A central concept in Buddhism is that each and every moment contains unlimited potential with unlimited possibilities of what can happen. In this way, the glass can hardly be only one or two states.
Psychology read a lot into how you see the glass. The litmus test from a western viewpoint, only allows two options; half full or half empty. In Buddhism, however, these 2 views leave an incomplete picture. Adding more to this picture, below are a few more Buddhist takes.
- The glass is full; it contains both liquid and space.
- There is no glass; it’s made up of things that are not it.
- The glass is a manifestation of the whole universe; it is not separate or unique. It’s not half anything.
Even after adding these extra view points, we are not at the whole truth. The Whole Truth exists in no extremes, it lies in between them all, it lies in the middle way. Seeing one point of view is just that, one view out of a potentially unlimited number.
A trait of many geniuses when confronted with a problem, they ask “How many different ways can I look at it?,” “How can I rethink the way I see it?,” and “How many different ways can I solve it?”
In the case of our glass, all views and no views are correct. The true answer to the glass lies in the unlimited potential and possibilities.
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Wow,
Great stuff. I loved this post.
Thanks so much
Another possibility:
The glass is not half full, it’s oversized = it’s just too big for the amount of liquid
Hi Gaby,
That’s exactly it
There’s SO many different ways of looking at this problem. There’s no incorrect or no correct, just different 
Peace,
Wade
If there is no correct, there is no “there is no correct”.
Words depart, and all that is left is …
fodor
Fodor; Thanks for pulling me out of the concept of words….”The further you define anything, the further away from it’s reality you become”
Peace,
Wade
That reminds me of a joke here at my school:
Optimists see the glass as half-full.
Pessimists see the glass as half-empty.
Engineers see the glass as twice as large as it needs to be.
Great post.
How about as something left behind by someone who wasn’t as thirsty as they thought they were?
It is impossible to determine exactly whether or not the glass is half full or half empty as to measure it exactly is to alter it in a way that makes it’s original state unknowable.
All these replies are the very proof of there being no answer. Thank you all for your replies, they’re fantastic.
Peace,
Wade
It all depends if your filling or drinking it.
Kidding!
Love this post! great way of looking at it.
J
glass
no glass
water
no water
who is looking?
the crane dips it wing.
The glass just is.
Rob; I love it!
Soon as the world glass is mentioned or even thought about, instead of just experiencing it, we place ideas and concepts on the glass and the water.
Keep up these great comments, I’m enjoying all these different takes, all of which make me smile. They all bring the post closer to it’s reality of inifinity.
Metta to you all.
Wade
water has no boundaries until it feels the edge of the glass
The osprey returns and spring begins
like glass
water has no needs
do nothing
see through it
be like water
be like glass
do nothing
live beyond
or…
it’s not half empty, we’re just not done pouring yet.
It’s not my round.
A Zen thing
Ultimate reality cannot be defined,or expressed in words,
said the monk,and picked up the half full,half empty,cup,
that represented all possibility,and no possibility, and drank it down,
what? he said as everyone that had been debating the glass looked at him in surprise,I was thirsty.
My response the the half empty half full thing was always, “Who cares, I’m thirsty….”
the middle path is the only path. it is both half empty and half full. A view from any extreme is ignorance.
peace,love,silence
What glass? : D
Glass: You hear all this talk about half this and half that?
Water: Whatever.
Glass: I mean, I guess, I’M bigger, than you. I hold you in, eh? I surround you… I am your master.
Water: Ah, whatever.
Glass: You crack me up.
Water: (now spreading out upon the table) Wherever.
Why is Half empty pessimistic?
Why is Half full optimistic?
In my opinion these two statements are just factual manifestations of the state. I agree that there could be multiple interpretations that you can arrive at by looking at the state the container is in. But, I also want to highlight that there are few assumptions here when a person talks in terms of “Half Empty” and “Half Full” kind of statements.
a) The speaker assumes that the object of interest for everyone is the liquid and the size of the container.
b) Everyone would agree to the narrow approach of defining the state of the objects(s) as “Half Empty” or “Half Full”.
My perception of this state (Where there is some liquid in a container) is as a continuous event and we are just looking at it in a section of time (where it appears static).
I say continous state because its possible that water may be evaporating or condensing in the glass thereby affecting the volume of one of the contents of the glass, because I see this glass as having Water, Air and other possible types of objects that I don’t know about as well as life forms in it.
end of my 2 cents…
Understandably; it is the Buddhist way to say that the glass will always be full. This is true. Whether with water or air or vacuum, there will always be something filling the glass. And sometimes there will be a combination of things filling the glass. Once we understand this there is another way to look at the problem:
How the question is posed.
The question in this case is wrong and leading/misleading.
