| Daily Wisdom |
So Called Dragon Slayer |
Spiritual Story by James Fadiman and Robert Frager |
|
A so-called dragon hunter went to the mountains to trap a
dragon. He searched the mountains and finally discovered the frozen body of a
great dragon in a cave high up one of the tallest peaks.
The man brought the body to Baghdad. He claimed he slew the dragon single-handed and exhibited it on the bank of the river. Hundreds of people came to see the dragon. The warmth of the Baghdad sun gradually warmed the dragon's body, and it began to stir, coming slowly out of its winter sleep. The people screamed and stampeded, and many were killed. The dragon hunter was frozen in fear, and the dragon ate him in a single gulp. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Ogre and the Sufi |
Spiritual Story by Idries Shah |
|
A Sufi master traveling alone through a desolate mountain
region was suddenly faced by an ogre�a giant ghoul, who told him that he was
going to destroy him. The master said, "Very well, try if you like, but I can
overcome you, for I am immensely powerful in more ways than you
think."
"Nonsense," said the ghoul "You are a Sufi master, interested in spiritual things. You cannot overcome me, because I rely upon brute force, and I am thirty times larger than you." "If you want a trial of strength," said the Sufi, "take this stone and squeeze liquid out of it." He picked up a small piece of rock and handed it to the apparition. Try as he might, the ghoul could not. "It is impossible; there is no water in this stone. You show me if there is." In the half-darkness, the master took the stone, took an egg out of his pocket, and squeezed the two together, holding his hand over that of the ghoul. The ghoul was impressed; for people are often impressed by things that they do not understand, and value such things highly, more highly than they should in their own interests. "I must think this over," he said. "Come to my cave, and I shall give you hospitality for the night." The Sufi accompanied him to an immense cave, strewn with the belongings of thousands of murdered travelers, a veritable Aladdin's cavern. "Lie here beside me and sleep," said the ghoul, "and we will try conclusions in the morning." He lay down and immediately fell asleep. The master, instinctively warned of treachery, suddenly felt a prompting to get up and conceal himself at some distance from the ghoul. This he did, after arranging the bed to give the impression that he was still in it. No sooner was he sat a safe distance than the ghoul awoke. He picked up a tree-trunk with one hand, and dealt the dummy in the bed seven mighty blows. Then he lay down again and went to sleep. The master returned to his bed, lay down, and called to the ghoul: "O ghoul! This cavern of yours is comfortable, but I have been bitten seven times by a mosquito. You really should do something about it." This shocked the ghoul so much that he dared not attempt a further attack. After all, if a man had been hit seven times by a ghoul wielding a tree trunk with all the force he had... ? In the morning the ghoul threw the Sufi a whole ox-skin and said: "Bring some water for breakfast, so that we can make tea." Instead of picking up the skin (which he could hardly have lifted in any case) the master walked to the near-by stream and started to dig a small channel towards the cave. The ghoul was getting thirsty: "Why don't you bring the water?" "Patience, my friend. I am making a permanent channel to bring the spring-water right to the mouth of the cavern, so that you will never have to carry a water-skin." But the ghoul was too thirsty to wait. PIcking up the skin, he strode to the river and filled it himself. When the tea was made he drank several gallons, and his reasoning faculties began to work a little better. "If you are so strong�and you have given me proof of it�why can't you dig that channel faster, instead of inch by inch?" "Because," said the master, "nothing which is truly worth doing can be properly done without the expenditure of a minimum amount of effort. Everything has its own quantity of effort; and I am applying the minimum effort necessary to the digging of the canal. Besides, I knew that you are such a creature of habit that you will always use the ox-skin." |
Moon In A Bowl of Water |
Spiritual Story by Massud Farzan |
|
One night the poet Awhadi of Kerman was sitting on his
porch, bent over a vessel. Shams e-Tabrizi happened to pass by.
