Find a Mug!

The main point the Buddha makes is that holding firmly onto views about things is a major source of trouble in our lives, in particular, trouble with other people. The quote here is from the Magandiya Sutta found in the collection of talks called the Sutta Nipata. The image on the mug is modeled on a popular way of expressing being above arguing over things: we should be like the lotus flower which rises up from the mud. The idea here is that the mud isn't really all bad because it represents the problems of everyday life that give us a chance to practice letting go enough to not always argue. Just as the mud feeds the lotus and lets it rise up and bloom, so does strife in our lives.