a Buddhist monk by the name of Lawudo Lama. Legend has it that he found the cave when he was 51 and decided to meditate in the cave day & night until he found ‘the wisdom’. 20 years went by, he claimed to have became enlightened and ready to share his wisdom to the world. The problem? He was getting old. So he promised his disciples that he’d build a temple around the cave and pass on his learnings in the next life - he’d be reincarnated as a boy.

Talk about succession planning.

4 years later a 4 year old boy claimed to be Lawudo Lama 2.0, his parents shat their pants when he was able to locate the cave without Google Maps. Long story short, he became Lama Zopa Rinpoche - a world renowned monk with thousands of disciples, wrote 11 books, and of course - built the temple around the cave. Mission accomplished.

Great lunch. It was my turn to ask questions.

Me: “Why did you become a monk? Is it to escape something?”

Monk 1: “Not to escape but to be free. Not to be free from the world, but to be free of the mind. Not just the endless chatter, but also free from the endless desire, wants, fear, attachments. These things.. all lead to suffering and emptiness. And it’s a huge void that can never be filled.”

(I am not good with names. I know. I suck.)

Me: “Very cool. Do you not have desire at all? What if the desire is to make the world a better place? Isn’t it contradicting?”

Monk 2: “It’s normal to have desire. The key is to not cling to it. To not chase. To not push it away. But to look at it with curiosity. To ask if the desire brings about suffering, or peace. To check our intentions. If you become too attached to desire, it becomes your master. And suffering begins.”

Monk 3: “The wish to ease suffering, in other words - to make the world a better place - is one of the most compassionate desire a human being can have. This is what we call Chanda. Desire that is not born out of attachment or ego, but of love and compassion.”

Me: “What is love?”

Monk 2: “Love is simply wishing others happiness.”

Secret #2 It’s ok to own things, just don’t let things own you. It’s ok to have desire, just check your intentions and don’t let it consume you. Love is wishing others, even your worst enemy, highest level of happiness. Try it: “May you be happy, may you be free, may you be safe” you will instantly feel — happy.

Love is wishing others happiness.

I’ll be sharing part 2 where I actually meditated in the cave where Lawudo Lama became enlightened and my experience in witnessing death with burning corpses.

See you in the next one.

At Surya - our mission is to help 8bn people live mindfully - all the time, everywhere, effortlessly, on command. Everything we do stems from that mission. And, the only way for us to accomplish that mission is by reaching…well…everyone. This is where you come in.

So here’s my ask on behalf of a struggling individual you’ve never met: Please help that individual by sharing this post. Your gift costs no money and less than 60 seconds to make real, but can potentially change a life forever.

If you find this helpful - share it.

I wish you happiness.

Share

See you on the next one!

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
Theodore Roosevelt

• It’s difficult to have an authentic conversation.

• It’s difficult to build a startup.

• It’s difficult to stand up and lead.

• It’s difficult to be true to ourselves.

• It’s difficult to be rejected 200 times and show up anyway.

On the other hand:

• It’s easy to take drugs.

• It’s easy to consume alcohol mindlessly.

• It’s easy to run away.

• It’s easy to avoid confrontation.

• It’s easy to quit.

• It’s easy to complaint.

I have found that the highest high often comes from the lowest low. And no, I’m not talking about dopamine chasing. You might ask:

“so… are we going to just suffer all our life?”

Good question - read on.

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Context:

When I was gathering feedback for Surya (It’s like FitBit, but for mindfulness) — I got into deep thinking when I saw this feedback:

Great feedback. The point: “If the tool says we’re not mindful - we might feel frustrated or disappointed with ourselves”

I thought a great deal about it, and my conclusion was: “It’s not for everyone.”

Here’s the thing:
Whether our mindfulness level is high or low doesn’t really matter. It is a number, a metric based on facts. What truly matters is what are we going to do about it.

Which brings me to the point I was making in the beginning. Growth is not easy, we don’t live in wonderland where everything is rainbow and everything is perfect. We are not perfect. We are not meant to be perfect. And yet it’s the imperfection that makes life great. Because we get to go on a once in a lifetime journey of self-discovery, self-improvement, and growth. And that’s the point!

Nothing in Life Is Worth Having, If It’s Easy

So then are we going to suffer all our life? That’s sad.

I think the answer to this is… It depends.

Suffering comes from wanting more.

To be specific: more ego, more money for the sake of ego, more power for the sake of power, more more more… for the sake of more. It’s an endless pit without a clear purpose that brings upon suffering.

I think the key is to change the thinking to: “I am great. I have enough. And I’d like to have more wisdom, more learning, more growth, more insights, more abundance — so that I can grow to be a better person and when that happens, everyone around me becomes better and collectively we build a better world”.

