Famous parables of the world. Parables about life and the meaning of life. Wise parables about the meaning of life

One day a man was sitting near an oasis at the entrance to a Middle Eastern city. A young man approached him and asked: “I have never been here. What kind of people live in this city?

The old man answered him with a question:
“And what kind of people were in that city from which you left?”
“These were selfish and evil people. However, that’s why I gladly left there.”
“Here you will meet exactly the same,” the old man answered him.

After a while, another person approached the place and asked the same question:
“I just arrived. Tell me, old man, what kind of people live in this city? The old man replied the same:
“Tell me, son, how did people behave in the city where you came from?”
“Oh, they were kind, hospitable and noble souls. I had many friends there, and it was not easy for me to part with them.
“You will find the same ones here,” the old man replied.

The merchant, who was watering his camels not far away, heard both dialogues. And as soon as the second person left, he turned to the old man with a reproach: “How can you give two completely different answers to the same question to two people?”
“My son, everyone carries his own world in his heart. He who in the past did not find anything good in those parts from which he came, here, and even more so, will not find anything. On the contrary, the one who had friends in another city will also find true and devoted friends here.”

Once a man, driving along the highway, saw an elderly woman on the side of the road. Even in the fading light of day, it was easy to see that she needed help. The man stopped by her Mercedes. His old Pinto was still hissing with displeasure as the young man got out of the car.

The woman tried to hide her anxiety with a smile, which she was not very good at. For the past two hours, no one has stopped near her to offer help.

“Why is he here? He looks poor and hungry. Is he dangerous?!” Questions kept popping up in her head.

The man immediately recognized the concern on her face. Only fear can leave human eyes such a trace. He knew this very well.

“Hello, I can help you. Why don't you get in the car, it's warmer there. Oh yes, my name is Brian Anderson.”

Mercedes just got a flat tire, but for the helpless elderly woman this incident on a busy highway seemed like a tragedy. Brian dealt with the problem pretty quickly, getting his hands dirty.

Seeing that the man was almost finished, the old lady opened the window and spoke to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis, that she did not plan to stay here for a long time, explained how circumstances cruelly disposed of her. The woman sincerely assured the man that she would never be able to thank him enough.

Brian just smiled back. The old lady asked how much she could pay him - any amount would be acceptable in this emergency.

The young man, without a moment's hesitation,

His mother stared blankly out the window, did not react. And he tugged and tugged at her sleeve.

Trees were floating outside the window, the rain was drizzling, it was gray, well, Leningrad!

The child demanded something, or claimed something. And then suddenly she turns around from the window to him, how she pulls his hand towards herself, and how she hisses:

What do you want from me?! He stuttered.
What do you want, I ask you? Do you even know who you are?! You are nobody! Understood?! You're nobody-oh! She breathed it into his face, just splashed it out.

The boy looked at her and it seemed to me that his head was trembling. Or maybe I was trembling. I felt my back sweat.
I remember my first thought: “Is she really talking to him?! What is she thinking about at this moment?!”

I can't see you, she whispered.

“You killed him!” I said, but no one heard me.
In the minibus, as if nothing had happened, people continued to doze off. I sat without moving.

The boy didn't cry. She dropped his hand and turned back to the window.

He no longer raged, he calmed down somehow immediately. He looked at the torn back of the seat opposite and was silent.

And I had a desire to get up and in front of everyone, right now, just tear it apart! Tell her: “It's you worthless mother! It's you nobody! You killed him!"

I swear I would do it! Only the boy held me back.
I closed my eyes and began to breathe deeply to calm down somehow.
And when I opened them, I saw candy.

A young guy, it looked like a student, so fair, curly, in a denim suit, handed a candy to the boy.

One morning a man came to the Buddha and spat in his face. The Buddha wiped his face and asked:
Is that all, or do you want something else?

Ananda saw everything and became furious. He jumped up and, seething with anger, exclaimed:
"Master, just let me and I'll show him!" He needs to be punished!
“Ananda, you have become a sannyasin, but you keep forgetting about it,” replied the Buddha. “That poor fellow has suffered too much already. Just look at his face, his bloodshot eyes! Surely he did not sleep all night and was tormented before deciding on such an act. Spitting at me is the outcome of this madness. This could be a release! Be compassionate towards him. You can kill him and become as crazy as he is!