Shams: "What are you doing?" Awhadi: "Contemplating the moon in a bowl of water." Shams: "Unless you have broken your neck, why don't you look at the moon in the sky?" |
| Daily Wisdom |
Losing Everything |
Spiritual Story by Unknown |
|
Mula came upon a frowning man walking along the road to
town. "What's wrong?" he asked. The man held up a tattered bag and moaned, "All
that I own in this wide world barely fills this miserable, wretched
sack."
"Too bad," said Mula, and with that, he snatched the bag from the man's hands and ran down the road with it. Having lost everything, the man burst into tears and, more miserable than before, continued walking. Meanwhile, Mula quickly ran around the bend and placed the man's sack in the middle of the road where he would have to come upon it. When the man saw his bag sitting in the road before him, he laughed with joy, and shouted, "My sack! I thought I'd lost you!" Watching through the bushes, Mula chuckled. "Well, that's one way to make someone happy!" |
| Daily Wisdom |
In the Hands of God |
Spiritual Story by James Fadiman and Robert Frager |
|
One day, the caliph Omar met a group of people who were
sitting around doing nothing. He asked them who they were. "We are of those who
put their affairs in the hands of God, and we trust in God," they
replied.
"Indeed you do not!" he retorted. "You are nothing but freeloaders, parasites upon other people's efforts! Someone who truly trusts in God first plants seed in the belly of this earth, then puts his affairs in the hand of God, the Sustainer." |
| Daily Wisdom |
How to Catch Monkeys |
Spiritual Story by Idries Shah |
|
Once upon a time there was a monkey who was very fond of
cherries. One day he saw a delicious-looking cherry, and came down from his tree
to get it. But the fruit turned out to be in a clear glass bottle.
After some experimentation, the monkey found that he could get hold of the cherry by putting his hand into the bottle by way of the neck. As soon as he had done so, he closed his hand over the cherry; but then he found that he could not withdraw his fist holding the cherry, because it was larger than the internal dimension of the neck. Now all this was deliberate, because the cherry in the bottle was a trap laid by a monkey-hunter who knew how monkeys think. The hunter, hearing the monkey's whimperings, came along and the monkey tried to run away. But, because his hand was, as he thought, stuck in the bottle, he could not move fast enough to escape. But, as he thought, he still had hold of the cherry. The hunter picked him up. A moment later he tapped the monkey sharply on the elbow, making him suddenly relax his hold on the fruit. The monkey was free, but he was captured. The hunter had used the cherry and the bottle, but he still had them. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Dervish and the Money |
Spiritual Story by James Fadiman and Robert Frager |
|
A dervish was praying silently. A wealthy merchant,
observing the dervish's devotion and sincerity, was deeply touched by him. The
merchant offered the drevish a bag of gold. "I know you will use the money for
God's sake. Please take it."
"Just a moment," the dervish replied. "I'm not sure if it is lawful for me to take your money. Are you a wealthy man? Do you have more money at home?" "Oh yes. I have at least one thousand gold pieces at home," claimed the merchant proudly. "Do you want a thousand gold pieces more?" asked the dervish. "Why yes, of course. Every day I work hard to earn more money." "And do you wish for yet a thousand gold pieces more beyond that?" "Certainly. Every day I pray that I may earn more and more money." The dervish pushed the bag of gold back to the merchant. "I am sorry, but I cannot take your gold," he said. "A wealthy man cannot take money from a beggar." "How can you call yourself a wealthy man and me a beggar?" the merchant spluttered. The dervish replied, "I am a wealthy man because I am content with whatever God sends me. You are a beggar, because no matter how much you possess, you are always dissatisfied, and always begging God for more." — By Sheikh Muzaffer |
| Daily Wisdom |
Barber and the White Hairs |
Spiritual Story by Massud Farzan |
|
A bearded man went to a barber shop and said to the master
barber: "I am bringing home a new wife; I would like you to cut off the white
hairs in my beard."