Better me, Better we, Better world.

The question that I’d leave with you today: What’s something that is incredibly difficult that you know you need to go after but haven’t?

👋 I’m Jake - entrepreneur / founder / CEO, building meaningful startups with the same goal of making the world we live in a better place.

I invite you to join my un-filtered journey as I build and scale my startups publicly. Subscribe (free. I do this for passion) to get real-life sharing, learning & wisdom.

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If you have great ideas - send me an email: jake@suryaband.com - I’d love to co-create with you!

Self-doubt led me to questioning everything. “Am I cut out for this? Can I really run two companies? What if I fail at both?” I am the founder & CEO of two companies. One is a startup baby. The other is well established. Both are incredibly tough right now.

I am challenged to my core. I felt tired, overwhelmed, and straight-up scared. Then I started writing. Fear dissipated. I have 6 light bulb moments and I want to share with you:

1. FUCK it, just do it.

Fear is NOT real. It’s all perceived. It’s created by none other than our own mind. It only has power if you let it.
This morning, I reminded myself that fear is nothing but a story my mind tells me. When I took action—stepped into the things I was avoiding—the fear vanished. It’s like turning on a light in a dark room.

Action kills fear. The minute you stand up against it and face it, it’s gone.

2. To give is to get.

When you help others, you help yourself.
I want to help. I want to share what I’ve learned because I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. And here’s the thing: the more I give—whether it’s knowledge, time, or value—the more I gain.

It’s not about expecting something back; it’s about knowing that generosity feeds the soul.

3. Be unapologetically yourself.

Stop filtering. Stop pretending. Just be you.
I am who I am, and I’m done apologizing for it. If you’ve got something to say, say it. If you’ve got something to give, give it. The world needs you—not a watered-down version of you.

Be real, be bold, and own it.

4. Fear is the most destructive energy—but it’s also weak.

The moment you face it, it disappears.
Fear thrives on avoidance. But when you confront it, when you look it dead in the eye, it crumbles. This morning, I felt fear trying to hold me back, but the second I leaned into it, it was gone. Write it down, be real with your emotions, don’t sugercoat it. And it’ll be gone. Poof.

“Fear creates a mental barrier, like a cloud blocking the sunlight” - Charles F. Haanel

5. Awareness is half the battle.

What are you feeling? Name it. That’s where the power starts.
This morning, I stopped and asked myself, “What’s really going on?” The answer? Tired. Overwhelmed. Afraid. Once I named those emotions, they didn’t feel so heavy anymore. Awareness gives you control. It’s like shining a flashlight in the dark.

If you’re aware, 50% of the problem is resolved.

6. Reconnecting to your “why” changes everything.

Your purpose is your fuel.
When I felt stuck today, I asked myself: “Why am I doing this?” The answer reminded me of everything I care about—helping, inspiring, growing. That “why” gave me energy to push through. Whenever you feel lost, ask yourself that one question.

I’m building Surya, it’s a wearable like FitBit, but elevates your mind. I’m looking for solid feedback - if you’re down for a chat, hit me up!

.. the better I felt, the clearer I see. And I saw that

We as a human species are suffering on a global scale right now. Stress, anxiety, depress, global unhappiness index is at all time high. We're waging wars left right center.

.. can we have world peace? What's the solution?

Is it money? Maybe. But when I was trekking through the Himalayas, I saw the purest smile on the locals' faces and they had absolutely no money.

Is it religion? Maybe. But It divided and put us into different 'box'.

Is it then.. quality of life or technological advancement? Maybe. But then America has the highest quality of life across the globe yet stress, anxiety, mental health is the worst!

So what is it then?

I've come to the realisation that it is the quality of our mind. The quality of our thoughts. Every single thing in this world that materialised was once just an idea in our head. And if we're not careful, if we're not aware, if we're not in control, we produce negative thoughts, and negative thoughts create destructive actions which in turn spread like a wild fire on a global scale.

If many of us become more aware.. more conscious with our thoughts and take back control of our mind, I believe we can truly achieve world peace one day.

And it's been my mission to elevate our collective mind and bring upon world peace by building meaningful startups.

——

I am building Surya, a wrist wearable that tracks mindfulness level in real time and gently reminds us to come back to present moment when we're "mindless". It's like FitBit, but for the mind.

https://www.suryaband.com/

Note: I am not selling anything - I am looking for people who are interested in joining our mission: to awaken the human mind. Send me a message if you're down to co-create this together. Your feedback will help us shape our future. Jake.

Or email me at jake@suryaband.com