In the 6th century, a prominent figure of the Arabian world was Duraid ibn al-Sima, equally renowned as a poet and as a desert warrior. Once, he led a military expedition into the mountains south of Mecca, towards the pastures of the Beni Kinana tribe. Upon reaching the top of a hill, Duraid and his … Read more
Legend has it that Franz Kafka encountered a little girl in the park where he walked every day. The girl was crying. She had lost her doll and was inconsolable. Kafka offered to help her find the doll, so they agreed to meet at the same spot the next day. Since he didn’t find the … Read more
Have you heard the Taoist tale of “The Harp Taming”? Once upon a time in the Lung Men Gorge (Dragon’s Gate) stood a paulownia tree, the true ruler of the forest. It lifted its head to converse with the stars; its roots delved deep into the earth, intertwining its bronze tendrils with those of the … Read more
Once Buddha came to a lecture holding a flower in his hand. He remained silent for a long time until someone dared to ask him why he was silent. Buddha smiled and said: “This flower I hold in my hand speaks more than I could ever tell you, more than can be expressed in words. … Read more
In ancient times, a king placed a large stone in the middle of the road. He then hid and observed if anyone would move the stone. Several powerful individuals and wealthy merchants from his kingdom came to the stone and went around it. Some loudly criticized the king for not doing anything to keep the … Read more
One autumn day, I found myself in the park, captivated by a very small, lovely heart-shaped leaf. It was almost red in color, barely clinging to the branch, as if it was about to fall. I spent a long time with it, asking it many questions. I discovered that the leaf was the mother to … Read more
Today I attempted to climb the mountain. As I slowly ascended, I felt defeated. Therefore, I had to turn back. Today I wanted to climb the mountain again, but night fell, fear overtook me, and I returned. Today I was ready to climb the mountain, but it was scorching hot, so I gave up. And … Read more
The great sage Uddalaka Aruni had a son named Svetaketu. One day, the son returned home from school. His father realized that the knowledge from school was insufficient for teaching the most important lesson because the teachers lacked the inspiration and experience to lead the students to the realization of the ultimate truth. In order … Read more
Once, Bonco asked Fuketsuu, “Something confuses me that I once heard you say. That is, the truth can be expressed without speaking and without silence. Can you explain that to me?” Fuketsu replied, “When I was a child in southern China, oh! How the birds sang amidst the blossoms in spring.” A Tale from China
An Arabic legend tells the story of two friends traveling through the desert. At one point, they got into a fight and one of them slapped the other. The hurt friend, without a word, wrote on the sand: “Today my best friend hit me.” They continued on together and reached an oasis where they decided … Read more
