Which in a different form contains some moral teachings, teachings (for example, the wisest parables of the Gospels or Solomon), some wise thoughts (parables). Officially, it is a small genre of didactic fiction. Many people equate the wisest parables with fables. This article reveals the concept of “parable”. In addition, wise short parables are given.
What is a parable?
A parable is not so much a story as a cautionary tale. Many wise thoughts and parables have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. And this is no coincidence: in each such story there are various parables: for example, the wise. Thanks to them, people learn the secrets of life, gain access to an awareness of world laws. Moreover, the uniqueness of parables lies in the fact that they do not “load” the reader’s consciousness, but very easily and unobtrusively convey to a person something valuable, a hidden truth.
parables of Abul Faraj
The famous Abul Faraj said that a parable is “a story that refreshes the mind and removes pain and sadness from the heart.” Abul Faraj himself retold the wisest parables from all over the world.
Father's Insight
Remembering wise parables about life, it is impossible not to tell such a story. One day the doorbell rang and the man went to answer it. His daughter stood on the threshold with her eyes full of tears. Having entered the house, she spoke first: “I can’t live like this anymore, it’s getting harder and harder. It’s as if every day I climb a huge mountain, and in the morning I start the procession again from the very foot. Father, what will happen next, how can I not give up?”
He didn’t answer, he just went to the stove and put three saucepans filled with clean spring water on it, placing a carrot and a chicken egg in each one in turn and pouring coffee powder into the last one. After 10 minutes, he poured coffee into the girl’s cup, and put carrots and eggs on the saucer. As soon as she raised a cup of aromatic drink to her face, the man asked her a question:
My daughter, what has changed in these objects?
- Fresh carrots have cooked and become softer. The coffee dissolved without a trace. The egg was hard boiled.
- You appreciated only the paramount, but let's look at it from the other side. The strong and tough root crop became pliable and softened. As for the egg, outwardly it retained its face, like the carrot, but its internal liquid environment became much harder and more collected. The coffee immediately began to dissolve when it got into the hot water, saturating it with its taste and aroma, which you are now enjoying. This is exactly what can happen in the life of each of us. Strong people will weaken under the yoke of gravity, and fragile and offended people will rise to their feet and will no longer give up their hands.
- What about coffee, what does its transformation teach us? - the daughter asked with timid interest.
- These are the brightest representatives of worldly life, having accepted circumstances that are difficult at first glance, they become close to what is happening, while giving each problem a piece of their taste and aroma. These are special people who, overcoming every stage of their life, draw something new, giving the world the beauty of their soul.
Parables and Parable of the Rose
A mighty wind blew across the world and knew no worldly feelings and desires. But one sunny and gentle summer day he met a red rose, which looked even more beautiful with its light breeze. The beautiful petals responded to the light breezes with a sweet, delicate aroma and bloom. It seemed to the wind that he was not expressing his devotion enough to the fragile plant, then he blew with all his power, forgetting about the tenderness that the flower needed. Unable to withstand such a harsh and stormy pressure, the slender and living stem broke. The mighty wind tried to resurrect his love and restore its former bloom, but it was too late. The impulses subsided, the former tenderness and softness returned, which enveloped the dying body of the young rose, she was losing her life faster and faster.
Then the wind howled: “I gave you all my strength, great love! How could you break so easily?! It turns out that the strength of your love was not enough to stay with me forever.”
Rose only spent her last seconds with the same scent, responding to passionate speeches with silence.
Don't shed your tears in vain
One day, an old but very wise lecturer, reading yet another scientific work, suddenly stopped. Taking a liberating pose, he heard from the back desks:
Instead, the lecturer began to tell a long and colorful joke, and everyone sitting, without exception, laughed. When the audience fell silent, he told the same story again, but only a few smiled. The others had a question on their faces that hung in the air. Repeating itself for the third time, the silent scene dragged on for a long time. No one in the audience even smiled; on the contrary, everyone was in a suspended and incomprehensible state.
Guys, why couldn't you laugh at my joke three times? You are sad every day over the same problem.
The professor smiled, and everyone sitting in the audience thought about their lives.
Fate
One fine day, a wise wanderer came to the outskirts of a small town. He settled in a small hotel and every day received many people who were lost in their own lives.
One young man spent a long time looking for an answer to his fate in books, visiting many elders. Some advised going with the flow, avoiding encounters with problems and troubles. Others, on the contrary, said that swimming against the current means gaining strength, finding yourself. He decided to try his luck and listen to the advice of this old man.
Entering the room, the young man saw a man who was looking for something in the chest. He turned around for a moment and pointed with his hand at the chair standing by the table.
Tell me what’s bothering you, I’ll listen and give you advice.
The young man told him about visiting other sages, reading books and giving advice.
Go with the flow or against it? - at the end of the story he said.
- Forgive me, well done, I probably listened due to my old age and deafness. Where do you want to go? - the wanderer asked without looking up from his work.
The power of a word
A blind old man sat on the street with a sign, begging for alms from passers-by. There were only a few moments in his box, the summer sun falling on his long, thin legs. At this time, a charming young woman passed by, who, stopping for a moment, picked up a sign and wrote something herself. The old man only moved his head, but did not say anything after her.
An hour later the girl was walking back, he recognized her by her hasty and light steps. The box at that time was full of new shiny coins, which were added every minute by people passing by.
Dear girl, were you the one who changed my sign? I'd like to know what it says.
- There is nothing written there but the truth, I just corrected it slightly. It reads: “It’s so beautiful now, but unfortunately I will never be able to see it.” After tossing a couple of coins, the girl gave the old man a smile and left.
Happiness
Three simple men were walking along the road on a summer day. They talked about their difficult life and sang songs. They hear that somewhere someone will forgive help, look into the hole, and there is happiness.
I will fulfill any of your wishes! Say what you want to get, - happiness turns to the first man.
“So as not to live in poverty until the end of your days,” the man answers her.
His wish was fulfilled and he went towards the village with a bag of money.
- What do you want? - happiness turned to the second man.
- Babu, I want all the girls to be more beautiful!
Immediately the beauty appeared next to him, the man grabbed her, and also went to the village.
What is your desire? - Happiness asks the last guy.
- And what do you want? - says the man.
“I wish I could get out of the hole, good fellow,” happiness said timidly.
The man looked around, found a long log, and fortunately tilted it. He turned around and began to return to the village. Happiness quickly emerged and ran after him, accompanying him through life.
Guiding light
In ancient times, when there were still no World Wide Web networks and various engines, people went sailing on simple ships. Then one risky team went on a long journey full of dangers.
A few days later, their ship was caught in a storm and sank, and only a couple of experienced sailors managed to escape. They woke up on a distant unfamiliar island, gradually losing their minds in fear and hunger.
One particularly sunny day, an alien ship docked there. This brought immense joy to the rescued, and they decided to build a tall and durable lighthouse.
Despite the persuasion, they remained on this island until the end of their days, only rejoicing in their destiny. Guiding people became a great happiness and honor for each of them.
Conclusion
The wisest parables presented in this article really do not burden the reader’s consciousness, but very easily and unobtrusively convey to a person something valuable, a hidden truth.
Parables are short and entertaining stories that express the experiences of many generations of lives. Parables about love have always been especially popular. And no wonder - these meaningful stories can teach you a lot. And the right relationship with your partner too.
After all, love is a great power. She is able to create and destroy, inspire and deprive of strength, give insight and deprive of reason, believe and be jealous, perform feats and push to betrayal, give and take, forgive and take revenge, idolize and hate. So you need to be able to handle love. And instructive parables about love will help with this.
Where else can one find wisdom if not in time-tested stories? We hope that short stories about love will answer many of your questions and teach harmony. After all, we are all born to love and be loved.
A parable about love, wealth and health
A parable about love and happiness
-Where does love go? - Little happiness asked his father. “She’s dying,” answered the father. People, son, don’t take care of what they have. They just don't know how to love!
Little happiness thought: I’ll grow up big and start helping people! Years passed. Happiness has grown and become greater.
It remembered its promise and tried its best to help people, but people did not hear it.
And gradually Happiness began to turn from big into small and stunted. It was very afraid that it might disappear completely, and it set off on a long journey to find a cure for its illness.
How long did Happiness walk for a short time, not meeting anyone on his way, only he became completely ill.
And it stopped to rest. He chose a spreading tree and lay down. I had just dozed off when I heard footsteps approaching.
He opened his eyes and saw: a decrepit old woman was walking through the forest, all in rags, barefoot and with a staff. Happiness rushed to her: - Take a seat. You're probably tired. You need to rest and refresh yourself.