The man heard the entire dialogue. He was confused and puzzled. The Buddha's reaction was a complete surprise to him. He wanted to humiliate, insult the Buddha, but, having failed, he felt humiliated. It was so unexpected - the love and compassion shown by the Buddha! The Buddha told him:
- Go home and rest. You look bad. You've already punished yourself enough. Forget about this incident; it didn't hurt me. This body is made of dust. Sooner or later it will turn to dust and people will walk on it. They will spit on him; it will undergo many transformations.

The man wept, wearily got up and left, but in the evening he came back, fell at the feet of the Buddha and said:
- I'm sorry!
“There is no question of me forgiving you, because I was not angry,” said the Buddha. “I did not condemn you. But I am happy, immensely happy to see that you have come to your senses and that the hell you have been in has ended. Go in peace and never fall into that state again!

One woman had two large pots; each of them hung at different ends of a stick she carried around her neck. One pot had a small crack, and at the end of the long journey from the river to the house, it was only half full. And the other was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

For several years this went on every day, and the woman brought home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of the achievements. And the poor cracked pot was ashamed of his lack and was upset because he could only do half of what was required.

Once, finally convinced of his own unsuitability, the poor pot spoke to a woman by the stream:

I feel ashamed of myself because my crack keeps leaking water on my way back home.

In response, the woman smiled and said:

Have you noticed that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the side of the other pot? It's because I always knew about your flaw, and I planted flowers on your side. Every day when we come back, you water them. If you weren't the way you are, there wouldn't be this beauty...

Everyone has their shortcomings and, at the same time, personal characteristics that make our life interesting and worthy. It is important to take everyone for who they are and see the good in them.

There lived a foreman. All his life he built houses, but he got old and decided to retire.
"I'm quitting," he told the employer. - I'm retiring. I will babysit my grandchildren with an old woman.
The owner was sorry to part with this man, and he asked him:
- Listen, let's do it this way - build the last house and see you retire. With a good reward!
The foreman agreed. According to the new project, he had to build a house for a small family, and it began: approvals, searches for materials, checks ...
The foreman was in a hurry, because he already saw himself retired. He didn’t finish something, simplified something, bought cheap materials, as they could be delivered faster ... He felt that he was not doing his best job, but he justified himself by saying that this was the end of his career. Upon completion of the construction, he called the owner.
He looked around the house and said:
- You know, this is your house! Here, take the keys and move in. All documents have already been completed. This is a gift from the firm for your long-term work.
What the foreman experienced was known only to him alone! He stood red with shame, and everyone around clapped their hands, congratulated him on his housewarming and thought that he was blushing from shyness, and he was blushing from shame at his own negligence. He was aware that all the mistakes and shortcomings were now his problems, and everyone around him thought that he was embarrassed by an expensive gift. And now he had to live in the only house that he built badly ...
Morality: We are all foremen. We build our lives in the same way as a foreman before retiring. We don't put in much effort, believing that the results of this particular construction project are not that important. Why the extra effort? But then we realize that we live in a house that we ourselves have built. Because everything we do today matters. Already today we are building a house in which we will move in tomorrow.

Several days passed and one of the experts returned with the words:
- Nobody wears shoes here. Don't waste your time exploring this market!

The second expert was still in India and did not know anything about the conclusions made by his colleague.

After some time, the company received a fax from him:

With whom it is necessary, with that fate will bring again

The sage was asked:

How many types of friendship are there?

“Four,” he replied.

- Yes, but he has 5 amazing qualities that you need if you want to live a happy life.

Firstly: you can do great things, you can be a master of your craft, but you must not forget that there is a Guiding Hand, which we call Higher Power. Trust this power and listen to it.

Secondly: Pencil needs to be sharpened from time to time. For him, this is probably not the most pleasant procedure, but after sharpening the line becomes thinner and more beautiful. So, in everything you need to learn to endure pain, remembering that it ennobles and leads to the best.

Thirdly: using a pencil, we can always erase the mistakes made. Correcting yourself is good. In most cases, this is the only way to stay on track.

Fourth: the main thing in a pencil is not a tree, but its core. Therefore, first of all, always pay attention to what is inside you.

And finally fifth: A pencil always leaves a mark on paper. Remember that you, too, constantly leave a mark on yourself, but in the form of actions and words, so think over your every step!

