Category Wisdom Stories

Wisdom Story: “Zen in A Beggar’s Life”

“Tosui was a well-known Zen teacher of his time. He had lived in several temples and taught in various provinces. The last temple he visited accumulated so many adherents that Tosui told them he was going to quit the lecture…

Wisdom Story: “You Can Not Please Everyone”

“A man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said : “You fool, what a Donkey for but to ride is upon?” So…

Wisdom Story: “Why Should I feel Bad?”

“Once, there was this guy, who was in love with a girl. She wasn’t the most beautiful and gorgeous but for him, she was everything. He used to dream about her, about spending the rest of life with her. His…

Wisdom Story: “When Truth Dawned”

“Ryokan, the Zen teacher, was requested by his sister-in-law to come to her house and talk to her son. “He does no work, squanders his father’s money in wild parties and is neglecting the estate,” she complained. “If he does…

Wisdom Story: “What The Drop Taketh”

“The anecdotes of Emperor Akbar and his trusted aide Birbal are entertaining as well as enlightening. Once, the Emperor received the gift of a rare perfume. As he opened the bottle, a drop of perfume fell to the floor. Akbar…

Wisdom Story: “What Happened To Charles”

“A farm horse named Charles was led to town one day by his owner, to be shod. He would have been shod and brought back home without incident if it hadn’t been for Eva, a duck, who was always hanging…

Wisdom Story: “We Are Never Alone”

“Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage? His father takes him into the forrest…blindfolded…and leaves him….alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night…and not take off the blindfold until the…

Wisdom Story: “Watching Your Own Mind”

“A mystic used to walk every midnight towards the river, just to sit silently there. A watchman of a nearby bungalow used to notice him come at midnight. Finally it became impossible to resist, and the watchman stopped the mystic…

Wisdom Story: “Washerman’s Donkey Load”

“Once Akbar went to the river with his two sons and wise Minister Birbal. On the bank of the river, Akbar and his two sons took off their clothes and asked Birbal to take care of them while they took…

Wisdom Story: “Two Seeds”

“Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile soil. The first seed said, “I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me…

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