The old woman’s legs gave way and she literally collapsed into the grass. Having rested a little, the wanderer told Happiness her story:
- It’s a shame when you are considered so decrepit, but I’m still so young, and my name is Love!
- So you are Lyubov?! Happiness was amazed. But they told me that love is the most beautiful thing in the world!
Love looked at him carefully and asked:
- And what is your name?
- Happiness.
- Is that so? I was also told that Happiness should be beautiful. And with these words she took out a mirror from her rags.
Happiness, looking at her reflection, began to cry loudly. Love sat down next to him and gently hugged him with her hand. - What did these evil people and fate do to us? - Happiness sobbed.
“Nothing,” said Love, “If we stay together and take care of each other, we will quickly become young and beautiful.”
And under that spreading tree, Love and Happiness entered into their alliance to never be separated.
Since then, if Love leaves someone’s life, Happiness goes with it; they cannot be separated.
And people still can't understand this...
The Parable of the Best Wife
One day, two sailors set off on a journey around the world to find their destiny. They sailed to an island where the leader of one of the tribes had two daughters. The eldest is beautiful, but the youngest is not so much.
One of the sailors said to his friend:
- That’s it, I found my happiness, I’m staying here and marrying the leader’s daughter.
- Yes, you’re right, the leader’s eldest daughter is beautiful and smart. You made the right choice - get married.
- You didn’t understand me, friend! I will marry the chief's youngest daughter.
- Are you crazy? She's so... not really.
- This is my decision, and I will do it.
The friend sailed further in search of his happiness, and the groom went to get married. It must be said that it was customary in the tribe to give a ransom for the bride in cows. A good bride cost ten cows.
He drove ten cows and approached the leader.
- Leader, I want to marry your daughter and I’ll give ten cows for her!
- It's a good choice. My eldest daughter is beautiful, smart, and worth ten cows. I agree.
- No, leader, you don’t understand. I want to marry your youngest daughter.
- Are you joking? Don't you see, she's so... not very good.
- I want to marry her.
- Okay, but as an honest person I can’t take ten cows, she’s not worth it. I'll take three cows for her, no more.
- No, I want to pay exactly ten cows.
They merried.
Several years passed, and the wandering friend, already on his ship, decided to visit his remaining comrade and find out how his life was. He arrived, walked along the shore, and was met by a woman of unearthly beauty.
He asked her how to find his friend. She showed. He comes and sees: his friend is sitting, kids are running around.
- How are you?
- I'm happy.
Then that same beautiful woman comes in.
- Here, meet me. This is my wife.
- How? Did you get married again?
- No, it's still the same woman.
- But how did it happen that she changed so much?
- And you ask her yourself.
A friend approached the woman and asked:
- Sorry for the tactlessness, but I remember what you were like... not very much. What happened to make you so beautiful?
- It’s just that one day I realized that I was worth ten cows.
Parable about the best husband
One day a woman came to the priest and said:
- You married me and my husband two years ago. Now separate us. I don't want to live with him anymore.
“What is the reason for your desire to get a divorce?” asked the priest.
The woman explained this:
“Everyone’s husband returns home on time, but my husband is constantly delayed. Because of this, there are scandals at home every day.
The priest, surprised, asks:
- Is this the only reason?
“Yes, I don’t want to live with a person who has such a disadvantage,” the woman answered.
- I will divorce you, but on one condition. Come home, bake some big delicious bread and bring it to me. But when you bake bread, don’t take anything from the house; ask your neighbors for salt, water, and flour. And be sure to explain to them the reason for your request,” said the priest.
This woman went home and, without delay, got down to business.
I went to my neighbor and said:
- Oh, Maria, lend me a glass of water.
- Have you run out of water? Isn't there a well dug in the yard?
“There is water, but I went to the priest to complain about my husband and asked him to divorce us,” that woman explained, and as soon as she finished, the neighbor sighed:
- Oh, if you only knew what kind of husband I have! - and began to complain about her husband. Afterwards the woman went to her neighbor Asya to ask for salt.
-You’ve run out of salt, are you asking for just one spoon?
“There is salt, but I complained to the priest about my husband and asked for a divorce,” says that woman, and before she had time to finish, the neighbor exclaimed:
- Oh, if you only knew what kind of husband I have! - and began to complain about her husband.
So, no matter who this woman went to to ask, she heard complaints from everyone about their husbands.
Finally, she baked a large delicious bread, brought it to the priest and gave it to him with the words:
- Thank you, taste my work with your family. Just don’t think about divorcing me and my husband.
- Why, what happened, daughter? - asked the priest.
“My husband, it turns out, is the best,” the woman answered him.
A parable about true love
Once the Teacher asked his students:
- Why, when people quarrel, do they shout?
“Because they are losing their calm,” said one.
- But why shout if another person is next to you? – asked the Teacher. – Can’t you talk to him quietly? Why shout if you're angry?
The students offered their answers, but none of them satisfied the Teacher.
Finally he explained: “When people are dissatisfied with each other and quarrel, their hearts grow distant.” In order to cover this distance and hear each other, they have to shout. The angrier they get, the further they move away and the louder they scream.
- What happens when people fall in love? They do not shout, on the contrary, they speak quietly. Because their hearts are very close, and the distance between them is very small. And when they fall in love even more, what happens? – continued the Teacher. “They don’t speak, they just whisper and become even closer in their love.” - In the end, they don’t even need to whisper. They just look at each other and understand everything without words.
Parable about a happy family
In one small town, two families live next door. Some spouses constantly quarrel, blaming each other for all troubles and trying to figure out which one is right. And others live amicably, they have no quarrels, no scandals.
The obstinate housewife marvels at her neighbor’s happiness and, of course, is jealous. Says to her husband:
- Go and see how they do it so that everything is smooth and quiet.
He came to the neighbor's house, hid under the open window and listened.
And the hostess is just putting things in order in the house. He wipes the dust off an expensive vase. Suddenly the phone rang, the woman got distracted, and put the vase on the edge of the table, so that it was about to fall. But then her husband needed something in the room. He caught a vase, it fell and broke.
- Oh, what will happen now! - the neighbor thinks. He immediately imagined what a scandal there would be in his family.
The wife came up, sighed with regret, and said to her husband:
- Sorry honey.
- What are you doing, honey? It's my fault. I was in a hurry and didn’t notice the vase.
- I am guilty. She placed the vase so carelessly.
- No, it's my fault. Anyway. We could not have had greater misfortune.
The neighbor's heart sank painfully. He came home upset. Wife to him:
- You're doing something fast. Well, what did you look at?
- Yes!
- Well, how are they doing?
- It's all their fault. That's why they don't quarrel. But with us everyone is always right...
A beautiful legend about the importance of love in life
It so happened that on one island lived different feelings: Happiness, Sadness, Skill... And Love was among them.
One day, Premonition informed everyone that the island would soon disappear under water. Haste and Haste were the first to leave the island by boat. Soon everyone left, only Love remained. She wanted to stay until the last second. When the island was about to go under water, Lyubov decided to call for help.
Wealth sailed on a magnificent ship. Love says to him: “Wealth, can you take me away?” - “No, I have a lot of money and gold on my ship. I don’t have room for you!”
Happiness sailed past the island, but it was so happy that it did not even hear Love calling it.
...and yet Lyubov was saved. After her rescue, she asked Knowledge who it was.
- Time. Because only Time can understand how important Love is!
A story about true love
In one village there lived a girl of incomparable beauty, but none of the boys approached her, no one sought her hand. The fact is that one day a sage who lived next door predicted:
- Anyone who dares to kiss the beauty will die!
Everyone knew that this sage was never wrong, so dozens of brave horsemen looked at the girl from afar, not daring to even approach her. But then one fine day a young man appeared in the village, who at first sight, like everyone else, fell in love with the beauty. Without thinking for a minute, he climbed over the fence, walked up and kissed the girl.
- Ah! - the inhabitants of the village cried out. - Now he will die!
But the young man kissed the girl again, and again. And she immediately agreed to marry him. The rest of the horsemen turned to the sage in bewilderment:
- How so? You, sage, predicted that the one who kissed the beauty would die!
- I don’t go back on my words. - answered the sage. - But I didn’t say exactly when this would happen. He will die someday later - after many years of a happy life.
A story about a long family life
An elderly couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary were asked how they managed to live together for so long.
After all, there was everything - difficult times, quarrels, and misunderstandings.
Probably their marriage was on the verge of collapse more than once.
“It’s just that in our time, broken things were repaired, not thrown away,” the old man smiled in response.
A parable about the fragility of love
Once upon a time, an old wise man came to one village and stayed to live. He loved children and spent a lot of time with them. He also loved to give them gifts, but only gave them fragile things.