The Devil's Collection: A Parable of the Greatest Sin

Long ago, the Devil decided to show off his power and show off his most powerful weapon. He laid out the "tools of Evil" on the window and put a sign next to each one so that it was clear what it was and what its value was.

It was a truly amazing collection! Here one could see the sharp Knife of Envy, the huge Ax of Wrath, and the durable Trap of Greed. Incredible tools of Irritation, Fear, Pride and Hatred flaunted on the shelves. Each weapon lay on a red velvet cushion and was admired by all the guests of Hell.

In the farthest corner was a rather strange, shabby, small and nondescript wooden peg. On the sign next to it was written "Despond". And, to everyone's surprise, the price of this peg was much higher than the other instruments of Evil combined.

When the Devil was asked why he valued this weapon so dearly, he said:

— Of all my rich arsenal, this is the only tool that never fails. I can always rely on him - even in those cases when all other tools turn out to be powerless. He stroked the peg tenderly. - If I manage to drive it into a person's head, then this opens the door for all the other copies of my collection ...

Wise man's advice: how not to be offended by insults

One person publicly insulted the sage:

- You are an atheist! You are a drunk! Almost a thief!

a wise man only smiled in response. A well-dressed youth who was watching this scene asked:

How can you endure such insults? Are you not offended?

The wise man said to the young man:

“If you want to know my secret, you will have to come with me.

What do you think of when you hear the word "parable"? Many of you think that parables are very difficult to understand, they have a strong philosophical meaning, you need to think a lot to understand the text in order to understand the essence of the parable. Others, on the contrary, like to learn something useful and kind. By reading wise parables, we can become aware of the smallest aspects of our lives. Learn to get along with people, understand each other and change for the better. Therefore, in this post we have collected the most instructive short parables that make us think about the future, life and relationships between people. For each parable, we have selected an illustration or a picture, so that it would be easier for you to understand what is at stake. These short stories are sure to help in any life situation.

Parable of Happiness: The Tearful Old Woman

One old woman was crying all the time. The reason was that her eldest daughter married an umbrella vendor, and her youngest married a noodle vendor. When the old woman saw that the weather was good and the day would be sunny, she began to cry and thought:
"Terrible! The sun is so huge and the weather is so good, no one in my daughter's shop will buy an umbrella from the rain! How to be?" So she thought, and involuntarily began to groan and lament. If the weather was bad and it was raining. then she cried again, this time because of her youngest daughter: “My daughter sells noodles, if the noodles do not dry in the sun, they will not be sold. How to be?"
And so she grieved every day in any weather: either because of her eldest daughter, or because of her younger one. Neighbors could not console her in any way and mockingly called her "tearful old woman."
One day she met a monk who asked her why she was crying. Then the woman laid out all her sorrows, and the monk laughed out loud and said:
"Lady, don't kill yourself like that!" I will teach you the Way of Liberation and you won't cry anymore. The “tearful old woman” was extremely delighted and began to ask what kind of method it was.
Monk said:
- Everything is very simple. You just change your way of thinking - when the weather is good and the sun is shining, you don’t think about the umbrellas of the eldest daughter, but think about the noodles of the youngest: “How the sun shines! The youngest daughter’s noodles will dry well, and the trade will be successful.”
When it rains, think of the umbrellas of the eldest daughter: “Here it is raining! My daughter’s umbrellas will probably sell very well.”
After listening to the monk, the old woman suddenly regained her sight and began to act as the monk had said. From that time on, not only did she not cry any more, but she was cheerful all the time, so that from a "tearful" old woman she turned into a "merry" one.

Job Parable: Burning Desire

Once a student asked the Teacher: “Teacher, tell me what to do: I never have enough time for anything! I am torn between several things and as a result I do not do any of them well enough ... "
- Does it happen often? the Teacher asked.
- Yes, - said the student, - it seems to me that much more often than my colleagues.
- Tell me, do you have time to go to the toilet in these cases?
The student was surprised
- Well, yes, of course, but why did you ask about it?
- What happens if you don't go?
The student hesitated.
- Well, how is it "do not go"? This is a need!…
- Yeah! - exclaimed the Teacher. - So, when there is a desire and it is really big, you still find time for it ...