The master took the scissors, cut off the whole beard, put it in front of the man and said: "I don't have time. Pick out the white hairs yourself." |
| Daily Wisdom |
Ancient Coffer of Nuri Bey |
Spiritual Story by Idries Shah |
|
Nuri Bey was a reflective and respected Albanian, who had
married a wife much younger than himself. One evening when he had returned home
earlier than usual, a faithful servant came to him and said:
"Your wife, our mistress, is acting suspiciously. She is in her apartment with a huge chest, large enough to hold a man, which belonged to your grandmother. It should contain only a few ancient embroideries. I believe that there may now be much more in it. She will not allow me, your oldest retainer, to look inside." Nuri went to his wife's room, and found her sitting disconsolately beside the massive wooden box. "Will you show me what is in the chest?" he asked. "Because of the suspicion of a servant, or because you do not trust me?" "Would it not be easier to just open it, without thinking about the undertones?" asked Nuri. "I do not think it is possible." "Is it locked?" "Yes." "Where is the key?" She held it up, "Dismiss the servant and I will give it to you." The servant was dismissed. The woman handed over the key and herself withdrew, obviously troubled in mind. Nuri Bey thought for a long time. Then he called four gardeners from his estate. Together they carried the chest by night unopened to a distant part of the grounds and buried it. The matter was never referred to again. |
| Daily Wisdom |
| Daily Wisdom |
A Misfit |
Spiritual Story by Shams-e Tabrizi |
|
I have been a misfit since childhood. I knew that no one
understood me, not even my father. He once said, "You are not a madman, fit to
be put in a madhouse, nor are you monk to be put in a monastery. I just don't
know what you are!"
I replied: "You know, father, I can tell you what it is like. Once a duck egg was put under a hen to be hatched. When the egg hatched, the duckling walked along with the mother hen until they came to a pond. The duckling took a nice dip in the water. But the hen stayed on the bank and clucked." "Now, my dear father, after having tried the sea I find it my home. If you choose to stay on the shore, is it my fault? I am not to be blamed." |
| Daily Wisdom |
A Death Is Intoxicated |
Spiritual Story by Idries Shah |
|
There was once a dervish who had sixty disciples who he had
taught as well as he could, and decided that the time had come for them to have
a new experience. He told them that they must go on a long journey, and that
something�he knew not what�would happen while they were on it. Those who had
absorbed enough to enter this stage, he told them, would be able to go and
remain with him on this journey.
He told them that they all had to memorize the phrase, "I must die instead of the dervish," and must be prepared to shout it whenever the dervish raised both of his arms. The disciples, upon hearing this, became suspicious of the dervish's motives and began muttering among themselves. Fifty-nine of them deserted him, believing that he knew that he would be in danger at some point, and wanted to sacrifice themin his stead. They told him that they thought he might be planning a crime�even a murder�and that they could not follow him under the conditions he demanded. So, the dervish set out with his one remaining companion. Shortly before they entered the nearest city, a wicked tyrant had taken it over. Wishing to consolidate his control of the city with a dramatic show of force, he assembled his soldiers together and told them to capture someone passing through the town who looked harmless, and he would sentence him as a miscreant. The soldiers obeyed him and set out into the streets to find such a wayfarer. The first person they came upon was the disciple of the dervish, who they arrested. Followed by the dervish, they took the disciple to the king, where the populace, hearing the drum of death and already frightened, gathered around. The dervish's disciple was thrown in front of the king, who decreed that he had resolved to make an example of a vagbond to show them that he would not tolerate nonconformists or attempted escape, and sentenced the disciple to death. Upon hearing this, the dervish called out to the king asking that he be allowed to die instead of the disciple, since he was to blame for having persuaded the disciple to embark on the life of a wayfarer. So saying the dervish raised both arms over his head, and the disciple cried out to the king begging to be allowed to die instead of the dervish. The king was stunned. He asked his counsselors for advice, wondering what kind of people the dervish and his disciple could be, vying with each other to die; he worried that if their actions were taken as heroism, the populace might turn against him. After conferring with each other, the counselors told the king that if this was heroism, there was little they could do about it except to act even more cruelly until the people lost heart, but that they had nothing to lose by asking the dervish why he was so eager to die. When asked, the dervish replied that it had been foretold that a man would die in that place and would rise again and thereafter be immortal, and that naturally both he and his disciple wanted to be that man. The king wondered to himself why he should make another immortal when he was not himself, and after pondering it a moment, ordered that he should be executed right away instead of the dervish or his disciple. Immediately the most evil of his accomplices, also eager for immortality, killed themselves. Neither they nor the king rose again, and the dervish and his disciple left in the midst of the confusion. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Understanding |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
"How shall I get the grace of never judging my
neighbor?"