No matter how hard the children tried to be careful, their new toys often broke. The children were upset and cried bitterly. Some time passed, the sage again gave them toys, but even more fragile.
One day his parents couldn’t stand it anymore and came to him:
- You are wise and wish only the best for our children. But why do you give them such gifts? They try their best, but the toys still break and the children cry. But the toys are so beautiful that it’s impossible not to play with them.
“Very few years will pass,” the elder smiled, “and someone will give them his heart.” Maybe this will teach them to handle this priceless gift a little more carefully?
And the moral of all these parables is very simple: love and appreciate each other.
Parable of Ungrateful Children
One man grew old and saw almost nothing, his hands became weak, and his hearing became dull. He could barely hold a spoon and kept dropping food on the floor. His family turned away every day with disgust from the unfortunate man who did not have the opportunity to get enough food normally. His son and daughter-in-law decided to put a table for him out of sight. The old man was seated in the hallway, but even there he dirty the floor because he was not able to hold the plate. The woman got angry, and her husband prepared a feeding trough for his father, like for a cow. But one day the little grandson came up to his dad and told him:
- Please do one thing for me. I brought you a small piece of a dried trunk lying in our yard.
- Of course, son, what would you like to have? – he answered affectionately.
– Make me a feeder like grandpa’s. Otherwise, you will soon grow old, and then I will not know how to serve you food every day.
The son and daughter-in-law blushed and immediately moved the old man to the common table. Now he was fed in the best possible way.
Parable about the essence of marriage
One young man did not know how to find a suitable bride. He simply could not find the most worthy girl. Some of them were not good-looking enough, others were not very hard-working, and still others were very poorly educated. The young man was not able to stop at anyone. Then he went to the elder of his village and asked him for good advice. The elderly man thought carefully about his words and then said:
- Yes, it’s not easy for you. Tell me, do you love your mother?
The young man could not believe his ears.
- Why are you asking? Is she the culprit that I can’t find a bride? But since you are curious, I will say: sometimes I get angry with her because of her constant grumpiness. She very often talks all kinds of nonsense, every day she complains about some utter nonsense and grumbles at the slightest reason.
The elder shook his head reproachfully and said:
- Now I understand what your problem is. Love and joy in marriage depend on your relationship with your parents. The ability to experience strong feelings is already contained in the human soul. From an early age, he gives his heart to the first people in his life - his father and mother. It is from them that the power to experience kindness and pity is transmitted. If you adore your mother, then all other women will seem wonderful to you. Out of gratitude to her, you will begin to treat everyone else well. Go home and learn to love and honor your mother. Then your attitude towards girls will quickly change. You will understand what their value is.
– And in order not to make a mistake again, choose a bride who truly loves and honors her parents. If she treats her father with true respect, then she will also love her husband. If you begin to respect your mother, you can also become a good husband. People who do not value their immediate family will never be able to create a full-fledged family.
A Parable about a Lasting Marriage
The old man and the old woman had been married for more than half a century. People admired the strength of their family. One young man, who was soon going to get married, decided to find out their secret. He approached the elderly man and asked him:
“I think the whole essence of your happiness lies in the fact that you and your wife tried never to quarrel.”
“No, we were still quarreling,” the couple smiled.
– I understand that you were very well provided for, so discontent rarely visited your souls.
– Not at all, they knew both extreme need and everyday poverty.
- And what, you never wanted to part with each other?
“We also had difficult times,” the elderly woman answered with a sigh.
“But then I don’t understand, how did you manage to save your family after everything?”
– Son, we were simply born in those old years, when it was not yet customary to throw away something and get a new one. Things were repaired ad infinitum, rather than being immediately thrown into the trash.
Parables about relationships between people
The Parable of Excessive Openness
One young girl did not know how to get along with the people around her. She cried for a long time, and then turned to the old woman from her village.
“What should I do, grandmother,” she asked her. “I try so hard to treat my fellow villagers kindly, I don’t refuse anyone their requests. And in return I get nothing but evil. They constantly laugh at me and don’t even try to do anything good for me. And some people are simply hostile. What should I do next towards them?
The old woman just smiled at the girl. She advised her:
- And you take off your dress and go naked into the street.
- What are you talking about, grandma! Why are you offering me something like this? – the girl was offended by her. “People will laugh at me, and men will despise me.”
The old woman went to the chest of drawers and took out a small mirror. She silently placed it in front of the surprised girl.
“Look here,” she told her, “you don’t want to appear naked on the street.” And you are not afraid to walk with an open soul. You don't hide it from people, and then you're surprised that everyone is able to spit on it. Every person has it, like a mirror. People around him look at him, but they see only themselves. The bad one is his own reflection, the good one is his own reflection. And the evil one doesn’t want to think that he sees the truth; it’s easier for him to assume that someone else is bad.
- What should I do now? – her girlfriend asked sadly.
“Or follow me, daughter, look at my favorite garden.” I have been carefully caring for it all my life, but not a single flower has opened in my presence. I see a plant that has already blossomed and enjoy its beautiful appearance. We should learn this. There is no need to rush towards the person. Open your soul to him very slowly, unnoticed by him. If you realize that he is capable of desecrating her, withdraw into yourself. You should also not help those who will not be grateful for your kindness and will repay it only with evil. Turn your back on these people. Open your heart only to the person who will truly appreciate and cherish it.
Parable about rudeness
One drunkard passed by the sage and kicked him out of anger. But he didn’t even move. The hooligan really wanted a big scandal, and he brazenly asked the elder:
-What if I betray you again? Why don't you answer me the same?
The elderly man was silent for a very long time, but, seeing that the loafer was not leaving, he said wearily:
“It happens that some person is unexpectedly kicked by an untied horse.” He doesn’t yell at her in this case and doesn’t demand an apology from her. He simply turns away, leaves and henceforth tries to avoid approaching her.
Parable about mercy
One blind man sat on the side of the road and asked people for alms. But they threw very little money at him and by the end of the day he only had a few coins in his hat. A young girl walked nearby, picked up a cardboard asking for alms lying at his feet and wrote something on it.
The beggar shook his head, but did not say a word. After some time, he caught the smell of her perfume and realized that the woman was returning. But his cap was already full of money. People threw not only coins, but also large bills at her.
- Daughter, what did you write on the cardboard? – the blind man asked her gratefully.
– Everything on it remains the same as before, I just improved its content a little. I wrote below: “A person will never in his life be able to admire the beauty that surrounds him.”
Parables about human qualities
A parable about the need for careful consideration
An old mouse lived in the underground with its numerous offspring. The house was rich and the animals knew neither troubles nor hunger. After sunset they came to the kitchen and gnawed on the supplies.
The owner got tired of their invasion, and he took a young cat into his household. He quickly got down to business and the mice no longer knew where to hide from him. Every day he caught someone, and their number began to rapidly decrease.
The animals decided to find a way out of this difficult situation. They called a general meeting, and then began to judge and decide what to do next. Everyone offered something different. One mouse shouted that the cat should be fed poison, another advised killing it with a large stone, the third came up with a way to throw it down the stairs, and so on ad infinitum.
Finally, one of the oldest representatives of the tribe came out and said:
Let's get some bells somewhere and hang them around the cat's neck? Then he won’t be able to take another step so that we don’t know where he is. And we will always manage to escape in time.
The mice readily agreed to the amazing proposal and considered it the best one put forward. But suddenly a tiny animal, which had always kept silent before, asked to speak. He said:
You have proposed very wise solutions. It would be great to follow them. The thought of a bell simply delighted me. But who exactly will be dispatched to carry out the assignment?
Everyone fell silent. It was clear that even the best idea loses its meaning if it is not well understood and does not have ways to solve it.
A parable about love and beauty
The elderly man knew a lot about people's lives. Therefore, he told everyone that in matters of the heart the mind is of little help, and only the heart is wise. When others asked him what such words meant, he told them one incident.
“The young man crossed the stormy river every day to meet his sweetheart. He overcame the stormy waves and did not pay attention to the steep rapids. But one day, having met his beloved, he discovered that the girl had a pimple. As he returned, he thought: “No. She's not perfect at all." And at the same moment his strength left him, and he drowned. All this time, he was allowed to stay afloat only by the strength that his feeling for her gave him.”
A parable about an unworthy way of executing plans
One hen turned to the ox. She said:
I would like to fly to the top of a huge cypress tree, but I know that I will never be able to do this.
I advise you to get to work on the dung heap. Nowhere else does it contain such a large amount of truly useful, empowering substances.
The chicken came up to her and began to peck. She ate her fill and overpowered the lower branch of the cypress tree. The next day she took up her task again and managed to fly up to the next branch. So, day after day, she gradually managed to climb to the top of the tree. She proudly surveyed those around her and did not notice the hunter approaching her. He suddenly raised his gun, and a minute later the chicken was already lying at his feet.