Parable: Father, son and donkey

Once a father with his son and a donkey in the midday heat traveled through the dusty streets of the city. The father sat astride the donkey, and the son led him by the bridle.
“Poor boy,” said a passerby, “his little legs can hardly keep up with the donkey. How can you lazily sit on a donkey when you see that the boy is completely exhausted?
The father took his words to heart. As they rounded the corner, he got off the donkey and told his son to sit on it.
Very soon they met another person. In a loud voice he said:
- What a shame! The little one sits astride a donkey like a sultan, and his poor old father runs after him.
The boy was very upset by these words and asked his father to sit on the donkey behind him.
- Good people, have you seen anything like this? the woman said. “Torturing an animal like that!” The back of the poor donkey has already sagged, and the old and young loafers sit on it as if it were a sofa, oh unfortunate creature!
Without saying a word, the father and son, disgraced, got down from the donkey. They had barely taken a few steps when a man they met began to taunt them:
- Why is your donkey doing nothing, does not bring any benefit, and does not even carry one of you on itself?
The father gave the donkey a full handful of straw and put his hand on his son's shoulder.
“No matter what we do,” he said, “there will always be someone who will disagree with us. I think we ourselves should decide how we travel.

Parable about love and anger

Once the teacher asked his students:
Why do people scream when they fight?
“Because they lose their calm,” said one.
- But why shout if the other person is next to you? - asked the Teacher. Can't you talk to him quietly? Why scream 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 move away. In order to cover this distance and hear each other, they have to shout. The more angry they are, the louder they scream.
- What happens when people fall in love? They do not shout, on the contrary, they speak softly. 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 do not speak, but only whisper and become even closer in their love.
In the end, even whispering becomes unnecessary for them. They just look at each other and understand everything without words.
This happens when there are two loving people nearby.

So, when you argue, don't let your hearts drift apart, don't utter words that further increase the distance between you. Because the day may come when the distance becomes so great that you will not find your way back.

Parable of Motivation: Elephants

One day, passing by the elephants in the zoo, I suddenly stopped, surprised that such huge creatures as elephants were kept in the zoo tied with a thin rope to their front leg. No chains, no cage. It was obvious that the elephants could easily free themselves from the rope they were tied to, but for some reason, they don't.
I approached the trainer and asked him why such majestic and beautiful animals just stand there and make no attempt to free themselves. He replied: “When they were young and much smaller than now, we tied them with the same rope, and now that they are adults, the same rope is enough to hold them. As they grow up, they believe that this rope can hold them and they don't try to run away."
It was amazing. These animals could get rid of their "shackles" at any moment, but because they believed that they could not, they stood there forever, not trying to free themselves.
Like these elephants, how many of us believe that we can't do something just because it didn't work out once?

Parable: Past, Future, Present

Three wise men argued about what is more important for a person - his past, present or future. One of them said:
“My past makes me who I am. I know what I have learned in the past. I believe in myself because I was good at the things that I used to take on. I like people with whom I used to feel good, or similar to them. I look at you now, see your smiles and wait for your objections, because we have already argued more than once, and I already know that you are not used to agreeing with something without objection.
“And it’s impossible to agree with this,” said another, “if you were right, a person would be doomed, like a spider, to sit day after day in the web of his habits. Man makes his future. It doesn't matter what I know and can do now - I will learn what I need in the future. My idea of ​​what I want to be in two years is much more real than my memory of what I was two years ago, because my actions now depend not on what I was, but on what I'm going to become. I like people who are different from those I knew before. And the conversation with you is interesting because I look forward to an exciting struggle and unexpected turns of thought here.
“You have completely overlooked,” intervened a third, “that the past and the future exist only in our thoughts. The past is no more. There is no future yet. And regardless of whether you remember the past or dream about the future, you act only in the present. Only in the present you can change something in your life - neither the past nor the future is subject to us. Only in the present can one be happy: memories of past happiness are sad, the expectation of future happiness is disturbing.