"Through prayer." "Then why have I not found it yet?" "Because you haven't prayed in the right place." "Where is that?" "In the heart of God." "And how do I get there?" "Understand that anyone who sins does not know what he is doing and deserves to be forgiven." |
True Satisfaction |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A Quaker had this sign put on a vacant piece of land next to
his home: "THIS LAND WILL BE GIVEN TO ANYONE WHO IS TRULY SATISFIED."
A wealthy farmer who was riding by, stopped to read the sign and said to himself, "Since our friend the Quaker is so ready to part with this plot, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man and have all I need, so I certainly qualify." With that he went up to the door and explained what he was there for. "And art thou truly satisfied?" the Quaker asked. "I am, indeed, for I have everything I need." "Friends," said the Quaker, "if thou art satisfied, what dost thou want the land for?" |
| Daily Wisdom |
| Daily Wisdom |
The Spiral Staircase |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A man came upon a tall tower and stepped inside to find it
all dark. As he groped around, he came upon a circular staircase. Curious to
know where it led to, he began to climb, and as he climbed, he sensed a growing
uneasiness in his heart.
So he looked behind him and was horrified to see that each time he climbed a step, the previous one fell off and disappeared. Before him, the stairs wound upward and he had no idea where they led; behind him yawned an enormous black emptiness. |
| Daily Wisdom |
The Jewel Merchant |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
Two jewel merchants arrived at a caravanserai in the desert
at about the same time one night. Each was quite conscious of the other's
presence, and while unloading his camel, one of them could not resist the
temptation to let a large pearl fall to the ground as if by accident. It rolled
in the direction of the other who, with affected graciousness, picked it up and
returned it to its owner saying, "That is a fine pearl you have there, sir. As
large and lustrous as they come."
"How gracious of you to say so," said the other. As a matter of fact, that is one of the smaller gems in my collection." A bedouin who was sitting by the fire and had observed this drama, rose and invited the two of them to eat with him. When they began their meal, this is the story he told them: "I, too, my friends, was once upon a time, a jeweler like you. One day I was overtaken by a great storm in the desert. It buffeted me and my caravan this way and that till I was separated from my entourage and lost my way completely. Days passed and I was panic-stricken to realize that I was really wandering bout in circles with no sense of where I was or which direction to walk in. Then, almost dead with starvation, I unloaded every bag on my camel's back, anxiously searching through them for the hundredth time. Imagine my excitement when I came upon a pouch that had escaped my notice before. With trembling fingers I ripped it open hoping to find something to eat. Imagine my disillusionment when I found that all it contained was pearls!" |
The Greedy Sons |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
There was once a hard-working and generous farmer who had
several idle and greedy sons. On his deathbed he told them that the would find
his treasure if they were to dig in a certain field. As soon as the old man was
dead, the sons hurried to the fields, which they dug up from one end to another,
and with increasing desperation and concentration when they did not find the
gold in the place indicated.