Therefore, you should not resort to inappropriate means to achieve your goal in order to soar to too high a position. You still won't be able to stay on it.
Parable of Righteousness
One day a man came to the priest and asked him:
- Help me with advice. I would like to take the path of virtue, but I don’t know where to start.
He thought about his words and said:
– Nothing special needs to be done. Return to your home and continue your normal earthly path as before. Open the Bible: it says that every sinner does evil, but the Lord does not turn away from him. A righteous person does good to people - and God always remains with him. The hermit lives silently in the deep silence of his cell, but even in such a case, the Almighty remains nearby. Don't change anything in your daily existence. The only thing that needs to be done is to avoid the impurity of the soul and thoughts.
A parable about self-confidence
One young man asked the Teacher:
– You have told us many times that an important condition for wisdom is knowing yourself. But I have no idea how to achieve it.
The teacher looked approvingly at the young man and replied:
– Don’t let others judge you.
- How can I not allow them, Teacher? - asked the young man.
– Imagine one person comes up to you and tells you that you are not good enough. You listen to him and lose heart. Another, on the contrary, believes that there is no one better than you. You feel happy. All people have some kind of opinion about you, high or low. They can't tell you who you really are. Don't let them express their opinions out loud. And I shouldn't do that either. The only person who can tell you what you are is yourself.
ILLUSION
The man who wanted to become a student said to the sage:
“For many days now I have been listening to you condemn ideas, ideas and behavior that are not characteristic of me and will never be characteristic. What is the purpose of all this?
The sage answered:
“The purpose of this is to make you finally stop imagining that everything that I condemn was never characteristic of you, and understand that you suffer from the delusion that it is not characteristic of you now.”
WORLD
The student asked the dervish:
- Teacher, is the world hostile for humans? Or does it bring good to a person?
“I’ll tell you a parable about how the world treats a person,” said the teacher.
“A long time ago there lived a great Shah. He ordered the construction of a beautiful palace. There were many wonderful things there. Among other wonders in the palace there was a hall where all the walls, ceiling, doors and even the floor were mirrored. The mirrors were unusually clear, and the visitor did not immediately understand , that there is a mirror in front of him - they reflected objects so accurately. In addition, the walls of this hall were arranged in such a way as to create an echo. You ask: “Who are you?” - and you will hear in response from different sides: “Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?".
One day a dog ran into the hall and froze in amazement in the middle - a whole pack of dogs surrounded it on all sides, above and below. The dog bared its teeth just in case; and all the reflections answered her in the same way. Seriously frightened, the dog barked desperately. The echo repeated her bark.
The dog barked louder. Echo did not lag behind. The dog rushed here and there, biting the air, its reflections also rushed around, snapping their teeth. The next morning, the servants found the unfortunate dog lifeless, surrounded by millions of reflections of dead dogs.
There was no one in the room who could cause her any harm. The dog died fighting his own reflections."
“Now you see,” the dervish finished, “the world brings neither good nor evil in itself.” Everything that happens around us is just a reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions. The world is a big mirror.
ASSUMPTIONS
Assumptions visit people more often than they realize. People usually act based on their hunches. This habit can be useful, because then you don’t have to think and communicate. If you meet a man in uniform, you can guess that he is a law enforcement officer.
But don't make assumptions all the time and don't let them rule your life!
Remember the sad fate of the sign designer - he lost his earnings because he made the wrong assumption. A rich woman asked him to write a warning about a dog in the house to hang on the front door. He wrote: "Beware, evil dog!" - and lost the order. “You fool,” the woman exclaimed, “I wanted to notify those entering: “Knock quietly! Don’t wake the dog!”
CAT AND RABBIT
The cat said:
- Rabbits are not worthy of being taught! I offer cheap mouse catching lessons - and at least one rabbit will be interested!
KNOWLEDGE
The ruler of the city ordered one Sufi to be captured and thrown into prison. The disciples came to visit their teacher in captivity. They were amazed to see that their teacher had not changed at all and was happily greeting them as if they were guests at his home.
- Teacher, what serves as your consolation here, in the house of sorrow? - the students exclaimed.
“Four sayings,” answered the Sufi. - Here's the first one:
“No one can escape evil, for everything is predetermined by fate.”
Here's the second one:
“What can a person do in misfortune but patiently endure his suffering? After all, in the whole universe you are not the only one experiencing something similar.”
Here's the third one:
"Be grateful to fate that the worst did not happen - it is always possible."
And finally, I say to myself: “Deliverance may be near, although you may not know it.”
At that moment the guards came with the news that the Sufi was free, for they had captured him by mistake.
DISSATISFIED
A layman complained to a Sufi about the dominance of wicked people.
“All my life I have suffered from human malice and wickedness,” he complained. - So and so reproached me and unjustly condemned me, so and so let me down in business, so and so deceived me, so and so did not share the profit with me...
Complaints flowed in an endless stream. The Sufi was silent without interrupting him. Finally he fell silent, finally asking: What should I do?
“Don’t be like fools who notice only mistakes, blunders and evil in the people with whom they live and communicate,” answered the Sufi. - These foolish people do not pay attention to the merits of people. They are like flies clinging to the sores of the body.
ADVICE
One student asked his Sufi mentor: “Master, what would you say if you knew about my fall?”
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
- And how long can this continue - keep falling and rising?
- Fall and rise while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.
THREE AGES
Conversation in the fifth century
- They say that silk does not grow on trees - it is spun by caterpillars.
- Do diamonds come from eggs? Do not pay attention. This is an obvious lie.
- But in distant lands, undoubtedly, there are many miracles...
“It is from such a thirst for the supernatural that all sorts of fantastic inventions arise, which are in demand among the gullible.
- But in general, if you think about it, such nonsense, so widespread in the East, will never take root in our logically thinking, civilized society.
In the sixth century
- One man came from the East and brought with him some worms.
- Undoubtedly, a charlatan. I believe he claims they cure toothache?
- No, it's funnier. He says they can "spin silk." He says that he obtained them at the risk of his life and now displays them at courts in different countries.
- Yes, he is simply exploiting a belief that was already outdated in the time of my great-great-grandfather!
- What are we going to do with him, sir?
- Throw his devilish worms into the fire, and beat him until he publicly renounces his heresy. People like him are extremely insolent. We need to demonstrate to them that we here in the West are not some dark hillbilly, ready to believe any rogue from the East.
In the twentieth century
- So you are saying that you know something known in the East that we have not yet discovered here in the West? Well, this was said many thousands of years ago. But in the present century, the human mind is truly open to everything new. So maybe we'll give it a try. Well, go ahead, demonstrate what you want - I have fifteen minutes until the next meeting. Or, if you prefer, you can submit your thoughts in writing. Here's a piece of paper for you.
LAST DAY.
One man believed that the last day of humanity would fall on a certain date, and that it should be met in a special way.
He gathered everyone who listened to his words, and when the appointed day came, he led them to a high mountain. But as soon as they all reached the top, the fragile earthen crust collapsed under their combined weight, and they fell into the mouth of the volcano. And this was truly their last day.
THOUGHT OF THE VINE.
There was one grapevine in the world that realized that people were picking its grapes every year and taking them away.
And no one ever says "thank you" to her.
One fine day, a wise man passed by and sat down to rest nearby.
“Here it is, my chance to clarify the mystery,” the vine thought and said:
- A wise man! You see: I am the vine. When my fruits ripen, people come and take them away. I don't see even a hint of gratitude from any of them. Can you explain to me the reason for this behavior?
The wise man thought and said:
- In all likelihood, the reason for it is that all these people had the impression that you cannot help but produce grapes.
GUESS
Once upon a time there was a bee who discovered that wasps did not know how honey was made. She thought she could tell them about it. True, one wise bee warned her:
- Wasps don't like bees. If you found yourself among them, they would not listen to you, because they have an ancient belief that bees are the antipodes of wasps.
After thinking about this problem for a long time, the bee decided that if she stained herself with yellow pollen, she would become completely indistinguishable from the wasps, and they would mistake her for one of their own.
So she did. Posing as a wasp who had made a great discovery, the bee began to teach the wasps how to make honey. They were completely delighted and worked tirelessly under her leadership. But now it's time to rest. And then the wasps noticed that in the heat of work the bee’s disguise had fallen off. And they recognized her.
As one, they pounced on her and bit her to death, like an uninvited guest and an ancient enemy. And of course, all the half-ready honey was indignantly thrown away - for what good could there be in what a stranger offered?
FOOD AND SURPRISE
One young man, who wanted to achieve enlightenment, found a Sufi who lived in solitude and asked to become his disciple. Without saying yes or no, the Sufi allowed him to settle nearby.