Parable: The Believer and the Home

A man died and got to God's judgment. God looked at him for a long time in bewilderment and was thoughtfully silent. The man could not stand it and asked:
- Lord, what about my share? Why are you silent? I have earned the kingdom of heaven. I suffered! the man said with dignity.
- And since when, - God was surprised, - suffering began to be considered a merit?
“I wore a sackcloth and rope,” the man frowned stubbornly. - He ate bran and dry peas, did not drink anything but water, did not touch women. I exhausted my body with fasting and prayers...
- So what? God noticed. “I understand that you suffered—but what exactly did you suffer for?
“For your glory,” the man answered without hesitation.
- Pretty same I get fame! The Lord smiled sadly. “I mean, I starve people, make them wear all kinds of rags and deprive them of the joys of love?”
Silence hung around ... God still looked at the man thoughtfully.
- So what about my share? the man reminded himself.
“Suffered, you say,” God said quietly. - How can I explain to you so that you understand ... Here, for example, the carpenter that was in front of you. All his life he built houses for people, in heat and cold, and sometimes he went hungry, and often hit his fingers, and suffered through this. But he still built houses. And then he received his honestly earned wages. And you, it turns out, all your life you just did what you hammered on your fingers with a hammer.
God was silent for a moment...
- Where is the house? HOUSE WHERE, I ASK!!!

Parable: A pack of wolves and three hunters

AT wolf pack The old leader decided to appoint a successor. He approached the bravest and strongest Wolf and said:
"I'm getting old, so I'm appointing you as the new leader of the pack." But you have to prove that you are worthy. Therefore, take the best Wolves, go hunting and get food for the whole pack.
- Good, - said the New Leader and went hunting with 6 wolves.
And he was gone for a day. And the evening he was gone. And when night fell, the pack saw 7 wolves proudly carrying the food they had gotten. All were targets and unharmed.
- Tell me how it was, - asked the Old Leader.
- Oh, it was easy. We were looking for prey, and then we saw 10 hunters coming from the hunt with prey. We attacked them, tore them to shreds, and took the booty for ourselves.
- Well done. Tomorrow you will go again.
The next day, 6 wolves and the New Leader went hunting again. And they were gone for a day. And evening. And night. And morning.
And just in the afternoon, 1 exhausted wolf appeared on the horizon. It was the New Leader, covered in blood, with tattered fur, lame and barely alive.
- What happened? asked the Old Leader.
- We went far into the forest and searched for prey for a long time and saw three hunters coming from hunting with prey. We attacked them, but they were stronger than us. They killed all my warriors, I somehow managed to escape.
- But how so?! - Old Leader was surprised, - Yesterday you easily defeated 10 hunters, and today you could not cope with three?!?!
- Yes, but yesterday it was just a group of 10 hunters, and today it was 3 best friends.

Parable of Life: The Simple Life

The clerk, leaving the office, looked at the emperor's palace with its sparkling domes, and thought: "What a pity that I was not born in royal family, life could be so simple…” And he went towards the center of the city, from where the rhythmic knock of a hammer and loud screams could be heard. These workers were building a new building right on the square. One of them saw a clerk with his papers and thought: “Oh, why didn’t I go to school, as my father told me, I could now do light work and rewrite texts all day, and life would be so simple ...”

And the emperor at that time approached the huge bright window in his palace and looked at the square. He saw workers, clerks, salesmen, customers, children and adults, and thought how good it must be to be outdoors all day, doing manual labor, or working for someone, or even being a street bum, and quite don't think about politics and other things difficult questions.

- What a simple life, these ordinary people, he said in a barely audible voice.

Parable of Anger: The Falcon of Genghis Khan

One morning, Genghis Khan went hunting with his retinue. His companions were armed with bows and arrows, and he himself held his beloved falcon on his hand. No shooter could compare with him, because the bird was looking for a victim from the sky, where a person is not able to climb.
And yet, despite the excitement that seized the hunters, none of them got anything. Disappointed, Genghis Khan was returning to his camp, and in order not to take out his bad mood on his comrades, he retired from his retinue and rode alone.
He had lingered too long in the woods and was exhausted with fatigue and thirst. Due to the drought that happened that year, the rivers dried up, and nowhere could one find a sip of water, but suddenly - a miracle! - he noticed a thin trickle of water flowing down from the rock. Immediately he removed the falcon from his hand, took out a small silver bowl, which was always with him, put it under the stream and waited a long time until it was filled to the brim. But when he was already raising the cup to his lips, the falcon flapped its wings and knocked it out, throwing it far to the side.
Genghis Khan was furious. But still, he loved this falcon very much and, moreover, he understood that the bird, too, was probably tormented by thirst. He picked up the bowl, wiped it off, and put it under the trickle again. Before it was even half full, the falcon knocked it out of its hands again.
Genghis Khan adored the bird, but he could not tolerate such a disrespectful attitude towards himself. He drew his sword, and with the other hand lifted the cup and placed it under the stream, one eye following the water and the other the falcon. When there was enough water to quench his thirst, the falcon flapped its wings again, touching the cup, but this time he killed the bird with his sword.
And then the stream stopped. Determined to get to the source at all costs, he began to climb the rock. He discovered it surprisingly quickly, but in it, right in the water, lay a dead snake - the most poisonous of all the snakes living in those places. If he drank water, he would not be alive.
Genghis Khan returned to the camp with a dead chip in his hands and ordered to make his statue of pure gold, engraving on one wing:
“Even when your friend does things that you don’t like, he remains your friend”
On the other wing, he ordered to write:
“What is done in anger does not lead to good.”

