“An elephant from a travelling exhibit was kept hidden in a barn outside the walls of a city whose inhabitants had never seen an elephant before. Hearing of this concealed marvel, four curious citizens went to see whether they might gain at least some preliminary idea of what an elephant was like. When they arrived […]
A popular parable that is a wonderful story about the nature of desire (I will comment on this below). “Once upon a time, there was a stonemason. Every day, he would go to the mountain to cut stones. While he worked, he sang to himself, for though he was a poor man, he did not […]
“It so happened that Mullah Nasreddin approached a high official. Outraged by his insolence, Mullah Nasreddin did not hold back: – Where on earth, you kind, are you so arrogant? Who are you? – As if you didn’t know! I’m the manager! – Well, good, and what will you become then? – Governor! – And […]
“Oh my!” cried the monk, who was on probation and had just broken his teacher’s favorite (and very precious) cup. The frightened youth went to the Zen master and asked, “Why must there be death?” The Master replied, “Death is natural. It comes to all people and things. It is not to be expected with […]
“One farmer, who always won the prize for the best corn at the local show, was in the habit of sharing the seed with all the farmers in the area. When asked why, he replied, ‘It’s really for self-interest. The wind carries the pollen from field to field. So if my neighbours grow lower quality […]
This is one of my favorite healing stories. So, once upon a time in the frog kingdom, there was a competition – they had to get to the top of a very, very tall tower. A group of contestants gathered, the bravest, and the others stood around to watch.
There was once a great warrior. Though quite old, he was still able to defeat any opponent. His reputation spread far and wide throughout the country, and many students gathered to study under him. One day a young warrior of ill fame arrived in the village. He was determined to be the first person to […]
“Buddha was once threatened with death by a bandit called Angulimal. ‘In that case, be good and fulfill my dying wish,’ said the Buddha, ‘cut down the branch of this tree.’” One slash of the sword and – voila! “Now what?” the bandit asked. “Take it back,” said the Buddha. The bandit laughed. “You must […]
“The great Buddhist saint Nagarjuna used to wander naked, except for a simple loincloth—and, somewhat absurdly, carrying a golden alms bowl given to him by a king who was one of his followers. One night, as he was about to lie down to sleep among the ruins of an ancient monastery, he noticed a thief […]
“Abraham Lincoln once asked his secretary, “If you call a tail a leg, how many legs will a horse have?” “Five,” the secretary replied. “No,” said the president, “the answer is four. Calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg.”” We often look at words as “things”. And in a sense, they […]
This is a fairy tale that I came across some time ago in a forum while researching the topic of esoteric Christianity. The person who shared it wrote that it was a Manichaean story told to him by Petar Raychev. I have now decided to pass it on. It is very beautiful. Very. Through two […]
This is a story from the book 101 Zen stories The Traveler: What kind of weather will we have today? The Shepherd: The kind I like. The Traveler: How do you know it will be the kind you like? The Shepherd: I have discovered, Sir, that I do not always get what I want, and […]