A long time passed during which the young man received no instruction and had very few impressions on which to reflect.
One day he said:
- I never see you eat. How can you live without food?
“Since you joined me, I have stopped eating in the presence of strangers,” said the Sufi. - Now I eat in secret.
Completely intrigued, the young man asked:
- But why? If you wanted to deceive me, then why are you admitting it now?
“I stopped eating,” answered the sage, “so that you could be surprised at me.” I hoped that the day would come when you would finally stop being surprised by things that don't apply and actually become a student.
- But couldn't you just tell me not to be surprised by what lies on the surface?!
“This has already been said thousands and thousands of times, clearly and distinctly, to everyone in the world, including yourself,” answered the Sufi. - And you think that an extra handful of words would have an effect?
HISTORY OF THE JUG
Have you heard about the tragedy of the unfortunate jug?
Lying on a bed in the corner of the room, the seriously ill patient begged for a sip of water.
The jug was so imbued with compassion for this man that he managed, with the greatest effort of will, to move himself, rotating, towards him at arm's length
Opening his eyes, the man saw a jug near him and experienced a surge of genuine amazement and joy. He barely reached the jug, brought it to his lips and... discovered that it was empty.
Gathering all the strength he had left, the patient threw the jug against the wall with all his might, and it shattered into many useless pieces of clay.
NECTAR
The absence of sorrows gives rise to satiety. This is illustrated by the story of the bee.
Having flown out of the hive for the first time after a long winter hibernation, the bee discovered a flowerbed.
Three days later she exclaimed:
“I can’t imagine what happened to the nectar: it became so sour.”
ABSOLUTELY
One Sufi sent everyone who wanted to become his disciple to listen and record the rantings of his slanderers - most of them were dogmatic scholars.
Someone asked him:
- Why are you doing this?
He replied:
- One of the first exercises of a Sufi is to see whether he is able to recognize the absurdities, biases and distortions in those who imagine themselves wise. If he is truly able to see what is inside them and recognize their narcissistic and toxic nature - then he can begin to learn Reality.
SYMBOLIC GIFTS
Visitors to Jan Fishan Khan were sometimes greeted by a man who greeted them with flattering words. Then they were served halva. And finally, right before they were allowed into the room where the Master was, they received a magnificent gold bar as a gift.
When they found themselves in front of the Teacher, he said:
- Pay attention to the gifts you have received. In our circle they mean: “If you want to harm someone, give them flattery, food and money.” You can even destroy a person with this, while he will be sincerely grateful to you for doing this.
DONKEY
“I know: when the weather improves, clover will appear,” said the donkey. - But I want it now. And everyone only offers hay. How to solve this problem? - Don't know. I'm too busy: I'm thinking about clover...
STATISTICS
The poor man said to the rich man:
- I spend all my money on food.
“That is your trouble,” answered the rich man. - Personally, I spend only five percent of my money on food.
FOOL
Once upon a time there was a man who did the right thing in one case, and the wrong thing in another - in exactly that order.
The first act was that he told the fool that he was a fool.
The second - he did not pay attention to the fact that he was standing at the edge of a deep well.
TIGER
A deer, running away from a tiger who had gone hunting, noticed a mouse sitting serenely near its hole and, stopping its run for a minute, shouted to it:
- The Lord of the Jungle is approaching! The tiger is obsessed with killing! Save yourself!
The mouse, as if nothing had happened, pinched a blade of grass and said:
- If you said that a cat went out to maraud, it would interest me!
PLEASE DO IT
One Sufi was asked:
- How can you teach people to move in a certain direction if they do not know your “language”?
He answered:
- Here's a story that illustrates this. Once upon a time, a Sufi came to a country where people knew only one phrase in his language: “Please do this!”
He didn't have time to teach them a better understanding of his language. So whenever he needed something done, he would demonstrate it and say, “Please do it!”
And thus everything was done.
CONTRADITIONS
Dialogue between Sufi and questioner:
- Which statement should be chosen if two Sufi sayings contradict each other?
- They contradict each other only when they are considered separately. If you clap your hands and only pay attention to the movement of your hands, it will look as if they are opposing each other. But in this case you will not see what really happened.
- The purpose of the “counteraction” of the hands was, of course, to produce a clap.
SUFI SLAVE
They say that one of the great Sufis, Ayaz, who was brought closer to him by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, was a slave.
The story goes that a certain courtier once said to him:
- You were a dervish, then you were captured. And now you have been serving Mahmud for many years. Your holiness is so great that if you asked for freedom, the Sultan would immediately give it to you. Why do you remain in such an unenviable position?
Ayaz sighed heavily and said:
- If I cease to be a slave, where in all the earth will there be a person to whom people could refer as an example of a slave who is a teacher? And then, if I leave the king, who else can admonish the courtiers? After all, they listen to me only for the reason that Mahmoud listens to me. My friend, people like you created this tiny little world for themselves. And yet, you ask me why I remain a slave in this man-made cage.
AN UNBELIEVABLE LEGEND
Cosmetic surgery, said the eagle, is not only useful in light of today's level of social development: it is practically necessary.
When he trimmed his claws and shortened his beak, everyone around him liked the result so much that they did the same.
Almost all. The crows did not bother with improving their appearance. They grew claws and began to wait for the day when - if it happened that social taboos, under the pressure of circumstances, again allowed the growth of claws - other predators practicing pedicure and developing civilization would simply no longer know what claws were for at all.
ENVIRONMENT
One Sufi invited a man who deeply revered him to live in his house. However, just four days later he left for distant lands and was gone for three years.
Deprived of the Master's presence, the guest lost heart and felt extremely awkward. But he was also forced to cope with household responsibilities...
Many years later, one man, to whom he had confided his troubles, returned to the city where this happened, and discovered that his friend had succeeded in becoming a Sufi, and that his feelings were now very different from before.
He explained to his friend:
“What seemed clear to me at the time when I first came to the house of my Master, as I now understand, was in fact hidden from me. If he had stayed, I would not have been able to bear the intensity of his presence. I thought I wanted to be near him, when in reality I needed to breathe in the atmosphere around him.
INTEREST IN OWN PERSON
When Anwar, Hayat's son, was asked why he does not criticize people, he replied:
- What keeps me interested in myself is my own person. If you demonstrate your neighbor's shortcomings, this may benefit the surrounding society, but it is not always beneficial to you. Practicing sarcasticness develops arrogance.
I care too much about myself and don't want arrogance to eat away at my soul.
One Sufi was asked:
Why did you only travel in search of new experiences when you were young?
He replied:
- Because if I had done this, being already famous, people would have treated me differently, and I would not have gained the experience that I so needed.
HEALING
The dervish was once asked:
- How can you heal the sick if your master cannot do it?
He replied:
- One person was asked: “Why do you go to the grocery store if your master doesn’t?” The man replied, “I go to the shop because my master bakes bread. If he didn’t do that, there would be no need for flour.”
There is such a story in the Bhagavad Gita.
A great master of archery named Drona taught his students. He hung a target on a tree and asked each of the students what he saw.
One said:
- I see a tree and a target on it. Another said:
- I see a tree, the rising sun, birds in the sky... Everyone else answered about the same.
Then Drona approached his best disciple Arjuna and asked:
- What do you see? He replied:
- I can't see anything but the target. And Drona said:
- Only such a person can hit the target.
FAITH AND DISTRUST
Krishna was sitting at the table in his house. His queen Rakmini served him food. Suddenly Krishna pushed the dish away from him, jumped up and ran through the garden to the street. Rakmini became worried and ran out after him. Halfway there she saw Krishna returning to the house.
Entering the house, he sat down at the table and, as if nothing had happened, continued the meal. Rakmini excitedly asked him:
- What's happened? Why did you suddenly interrupt lunch and run out into the street?
Krishna replied:
“I felt that one of my students needed help, his whole being attracted me. The villagers stopped him, threw stones at him and insulted him. He stood defenseless and prayed.
Rakmini asked in surprise:
- Why did you return halfway and not come to his aid?
Krishna replied:
- At first, when he stood defenseless in front of people who threatened him, all of Genesis came to his defense, but when he could not stand it and raised a stone in his defense, I realized that he decided to rely on his own strength.
FLOWERS
Subhuti meditated under a tree and was able to comprehend the all-pervasiveness of emptiness, the understanding that nothing exists except in the interrelation of the subjective and the objective. Suddenly he felt flowers falling on him from a tree,
“We thank you for the conversation about emptiness,” the gods whispered to him.
“But I didn’t say anything about emptiness,” said Subhuti.