Parable: The Buddha and the Villagers

A wise parable about insults and how to respond to them:
One day, the Buddha and his disciples were walking past a village where opponents of Buddhism lived. Residents poured out of their houses, surrounded them and began to insult them. The Buddha's disciples became angry and were ready to fight back. After a pause, the Buddha spoke, and his speech confused not only the villagers, but also the disciples.
First, he addressed the students:
These people are doing their job. They are angry, it seems to them that I am an enemy of their religion, their moral principles. Therefore, they insult me, and this is natural. But why are you suddenly angry? Why do you have such a reaction? You behaved as these people intended, and in doing so you allowed them to manipulate you. And if so, then you are dependent on them. But aren't you free?
People from the village didn't expect such a reaction either. They fell silent. In the silence that followed, the Buddha addressed them:
- Did you say everything? If you haven't spoken yet, you will have that opportunity when we go back.
The puzzled villagers asked:
"But we insulted you, why aren't you even angry with us?"
The Buddha replied:
- You are free people, and what you have done is your right. I don't react to it. Therefore, no one and nothing can make me react the way he wants, no one can influence me and manipulate me. My actions flow from my inner state, from my awareness. And I would like to ask you a question that concerns you. In the previous village, people met me, welcoming me with treats. I told them: “Thank you, we have already had breakfast, take these fruits and sweets with my blessing for yourself. We cannot carry them with us because we do not carry food with us.” And now I ask you: What do you think they did with what I did not accept and returned back to them.
One person in the crowd said:
- They must have taken those fruits and sweets back and distributed them to their children and families.
“And today I do not accept your insults and curses,” said the Buddha. I return them to you. What will you do with them? Take them with you and do whatever you want with them.

Parable of Love: The Woman and the Bird

There lived a bird. A bird with strong wings, with sparkling multi-colored plumage. A creature made to fly freely in the skies, born to please the heads of those who watch her from the ground.
One day a woman saw her and fell in love. Her heart was pounding, her eyes sparkled with excitement, when, with her mouth open in amazement, she watched this bird fly. And she called her to fly with her - and they set off across the blue sky in perfect harmony with each other. The woman admired the bird, revered and praised it.
But once it occurred to her that this bird would surely someday want to fly away to distant distances, to unknown mountains. And the woman was frightened - frightened that with another bird she would never be able to experience anything like that. And envied - envied the innate gift of flight.
And I was afraid of loneliness.
And I thought: “Let me arrange the snares. The next time the bird will fly in, it won’t be able to fly away.”
And the bird, which also loved this woman, flew in the next day, fell into a snare, and then was put in a cage.
For days on end, the woman admired the bird, showed the object of her passion to her friends, and they said: “Now you have everything.” But strange things began to happen in the soul of this woman: she got the bird, there was no longer any need to lure it and tame it, and little by little interest in it faded. The bird, having lost the ability to fly - and this and only this was the meaning of its existence - became slick and lost its luster, became ugly, and the woman generally stopped paying attention to her: she only made sure that there was plenty of feed and that the cage was cleaned.
And one fine day the bird took it and died. The woman was very sad, she only thought about her and remembered her day and night, but not how she languished in a cage, but how she saw for the first time her free flight under the clouds.
And if she looked into her soul, she would understand that she was captivated not by her beauty, but by the freedom and power of her spread wings.
Having lost the bird, it has lost its life and meaning. And death knocked on her door. Why did you come? the woman asked her.
“So that you can again fly with your bird in the sky,” death answered. “If you let her leave you and always return, you would love her and admire her more than ever. But now, in order for you to see her again - without me, the matter will not do in any way.