But they found no gold at all. Realizing that in his generosity their father must have given his gold away during his lifetime, they abandoned their search. Finally, it occurred to them that, since the land had been prepared they might as well now sow a crop. They planted wheat, which produced an abundant yield. They sold this crop and prospered that year. After the harvest was in, the sons thought again about the bare possibility that they might have missed the buried gold, so they again dug up the fields, with the same result. After several years they became accustomed to labor, and to the cycle of the seasons, something which they had not understood before. Now they understood the reason for their father's method of training them, and they became honest and contented farmers. Ultimately, they found themselves possessed of sufficient wealth and no longer to wonder about the hidden hoard. |
A Buddha Is Among You |
Spiritual Story by Unknown |
|
The abbot of a once famous Buddhist monastery that had
fallen into decline was deeply troubled. Monks were lax in their practice,
novices were leaving and lay supporters deserting to other centers. He traveled
far to a sage and recounted his tale of woe, of how much he desired to transform
his monastery to the flourishing haven it had been in days of yore.
The sage looked him in the eye and said, "The reason your monastery has languished is that the Buddha is living among you in disguise, and you have not honored Him." The abbot hurried back, his mind in turmoil The Selfless One was at his monastery! Who could He be? Brother Hua?...No, he was full of sloth. Brother Po?...No, he was too dull. But then the Tathagata was in disguise. What better disguise than sloth or dull- wittedness? He called his monks to him and revealed the sage's words. They, too, were taken aback and looked at each other with suspicion and awe. Which one of them was the Chosen One? The disguise was perfect. Not knowing who He was they took to treating everyone with the respect due to a Buddha. Their faces started shining with an inner radiance that attracted novices and then lay supporters. In no time at all the monastery far surpassed its previous glory. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Sufi and the Inn |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A Sufi of forbidding appearance arrived at the doors of the
palace. No one dared to stop him as he made his way right up to the throne on
which the saintly Ibrahim ben Adam sat.
"What is it you want?" asked the King. "A place to sleep in this inn." "This is no inn. This is my palace." "May I ask who owned this place before you?" "My father. He is dead." "And who owned it before him?" "My grandfather. He is dead too." "And this place where people lodge for a brief while and move on—did I hear you say it was not an inn?" |
| Daily Wisdom |
Socrates and the Marketplace |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
True philosopher that he as, Socrates believed that the wise
person would instinctively lead a frugal life. He himself would not even wear
shoes; yet he fell under the spell of the marketplace and would go there often
to look at all the wares on display.
When one of his friends asked why, Socrates said: "I love to go there and discover how many things I am perfectly happy without." |
| Daily Wisdom |
Realism |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A gambler once said to the Master, "I was caught cheating at
cards yesterday, so my partners beat me up and threw me out of the window. What
would you advise me to do?"
The Master looked straight through the man and said, "If I were you, from now on I would play on the ground floor." This startled the disciples. "Why didn't you tell him to stop gambling?" they demanded. "Because I knew he wouldn't," was the Master's simple and sagacious explanation. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Only A Visitor |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
In the last century, a tourist from the States visited the
famous Polish rabbi Hafez Hayyim. He was astonished to see that the rabbi's home
was only a simple room filled with books. The only furniture was a table and a
bench.
"Rabbi, where is your furniture?" asked the tourist. "Where is yours?" replied Hafez. "Mine? But I'm only a visitor here." "So am I," said the rabbi. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Old Man on the Island |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
An old man had lived most of his life on what was considered
to be one of the loveliest islands in the world. Now that he had returned to
spend his retirement years in the big city, someone said to him:
"It must have been wonderful to live for so many years on an island that is considered one of the wonders of the world." The old man gave that some thought, then said, "Well, to tell you the truth, if I had known it was so famous, I'd have looked at it." |
| Daily Wisdom |
Nagarjuna and the Thief |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
The great Buddhist saint Nagarjuna moved around naked except
for a loincloth and, incongruously, a golden begging bowl gifted to him by the
King, who was his disciple.