“You didn’t talk about emptiness, we didn’t hear emptiness,” the gods answered. - This is true emptiness.
And again flowers rained down on him.
PARABLE IN ACTION
Many people assume that their interest in a subject is sufficient preparation. Moreover, they cannot believe that others may have the ability to perceive while they themselves must wait.
Junayd once illustrated this on an obvious level when some of his twenty students became jealous of his affection for one of them. The parable-in-action that he invented is worth pondering.
He called all his disciples and ordered them to bring twenty chickens. Each was told to take one bird to a place where no one could see him and kill it.
When they returned, the birds were dead: all except the one that the student in question had taken.
Junayd, in the presence of the other disciples, asked him why he did not kill his bird.
“You told me to go where I cannot be seen, but there is no such place: God sees everything,” the man replied.
PARABLE ABOUT THE MONKS
One day an old and a young monk were returning to their monastery. Their path was crossed by a river, which was overflowing due to the rains.
There was a woman standing on the shore who also needed to move to the opposite shore, but she could not do it without outside help. The vow strictly forbade monks to touch women.
The young monk, noticing the woman, pointedly turned away, and the old one approached her, picked her up and carried her across the river. The monks remained silent the rest of the way, but at the monastery itself the young monk could not stand it: “How could you touch a woman!? You made a vow!” To which the old man calmly replied: “It’s strange, I carried it and left it on the river bank, and you are still carrying it.”
KING SOLOMON'S RING
Once upon a time there lived a wise king Solomon. But despite his wisdom, his life was not calm. And one day King Solomon turned to the court sage for advice with a request: “Help me - a lot in this life can drive me crazy. I am very susceptible to passions, and this really bothers me!” To which the Sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is carved on it: “THIS WILL PASS!” When you experience strong anger or strong joy, look at this inscription and it will sober you up. In this you will find salvation from passions!"
As time passed, Solomon followed the advice of the Sage and found peace. But the moment came and one day, as usual, looking at the ring, he did not calm down, but on the contrary, he lost his temper even more. He tore the ring off his finger and wanted to throw it further into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He took a closer look and read: “THIS ALSO SHALL PASS...”
CROSS
One person once decided that his fate was too difficult. And he turned to the Lord God with the following request: “Savior, my cross is too heavy and I cannot bear it. All the people I know have much lighter crosses. Could you replace my cross with a lighter one?” And God said: “Okay, I invite you to my storage of crosses - choose the one that you like.” A man came to the storage room and began to pick out a cross for himself: he tried on all the crosses and they all seemed too heavy to him. While trying on all the crosses, he noticed a cross at the very exit, which seemed lighter than the others and said to the Lord: “Let me take this one.” And God said: “So this is your own cross, which you left at the door to try on the others.”
WHAT'S SWEETER
It is reported that Abu Said spent seven years in the desert, undergoing grueling hardships of asceticism. His food was the stems and roots of thorny bushes, and his drink was collected drops of dew. When he achieved enlightenment, he abandoned such practices.
One day in the city of Mashhad he was resting, leaning back on his pillows. The student cut slices of melon, dipped them in powdered sugar and served them to him. Someone, who had heard about the severe asceticism of the master and did not believe in it, asked him: “O master, what is preferable: a sugar melon or the roots that you ate in the desert?”
“Everything has its time,” our master answered. “If, eating roots, you are in the presence of God, then the roots become sweeter than the melon. If you are outside of God, then the melon in sugar will turn out to be bitterer than the roots!”
PARABLE ABOUT THE BERRY
One day, while walking across a field, a man came across a tiger and rushed away in horror, the tiger following him. Having reached the edge of the abyss, the man grabbed the roots of a wild grapevine and hung over the abyss. The tiger began to sniff him from above. Trembling with fear, the poor fellow looked down: there, licking his lips, another tiger was waiting for him.
Only the vine was still holding him back.
But then two mice, one white, the other black, began to little by little gnaw at the vine.
And suddenly, next to him, the man saw ripe, juicy strawberries. Holding the vine with one hand, he picked the berry with the other. How delicious it was!
ATHEIST
One day, an atheist, walking along a cliff, slipped and fell down. During his fall, he managed to grab the branch of a small tree growing from a crevice in the rock. Hanging on a branch, swaying in the cold wind, he realized the hopelessness of his situation: mossy boulders were black below, and there was no way to climb up. His hands holding onto the branch became weak.
“Well,” he thought, “only God can save me now. I never believed in God, but I must be wrong. What do I have to lose?” So he called: “God! If You exist, save me, and I will believe in You!” There was no answer.
He called again, “Please, God! I never believed in You, but if You save me now, I will believe in You from now on.”
Suddenly a Great Voice came from the clouds: “Oh no, you won’t! I know people like you!”
The man was so surprised that he almost let go of the branch. "Please, God! You're wrong! I really think so! I'll believe!" - “Oh no, you won’t! You all say that!”
The man begged and convinced.
Finally God said: “Okay. I will save you... Let go of the branch.” - “Let go of the branch?!” the man exclaimed. “Don’t you think I’m crazy?”
THOUGHTS - LIFESTYLE
One pregnant lioness, going for prey, saw a flock of sheep. She rushed at them, and the effort cost her her life. The lion cub that was born was left without a mother. The sheep took him into their care and fed him. He grew up among them, eating grass like them, and bleating like them, and although he became an adult lion, in his aspirations and needs, as well as in his mind, he was a perfect sheep. Some time passed and another lion approached the herd. Imagine his surprise when he saw a fellow lion running away like sheep when danger approached. He wanted to come closer, but as soon as he got a little closer, the sheep ran away, and with them the lion-sheep. The second lion began to watch him and one day, seeing him sleeping, jumped on him and said: “Wake up, you are a lion!” “No,” he bleated in fear, “I’m a sheep!” Then the lion who came dragged him to the lake and said: “Look! Here are our reflections - mine and yours.” The lion-sheep looked at the lion, then at his reflection in the water, and at that same moment he realized that he himself was a lion. He stopped bleating and growled.
HAPPINESS
The big dog, seeing the puppy chasing its tail, asked:
- Why are you chasing your tail like that?
“I studied philosophy,” answered the puppy, “I solved the problems of the universe that no dog had solved before me; I learned that the best thing for a dog is happiness, and that my happiness is in the tail; so I chase him, and when I catch him, he will be mine.
“Son,” said the dog, “I was also interested in world problems and formed my own opinion about it.” I also realized that happiness is wonderful for a dog and that my happiness is in the tail, but I noticed that wherever I go, no matter what I do, he follows me: I don’t need to chase him.
CURIOSITY AND DOUBT
One day a certain bhakta (walking the path of Divine Love) wanted to cross the sea. Vibhishana, whom he approached for help, had a palm leaf on which was written the name of God. Bhakta did not know about this, Vibhishana told him: “Take this with you and tie your clothes to the edge. This will enable you to cross the ocean in complete safety. But be careful not to unfold the leaf, because if you look inside, you will drown.”
Bhakta believed his friend's words and walked across the ocean in complete safety. But, unfortunately, his constant enemy was curiosity. He wanted to see what kind of precious thing that had such power that he could walk on the waves of the ocean as if on solid ground, Vibhishana gave him. Opening it, he saw that it was a palm leaf with the name of God written on it. He thought: “Is this really all? Such a trifling thing makes it possible to walk on the waves?” As soon as this thought arose in his head, he plunged into the water and drowned.
TAIL AND HEAD
Once upon a time there lived a snake whose head and tail were constantly arguing with each other.
The head says to the tail: “I should be considered the eldest!” Tail replies: “I also deserve to be the eldest.” The head says: “I have ears to hear, eyes to see, a mouth to eat, when moving I am ahead of the rest of the body - that’s why I should be considered the eldest. But you do not have such virtues, so you cannot be considered the eldest. " And the tail responded: “If I let you move, then you can move. What if I wrap myself around a tree three times?” He did just that. The head was unable to move in search of food and almost died of starvation. He said to the tail: “You can let me go, I recognize you as the eldest.”
The tail, hearing these words, immediately unhooked itself from the tree. The head again says to the tail: “Since you are the eldest, let’s see how you go first.” The tail went forward, but did not take even a few steps before it fell into a fiery pit, and the snake died in the fire
SELF-SUGGESTION
One day a certain man was invited to a friend's house. As he was about to drink the offered cup of wine, he thought he saw a baby snake inside the cup. Not wanting to offend the owner by drawing attention to this circumstance, he courageously drained the cup.