To put the question correctly one should ask:
“This glass in front of us is filled with a liquid of some kind, probably water. Is the glass in front of us half full or half empty with the fluid we are concerned with?”
There is only one way to answer this question and this is with another question.
“Was the person in charge of the glass and fluid emptying or filling the glass.”
Once posed in this way there is just one conclusion.
If the person was filling the glass it becomes obvious that the glass is half full. And
I’m sure you agreeif they were emptying the glass then the glass is half empty.I hope this clears it all up for you.
by the way, i forgot to add-the egg came before the chicken.
Mark; I think you’ve sold “The Buddhist Way” a bit short. It also says there is no glass, no thing, only your perception and labeling of things, instead of seeing their true reality. I’ll let you see if the rest of your method works with no glass and no person
Lokesh; Right on. Looking from all perspective, with no one perspective being correct is what it’s all about
chummers; lol
Pat and Jess; I hear you both loud and clear.
Peace,
Wade, tmw.net
Lets go Quantum now with this thing,from a tenth dimensional perspective,at this stage,all possibility’s,and all respective
universes,and all possible infinity’s are considered.
On a quantum,three dimensional plane, the glass,and the water represent any infinite number of possibility’s,it is only by and through choice that closes all other possibility’s. I was thirsty, I got a glass,I Poured I drank some, or I didn’t.The very act of being thirsty opens up an infinite amount of possibility’s,and by choosing to get a glass and filling it, I am influencing things in the fifth dimensional plane,however should I decide to drink from the garden hose,then I have branched off into another quantum possibility.
The glass and it’s irrespective state is like when you swing for
a pitch, and at the last possible moment you pull back,you check,
and by doing so you branch off into another possibility,in a moment.
A perfect metaphor of Zen,
The glass is whatever you want it to be…
The glass is both half full and half empty. Your perspective determines your truth.
The government would say that the glass is fuller than if the opposition party were in power.
The opposition would say that it is irrelevant because the present administration has changed the way such volume statistics are collected.
The philosopher would say that, if the glass was in the forest and no one was there to see it, would it be half anything?
The economist would say that, in real terms, the glass is 25% fuller than at the same time last year.
The banker would say that the glass has just under 50% of its net worth in liquid assets.
The psychiatrist would ask, “What did your mother say about the glass?”
The physicist would say that the volume of this cylinder is divided into two equal parts; one a colorless, odorless liquid, the other a colorless, odorless gas. Thus the cylinder is neither full nor empty. Rather, each half of the cylinder is full, one with a gas, one with a liquid.
The seasoned drinker would say that the glass doesn’t have enough ice in it.
great answer sean, also the engineer would say – i’m gonna need a saturday and sunday on overtime to work this one out; with two men.
The glass is always full, even when it is only full of air.
My opinion about the glass is irrelevant, as is anyone elses, for the glass (and whatever in it) just is or might just as well not be. Ventilating opinions is fun passtime though.
vrede gewenst
I like to think of the glass of water neither being half-full/empty. It is just what it is.
I have never had so much fun reading a discussion thread. Great post and incredible comments!
I raise my glass to you Mark and all who comment here. Thank you.
Nice.
Pretty interesting. Thanks, I look forward to more.
Just drink the water – no more problem
some one is filling the glass to drink..
amount of clean water left on earth!!
Even if you accept the glass and water as real, there can only be a single instance when the glass is half full or half empty. At that moment, something will change…water will evaporate; someone drinks the water; etc. The impermanent nature of this world guarantees it. The chance of guessing when this instance occurs is almost nil. So in conclusion…there is no way of knowing the answer…and therefore it is an impossible question.
Hi Guys,
Thank you all SO much for your comments on this. This pot continues to amaze me with the diversity of views on this. Each showing a part of Dharma, getting us closer to reality. It also shows us how unique we are, how we all see the world differently.
May all beings be happy, May all beings be peaceful.
~Wade
I agree with the view that unlimited possibilities exist to interpret or describe the glass. One question that is sometimes asked is, “how would you describe a glass with water in it?” Some people have been known to reply,
“the glass is half full” (optimistic)
“the glass is half empty” (pessimistic)
“would you repeat the question?” (confused)
“what the hell is this all about?” (hostile)
and any number of answers that reflect moon and mindset. Clever exercise. We can all learn about oursleves based on our instinctive answer.
Another way to view the post is to realize no right or wrong answers exist, only judgment and unconditional acceptance.
One thing is for sure I prefer to have the half full glass thank you as if I trip I wont spill as much..this will save my energy for better things ..
Well ! what a great lot of deep thinkers,,I myself like to “think” of the glass as only half full,, so that I have so much more yet to explore and learn about myself and others in the universe..so much more to give to Fill the glass.. Peace and love ..Val