Question
I have read many books in my life, but I don't remember most of the information I gained from them. So, what's the benefit of reading so many books?
One day, a student asked his professor the same question. The professor remained silent and didn't answer that day. A few days later, the student and professor met by a river. The professor showed the student a pot with holes and said, "Let's go get water from the river with this pot." The pot broke on the ground. The student felt confused, thinking it was a useless task, as it was impossible to carry water with a pot full of holes.
However, he couldn't disobey his professor's advice, so he picked up the broken pot and ran towards the river. He filled the pot with water and brought it back, but he couldn't go far. A few steps later, the water leaked out of the holes and fell to the ground. He tried several times but failed and felt frustrated.
Afterward, he returned to his professor and said, "I failed. I couldn't bring water in this pot. It's impossible for me; please forgive me." The professor smiled sweetly and said, "You didn't fail. Look at the pot; it's clean now. It looks like a new pot. Whenever the water leaks out of the holes, the dirt inside the pot is washed away. The same thing happens to you. When you read a book, your mind is like the pot with holes, and the information in the book is like the water. When you read a book, you don't remember everything. But is it necessary to remember all the content? No, because reading books gives you ideas, knowledge, feelings, emotions, and truths that cleanse your mind.
Whenever you read a book, you undergo a spiritual transformation, and you are reborn as a new person. This is the main purpose of reading books."
Paraphrase it
One day, a student asked his professor the same question. The professor remained silent and didn't answer that day. A few days later, the student and professor met by a river. The professor showed the student a pot with holes and said, "Let's go get water from the river with this pot." The pot broke on the ground. The student felt confused, thinking it was a useless task, as it was impossible to carry water with a pot full of holes.
However, he couldn't disobey his professor's advice, so he picked up the broken pot and ran towards the river. He filled the pot with water and brought it back, but he couldn't go far. A few steps later, the water leaked out of the holes and fell to the ground. He tried several times but failed and felt frustrated.
Afterward, he returned to his professor and said, "I failed. I couldn't bring water in this pot. It's impossible for me; please forgive me." The professor smiled sweetly and said, "You didn't fail. Look at the pot; it's clean now. It looks like a new pot. Whenever the water leaks out of the holes, the dirt inside the pot is washed away. The same thing happens to you. When you read a book, your mind is like the pot with holes, and the information in the book is like the water. When you read a book, you don't remember everything. But is it necessary to remember all the content? No, because reading books gives you ideas, knowledge, feelings, emotions, and truths that cleanse your mind.
Whenever you read a book, you undergo a spiritual transformation, and you are reborn as a new person. This is the main purpose of reading books."
Paraphrase it
Answers
GPT-4o mini
I've read many books throughout my life, but I often struggle to remember most of the information I've gained from them. So, what’s the point of reading so many books?
A student once posed this question to his professor, who chose to remain silent at first. A few days later, the two met by a river, where the professor picked up a pot with holes and said, "Let's collect water from the river using this pot." The student was puzzled when the pot broke on the ground, thinking it was an impossible task since the pot couldn’t hold water.
Despite his confusion, the student obeyed his professor and picked up the damaged pot. He went to the river, filled it with water, and attempted to return, but soon found that the water leaked out, and he became frustrated after several failed attempts.
Eventually, he approached his professor and said, "I couldn't bring you any water. I failed in this task; please forgive me." The professor smiled and replied, "You haven't failed at all. Look at the pot; it's now clean and looks like new. Each time the water leaked through the holes, it washed away the dirt inside. This is similar to your mind when you read a book. The information is like the water, and while you may not remember everything, it’s not necessary to recall every detail. Reading enriches your mind with ideas, knowledge, emotions, and truths, cleansing it in the process.
With every book you read, you experience a transformation and emerge renewed. This, ultimately, is the true purpose of reading."
A student once posed this question to his professor, who chose to remain silent at first. A few days later, the two met by a river, where the professor picked up a pot with holes and said, "Let's collect water from the river using this pot." The student was puzzled when the pot broke on the ground, thinking it was an impossible task since the pot couldn’t hold water.
Despite his confusion, the student obeyed his professor and picked up the damaged pot. He went to the river, filled it with water, and attempted to return, but soon found that the water leaked out, and he became frustrated after several failed attempts.
Eventually, he approached his professor and said, "I couldn't bring you any water. I failed in this task; please forgive me." The professor smiled and replied, "You haven't failed at all. Look at the pot; it's now clean and looks like new. Each time the water leaked through the holes, it washed away the dirt inside. This is similar to your mind when you read a book. The information is like the water, and while you may not remember everything, it’s not necessary to recall every detail. Reading enriches your mind with ideas, knowledge, emotions, and truths, cleansing it in the process.
With every book you read, you experience a transformation and emerge renewed. This, ultimately, is the true purpose of reading."