Returning home, he felt terrible pain in his stomach. Many medications have been tried. But everything turned out to be in vain, and the man, now seriously ill, felt that he was dying. His friend, hearing about the patient’s condition, once again called him to his house. Having seated the man in the same place, he again offered him a cup of wine, saying that it contained medicine. When the sufferer lifted the cup, he saw a baby snake in it. This time he drew the owner's attention to it. Without a word, the owner pointed to the ceiling above the guest’s head, where the bow hung. The patient immediately realized that the baby snake was only a reflection of the hanging bow. Both people looked at each other and laughed. The guest's pain instantly disappeared and he recovered.
THIRST AND WISDOM
A young man once came to a sage and asked: “Sir, what should I do to gain wisdom?” The sage did not answer. Having repeated his question several times and without receiving an answer, the young man finally left, only to return the next day and still with the same question. Again he did not receive an answer and returned on the third day, again repeating: “Sir, what must I do to become a sage?” The sage turned and headed towards the nearby river. He entered the water and nodded to the young man to follow him. Having reached a sufficient depth, the sage took the young man by the shoulders and held him under water, despite the young man’s attempts to free himself. When he was freed and his breathing evened out, the sage asked him: “My son, when you were under water, what did you desire most?” The young man answered without hesitation: “Air! Air! I only wanted air!” - “Wouldn’t you prefer wealth, pleasure, power and love to this, my son? Haven’t you thought about these things?” - the sage asked. “No, sir, I wanted air and thought only about air,” came the immediate answer. “Then,” said the sage, “to become wise, you must desire wisdom with the same intensity with which you just thirsted for air. You must fight for it to the exclusion of all other goals in life. If you strive for wisdom with such With passion, my son, you will definitely become wise."
STINGY
Mokusen Hiki lived in a temple in the province of Amba. One of his followers complained about his wife's stinginess.
Mokusen visited the wife of his follower and showed her his hand clenched into a fist.
“What do you mean by this?” asked the surprised woman.
- Let's assume that my hand is clenched into a fist all the time. What do you call it? - asked Mokusen.
“Mutilation,” the woman answered.
Then he opened his hand and asked again:
- Now suppose that my hand is always in this position. What is it then?
“Another form of mutilation,” the woman said.
“If you understand this well,” Mokusen finished, “you are a good wife.”
- And he left.
- After his visit, the wife began to help her husband both in savings and in spending.
The collection contains parables about life with morals, wise, long and short:
All in your hands (eastern parable)
A long time ago, in an ancient city there lived a Master, surrounded by disciples. The most capable of them once thought: “Is there a question that our Master could not answer?” He went to a flowering meadow, caught the most beautiful butterfly and hid it between his palms. The butterfly clung to his hands with its paws, and the student was ticklish. Smiling, he approached the Master and asked:
- Tell me, what kind of butterfly is in my hands: alive or dead?
He held the butterfly tightly in his closed palms and was ready at any moment to squeeze them for the sake of his truth.
Without looking at the student’s hands, the Master answered:
- All in your hands.
- Full jar. A philosophy professor, standing in front of his audience, took a five-liter glass jar and filled it with stones, each at least three centimeters in diameter.
— Is the jar full? - the professor asked the students.
“Yes, it’s full,” the students answered.
Then he opened the bag of peas and poured its contents into a large jar, shaking it a little. The peas took up the free space between the stones.
— Is the jar full? — the professor asked the students again.
“Yes, it’s full,” they answered.
Then he took a box filled with sand and poured it into a jar. Naturally, the sand completely occupied the existing free space and covered everything.
Once again the professor asked the students if the jar was full? They answered: yes, and this time definitely, it is full.
Then from under the table he took out a mug of water and poured it into the jar to the last drop, soaking the sand.
The students laughed.
- And now I want you to understand that the bank is your life. Stones are the most important things in your life: family, health, friends, your children - everything that is necessary for your life to still remain complete even if everything else is lost. Peas are things that have become important to you personally: work, home, car. Sand is everything else, little things.
If you fill the jar with sand first, there will be no room left to accommodate the peas and rocks. And also in your life, if you spend all your time and energy on small things, there is no room left for the most important things. Do what makes you happy: play with your children, spend time with your spouse, meet with friends. There will always be more time to work, clean the house, fix and wash the car. Deal first of all with stones, that is, the most important things in life; define your priorities: the rest is just sand.
Then the student raised her hand and asked the professor, what is the significance of water?
The professor smiled.
- I'm glad you asked me about this. I did this simply to prove to you that no matter how busy your life is, there is always a little room for idleness.
- How much does a glass of water weigh?
The professor picked up a glass of water, pulled it forward and asked his students:
- How much do you think this glass weighs?
There was a lively whisper in the audience.
- About 200 grams! No, 300 grams, perhaps! Or maybe all 500! – answers began to be heard.
“I really won't know for sure until I weigh it.” But now this is not necessary. My question is this: what happens if I hold the glass like this for a few minutes?
- Nothing!
“Really, nothing bad will happen,” answered the professor. – What will happen if I hold this glass in my outstretched hand, for example, for two hours?
— Your hand will start to hurt.
- What if it’s all day?
-Your arm will go numb, you will have severe muscle breakdown and paralysis. “You might even have to go to the hospital,” one student said.
— Do you think the weight of the glass will change if I just hold it all day?
- No! – the students answered in confusion.
- What needs to be done to fix all this?
- Just put the glass on the table! – one student said cheerfully.
- Exactly! – the professor answered joyfully. – This is how things are with all life’s difficulties. Think about a problem for a few minutes and it will appear next to you. Think about her for a few hours and she will start to suck you in. If you think all day, it will paralyze you. You can think about the problem, but as a rule it doesn’t lead to anything. Its “weight” will not decrease. Only action allows you to cope with the problem. Solve it, or put it aside. There is no point in carrying heavy stones on your soul that paralyze you. - Most valuable. One person in childhood was very friendly with an old neighbor.
But time passed, college and hobbies appeared, then work and personal life. The young man was busy every minute, and he had no time to remember the past, or even to be with his loved ones.
One day he found out that his neighbor had died - and suddenly remembered: the old man taught him a lot, trying to replace the boy’s dead father. Feeling guilty, he came to the funeral.
In the evening, after the burial, the man entered the empty house of the deceased. Everything was the same as many years ago...
But the small golden box, in which, according to the old man, the most valuable thing for him was kept, disappeared from the table. Thinking that one of her few relatives had taken her, the man left the house.
However, two weeks later he received the package. Seeing his neighbor's name on it, the man shuddered and opened the box.
Inside was the same golden box. It contained a gold pocket watch with an engraving: “Thank you for the time you spent with me.”
And he realized that the most valuable thing for the old man was the time spent with his little friend.
Since then, the man tried to devote as much time as possible to his wife and son. Life is not measured by the number of breaths. It is measured by the number of moments that make us hold our breath. Time is running away from us every second. And it needs to be spent right now. - Parable. Happiness and unhappiness are relative. Two people ended up in prison in the same cell. They were in the same conditions, but one of them was unhappy, and the other, oddly enough, was happy.
- Why are you so sad? – the happy one asked the unfortunate one.
-What is there to be happy about? I had no luck. Just recently I was free and relaxing at a resort, and there, you know, it’s much more interesting than here,” the unfortunate man answered and asked in turn: “Why are you so happy?”
“You see,” said the happy one, “not long ago I was in another prison, where living conditions were much worse, but here, compared to what it was, it’s just a resort.” Everyone here dreams of getting here, but only I was lucky. Therefore, how can I not be happy? Everything in the world is relative and is known by comparison. If you want to be happy, compare your current situation not with what is better, but with what could be worse. - The sculptor and his creation.
In one very famous and crowded park there was a stone. Such a simple stone. Nothing remarkable. And then, one day, a great sculptor walked by. He saw a stone. He came closer. I walked around it several times. And he left thoughtfully.
After some time, the sculptor returned to that park, but already took his tools with him. And then the magic began. The creator sculpted a sculpture from stone. He worked tirelessly and sparing no effort. And when he finished his work, those around him froze in delight:
- This is necessary! What a beauty!!! But before there was just an unremarkable stone! - some said.
- Yes, this is a great work of a talented sculptor! - others exclaimed.
Praise poured in from all sides.
And the sculptor said:
- What do you! I didn't do anything special. This sculpture has always been in this stone. I just removed the excess. - Footprints in the sand (Christian parable).
One day a man had a dream. He dreamed that he was walking along a sandy shore, and next to him was the Lord. Pictures from his life flashed in the sky, and after each of them he noticed two chains of footprints in the sand: one from his feet, the other from the feet of the Lord.
When the last picture of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. And he saw that often along his life’s path there was only one chain of traces. He also noted that these were the most difficult and unhappy times in his life.
