A devotee of women, Tecugen, decided to publish sutras in Japan that were only available in Chinese at the time. The books had to be printed using wooden blocks, in an edition of seven thousand copies, which was a tremendous undertaking. Tecugen set out on a journey to collect donations for this purpose. A few … Read more
One day, Krishna wanted to test the wisdom of his friends. He first called upon King Duryodana, a ruler known for his cruelty and stinginess. In his kingdom, the subjects lived in fear. Krishna said to Duryodana: “Travel the world and find me a truly good person.” “Yes, my lord,” Duryodana replied, and set off … Read more
An elderly pilgrim was on his way to the Himalayan mountains on a very cold winter day when freezing rain began to fall. The innkeeper said to him, “Good sir, how will you reach the mountains in this weather?” The old man cheerfully replied, “My heart is already there, so it is not difficult for … Read more
Once a woman had a strange dream. She dreamt that a new, big, beautiful store had opened in the main square of her town. She entered to look around at the goods offered. To her amazement, she saw God standing behind the counter, waiting for customers. “You!?” the woman croaked. “How come You, Lord God, … Read more
In a desert oasis, the old Elijah was kneeling beside the date palm trees. His neighbor, the wealthy merchant Hakim, stopped by the oasis to water the camels when he saw Elijah sweating as he dug in the sand. – How are you, old man? Peace be with you! – And with you – Elijah … Read more
Golestan (Rose Garden) Saadi (Abu Muhammad Muslih al Din bin Abdallah Shirazi) Chapter VII, story 15 Once, a great man who had lost his beloved son was asked what to write on his son’s grave. The father replied: The verses of the Quran are too sacred to be inscribed in such a place, where time … Read more
Princess Savitri was the only child of King Ashvapati. It was unknown whether she was more beautiful or smarter. Once she went on an excursion to the forest with her attendants. In the forest, she met a woodcutter whose beauty captivated her; and somehow she knew that he was not a woodcutter by birth. Inquiring … Read more
There is a beautiful Hindu story about the beauty and usefulness of cracks. Throughout our lives, we allow the freshest and most creative parts of our being to pass through them. The main character of the story is a water bearer from India who carried two large pots hanging from each end of a stick … Read more
In one of the manuscripts from the 13th century, discovered in Spain, it is written that there once lived a rabbi known for his holiness, and his peculiarity was that he lived in a house without furniture. One day, a wealthy merchant who had known the rabbi since childhood stopped in the town where he … Read more
Pliny the Elder lived in the first century AD (23 – 79). He wrote a massive work, Historia Naturalis, in 37 volumes. This work represents the first known Western encyclopedia. From the preface dedicated to the future emperor Titus, we learn that he used two thousand books in his work, from which he derived 20,000 … Read more
