Empty Bowl Story

There is a story behind the idea of the Empty Bowl Project. The Story is:

Once upon a time.....A man died. The Great Spirit, known to different religions and cultures by different names, asked the man where he wanted to go, heaven or hell. The man said "Let me hell." He went there and found himself in a dinning room. The tables were heaped with food, the bowls filled with food, yet everyone was thin and gaunt. At each place each person sat with a three foot long spoon struggling to feed themselves. But their arms were too short. Despite all the food, the people were starving. He knew this was not for him. "Let me see heaven," he said.

Then the man went to heaven. There too he was in a dining room. The tables were heaped with food, but the bowls were empty. The people were well fed and happy. But, they too each had a three foot spoon. How could this be ? Then he saw. Each person filled their own bowl with food from the platter and proceeded to feed each other, emptying their bowl into the mouth of another person.