He became very sad and began to ask the Lord:
- Didn’t You tell me: if I follow Your path, You will not leave me. But I noticed that during the most difficult times of my life, only one chain of footprints stretched across the sand. Why did You leave me when I needed You most? The Lord answered:
- My dear, dear child. I love you and will never leave you. When there were sorrows and trials in your life, only one chain of footprints stretched along the road. Because in those days I carried you in my arms.
- Taste of life. One man certainly wanted to become a student of a true Master and, having decided to check the correctness of his choice, asked the Master the following question:
-Can you explain to me what the purpose of life is?
“I can’t,” came the answer.
- Then at least tell me - what is its meaning?
- I can not.
- Can you say anything about the nature of death and life on the Other Side?
- I can not.
The disappointed visitor left. The disciples were confused: how could their Master appear in such an unsightly light?
The master reassured them by saying:
- What is the use of knowing the purpose and meaning of life if you have never tasted it? It's better to eat pie than talk about it. - Dream. While flying the plane on one of the routes, the pilot turned to his friend and partner:
- Look down at this beautiful lake. I was born not far from him, my village is over there.
He pointed to a small village, which, as if on a roost, was located on the hills not far from the lake, and remarked:
- I was born there. As a child, I often sat by the lake and fished. Fishing was my favorite pastime. But when I was a child fishing in the lake, there were always airplanes flying in the sky. They flew over my head, and I dreamed of the day when I could become a pilot myself and fly an airplane. This was my only dream. Now it has come true.
And now every time I look down at that lake I dream of the time when I will retire and go fishing again. After all, my lake is so beautiful...
- To be youreself.
One day the Gardener came to his garden and found that all his flowers, trees and shrubs were dying.
The Oak explained that it was dying because it could not be as tall as the Pine... The gardener found the Pine defeated: it bent under the weight of the thought that it could not produce grapes like the Vine... And the Vine died because it could not bloom like the Rose... Rose cried because she was not as strong and powerful as Oak...
Then he found one plant - Freesia, blooming and beautiful as never before...
The gardener asked: “How is this possible? You grow in the middle of this withered and gloomy garden, and you look so healthy?”
The beauty replied: “I don’t know... Perhaps I always thought that when you planted me, you wanted Freesia... If you wanted to have another Oak or Rose in the garden, you would have planted them...
Then I told myself: I will try to be Freesia as best as I can..." - Am I living right?
A priest and a businessman are traveling in the same compartment on a train. The businessman immediately opened the laptop and began working with documents. The priest looked at him, thought, then said:
- My son, shouldn’t we take a walk to the dining car and see what’s on the menu?
- No, father, I’m not hungry.
The priest goes to the restaurant alone. An hour later he returns, happy and smiling, carrying a bottle of expensive cognac in his hand.
- My son, shouldn’t we try this five-star drink?
- No, father, sorry, I don’t drink.
The priest pours himself half a glass of cognac, savors it, and drinks it slowly. He wipes his lips and goes out into the corridor. Fifteen minutes later he comes back.
- My son, two young laywomen are traveling one compartment away from us. Maybe we can visit them and talk about high things?
- No, father, I’m married, and I need to work with documents.
The priest takes a bottle of cognac from the table and leaves. He returns in the morning, happy as a March cat. The businessman, who has been working all this time, looks up at him.
- Tell me, Holy Father, how is this possible? I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I maintain my moral character. I work like an ox. Am I living wrong?
The priest sighs.
- That's right, my son. But in vain...
- Cups of coffee. A group of graduates of a prestigious university, successful ones who have made a wonderful career, came to visit their old professor. During the visit, the conversation turned to work: graduates complained about numerous difficulties and life problems.
Having offered his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a coffee pot and a tray filled with a variety of cups: porcelain, glass, plastic, crystal. Some were simple, others expensive.
When the graduates took apart the cups, the professor said:
- Please note that all the beautiful cups were taken apart, while the simple and cheap ones remained. And although it is normal for you to want only the best for yourself, this is the source of your problems and stress. Understand that the cup itself does not make the coffee better. Most often it is simply more expensive, but sometimes it even hides what we drink. In reality, all you wanted was just coffee, not a cup. But you deliberately chose the best cups, and then looked at who got which cup.
Now think: life is coffee, and work, money, position, society are cups. These are just tools for maintaining and maintaining Life. What kind of cup we have does not determine or change the quality of our Life. Sometimes, when we focus only on the cup, we forget to enjoy the taste of the coffee itself. The happiest people are not those who have everything best, but those who make the best of what they have. - What's the point? One evening a belated traveler knocked on the sage's door. The sage invited him into the house, treated him to a simple dinner, and they started talking.
- Listen! - said the guest. – The fame of your wisdom has reached our lands. You know a lot. Can you explain to me why a person lives in this world, what is the meaning of life?
– What do you think about this? - asked the sage.
– I thought a lot about this, but I never found an answer. Every day I do the same thing: work, eat, sleep, rest... Day gives way to night, after which the same day comes again. Weeks, months, years flash by. After winter, summer will come, then winter again. I find happiness and then lose it again. Everything revolves in some kind of meaningless circle. In my opinion, this makes no sense.
The sage, without saying anything, led the questioner to a large, steadily ticking clock, and opened the door of the mechanism. Inside there were many wheels that rotated - some faster, others slower - with their teeth engaging one another and setting the arrows in motion.
“Look,” the sage broke the silence, “at this wheel... or at this one.” They rotate in one place all the time. What do you think is the purpose of turning one wheel? - Your cross (Christian parable).
One person thought that his life was very difficult. And one day he went to God, told about his misfortunes and asked him:
- Can I choose a different cross for myself?
God looked at the man with a smile, led him into the storage room where there were crosses, and said:
- Choose.
A man entered the storage room, looked and was surprised: “There are so many crosses here - small, large, medium, heavy, and light.” The man walked around the storehouse for a long time, looking for the smallest and lightest cross, and finally found a small, small, light, light cross, approached God and said:
- God, can I have this one?
“It’s possible,” God answered. - This is your own. (Parable about the meaning of life) - A parable about peace in the heart.
The master said: “When I was young, I often went alone to the lake and meditated. I had a small boat and could swim and think for hours. One day at dawn, as night slowly turned into morning, I sat with my eyes closed and meditated.
Suddenly, someone’s boat hit mine and disrupted all this morning harmony. How angry this made me! I was about to curse the owner of the boat, but I opened my eyes and saw that this boat was empty. I had no one to take out my anger on. So I just closed my eyes and tried to find harmony within myself again.
When the sun rose, I found peace within myself. The empty boat became my teacher. Since then, if someone tries to offend me, I simply say to myself: “And this boat is empty too.”
- Glass in outstretched hand.
The professor began his lesson by taking a glass with a small amount of water in his hand. He held it up so that everyone could see it and asked the students:
- How much do you think this glass weighs?
“50 grams, 100 grams, 125 grams,” answered the students.
“I really won’t know until I weigh it,” said the professor, “but my question is this: what would happen if I held it like this for a few minutes?”
“Nothing,” said the students.
- Okay, what would happen if I held it like this for an hour? - asked the professor.
“Your arm would start to hurt,” said one of the students.
- You're right, but what would happen if I held it all day?
“Your arm would go numb, you would have severe muscle breakdown and paralysis, and you would have to go to the hospital just in case.”
- Very good. But while we were discussing here, has the weight of the glass changed? - asked the professor.
- No.
- What makes your hand hurt and causes muscle disorder?
The students were puzzled.
- What do I need to do to fix all this? - the professor asked again.
“Put the glass down,” said one of the students.
- Exactly! - said the professor. - It’s always like this with life’s problems. Just think about them for a few minutes and they will be with you. Think about them any longer and they start to itch. If you think any longer, they will paralyze you. There's nothing you can do.
It is important to think about problems in life, but even more important is to be able to put them off: at the end of the working day, the next day. This way you don’t get tired, you wake up fresh and strong every day. And you can manage any problem, any kind of challenge that comes your way. - Fragile gifts.
Once upon a time, an old wise man came to one village and stayed to live. He loved children and spent a lot of time with them. He also loved to give them gifts, but only gave them fragile things. No matter how hard the children tried to be careful, their new toys often broke. The children were upset and cried bitterly. Some time passed, the sage again gave them toys, but even more fragile.
One day his parents couldn’t stand it anymore and came to him:
- You are wise and wish only the best for our children. But why do you give them such gifts? They try their best, but the toys still break and the children cry. But the toys are so beautiful that it’s impossible not to play with them.
“Very few years will pass,” the elder smiled, “and someone will give them his heart.” Maybe this will teach them to handle this priceless gift a little more carefully?
Topics of the issue: ordinary and Orthodox parables about human life with meaning and morality, about equality, about unification, everything is in your hands with morality.