One night he was about to lie down to sleep among the ruins of an ancient monastery when he noticed a thief lurking behind one of the columns. "Here, take this," said Nagarjuna, holding the begging bowl. "That way you won't disturb me once I have fallen asleep." The thief eagerly grabbed the bowl and made off�only to return the next morning with the bowl and a request: "When you gave away this bowl so freely last night, you made me feel very poor. Teach me how to acquire the riches that make this kind of lighthearted detachment possible." |
| Daily Wisdom |
| Daily Wisdom |
Monkey and the Hyena |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A monkey and a hyena were walking through the forest when he
hyena said, "Each time I pass by those bushes there, a lion jumps out of them
and mauls me. I don't know why."
"I'll walk with you this time," said the monkey, "and side with you against the lion." So they started to walk past the bushes when the lion pounced on the hyena and nearly mauled it to death. Meanwhile, the monkey watched the proceedings from the safety of a tree that he had run up the moment the lion appeared. "Why didn't you do something to help me?" moaned the hyena. Said the monkey, "You were laughing so much I thought you were winning." |
Magically Appearing Cave |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A villager was once riding past a cave in a mountain at the
precise moment when it made one of its rare magical appearances to all who
wished to enrich themselves from its treasures.
He marched into the cave and found whole mountains of jewels and precious stones that he hurriedly stuffed into the saddlebags of his mule, for he knew the legend according to which the cave would be open for only a very limited period of time so its treasures had to be taken in haste. The donkey was fully loaded and he set off rejoicing at his good fortune, when he suddenly remembered he had left his stick in the cave. He turned back and rushed into the cave. But the time for the cave to disappear had arrived and so he disappeared with it and was never seen again. After waiting for him a year or two, the villagers sold the treasure they found on the donkey and became the beneficiaries of the unfortunate man's good luck. |
| Daily Wisdom |
Lulu's Insanity |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
A visitor to an insane asylum found one of the inmates
rocking back and forth in a chair cooing repeatedly in a soft, contented manner,
"Lulu, Lulu..."
"What's this man's problem?" he asked the doctor. "Lulu. She was a woman who jilted him," was the doctor's reply. As they proceeded on the tour, they came to a padded cell whose occupant was banging his head repeatedly against the wall and moaning, "Lulu... LULU....." "Is Lulu this man's problem too?" asked the visitor. "Yes," said the doctor. "He's the one Lulu finally married." |
| Daily Wisdom |
| Daily Wisdom |
Learning the Trade |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
Noticing that his father was growing old, the son of a
burglar said, "Father, teach me your trade so that when you retire I may carry
on the family tradition."
The father did not reply but that night he took the boy along with him to break into a house. Once inside, he opened a closet and asked his son to find out what was inside. No sooner had the lad stepped in tan the father slammed the door shut and bolted it, making such a noise in the process that the whole house was awakened. Then he himself slipped away quietly. Inside the closet the boy was terrified, angry, and puzzled as to how he was going to make his escape. Then an idea came to him. He began to make a noise like a cat; whereupon a servant lit a candle and opened the closet to let the cat out. The boy jumped out assoon as the closet door opened and everyone gave chase. Observing a well beside the road, he threw a large stone into it and hid in the shadows; then he stole away while his pursuers peered into the depths, hoping to see the burglar drown. Back home again the boy forgot his anger in his eagerness to tell his story. But his father said, "Why tell me the tale? You are here. That is enough. You have learned the trade." |
| Buddhism Day by Day |
| For Today and Tomorrow |
| Daily Wisdom |
King Pyrrhus of Epirus |
Spiritual Story by Anthony de Mello |
|
King Pyrrhus of Epirus was approached by his friend Cyneas
and asked, "If you conquer Rome, what will you do next, sir?"
Pyrrhus replied, "Sicily is next door and will be easy to take." "And what shall we do after Sicily is taken?" "Then we will move over to Africa and sack Carthage." "And after Carthage, sir?" "The turn of Greece will come." "And what, may I ask, will the fruit of all these conquests be?" "Then," said Pyrrhus, "we can sit down and enjoy ourselves." "Can we not," said Cyneas, "enjoy ourselves now?" |
| Buddhism Day by Day |
| For Today and Tomorrow |
| Daily Wisdom |