Parable about the power of the word

A little parable from Anthony de Mello:
Once the Master was talking about the hypnotic power of words. Someone from the back rows shouted:
- You're talking nonsense! Will you become a saint because you keep repeating:
"God, God, God"? Will you become a sinner because you endlessly repeat: "Sin, Sin, Sin"?
- Sit down, you bastard! the Master snapped.
The man was furious. He burst into obscene language, and it took a long time before he came to his senses.
With an air of remorse, the Master said:
- Excuse me ... I got excited. I sincerely apologize for my unforgivable attack.
The student immediately calmed down.
“Here is your answer,” said the Master. One word made you angry, another calmed you down.

Parable: Sultan, magician and talent

Eastern parable about talent and genius.
One magician showed his art to the sul-tan and his courtiers. All spectators were in awe. The Sultan himself was beside himself with admiration.
- My God, what a miracle, what a genius!
His vizier said:
- Your Majesty, it's not the gods who burn the pots. The magician's art is the result of his diligence and relentless exercise.
The Sultan frowned. The vizier's words poisoned him the pleasure of admiring the art of the conjurer.
“Oh, you ungrateful one, how dare you say that such an art can be achieved by exercise? Since I said: either you have talent or you don’t, then it’s the way it is.
Looking at his vizier with contempt, he angrily exclaimed:
- At least you don't have it, go to the dungeon. There you can think about my words. But so that you do not feel lonely and that there is someone like you next to you, then a calf will share the company with you.
From the very first day of his imprisonment, the vizier began to exercise: he lifted a calf and carried it every day up the steps of the prison tower. Months passed, the calf turned into a mighty bull, and the strength of the vizier increased every day thanks to the exercises. One fine day, the Sultan remembered his prisoner. He ordered the vizier to be brought to him.
At the sight of him, the Sultan was amazed:
- My God! What a miracle, what a genius!
The vizier, who was carrying a bull on outstretched arms, answered with the same words as before:
- Your Majesty, it's not the gods who burn the pots. This animal you gave me out of mercy. My strength is the result of my diligence and exercise.

Parable: Broken precious cup

Parable of Anger: The Girl and the Cookie

The girl was waiting for her flight at a large airport. Her flight was delayed and she will have to wait for the plane for several hours. She bought a book, a bag of cookies and sat down in a chair to pass the time. Next to her was an empty chair with a bag of cookies, and in the next chair was a man reading a magazine. She took the cookies, the man took too! This infuriated her, but she said nothing and continued to read. And every time she took a cookie, the man continued to take it too. She was furious, but did not want to make a scandal in a crowded airport.
When there was only one cookie left, she thought, "I wonder what this ignoramus will do?"
As if reading her mind, the man took the cookie, broke it in half and handed it to her without looking up. This was the limit! She got up, gathered her things and left...
Later, when she boarded the plane, she reached into her purse to get her glasses and pulled out a pack of cookies... She suddenly remembered that she had put her pack of cookies in her purse. And the man she thought was ignorant shared his cookies with her without showing any anger, just out of kindness. She was so ashamed and there was no way to correct her guilt.
Before you get angry, think about it, maybe you are wrong!

Parable of Understanding: Two Families

They live in neighboring houses different families. Some quarrel all the time, while others always have silence and mutual understanding.
Once, envying a peaceful neighbor's family, the wife says to her husband:
- Go to the neighbors and see what they are doing, that they are always doing well.
He went, hid and watched. She sees a woman washing the floors in the house, suddenly something distracted her, and she ran to the kitchen. At this time, her husband had to urgently go to the house. He did not notice the bucket of water, hooked it and the water spilled.
Then the wife came, apologizes to her husband, says:
"I'm sorry dear, it's my fault.
- No, I'm sorry, it's my fault.
The man got upset and went home. At home, the wife asks:
- Well, did you look?
- Yes!
- Well?
- Got it! We have EVERYONE RIGHT, and they have EVERYONE to blame.

Parable: A wise man and the same anecdote

One wise man, speaking to the audience, told them an anecdote. The entire audience shook with laughter.
A few minutes later he told the people the same anecdote again. Only a few people smiled.
The sage told the same joke a third time, but no one laughed.
The wise old man smiled and said, “You can’t laugh at the same joke all the time… So why do you keep letting yourself cry over the same thing?”

Parable of Happiness: The Wise Man and the Unfortunate Man

Once a wise man was walking along the road, admiring the beauty of the world and enjoying life. Suddenly he noticed an unfortunate man hunched under an unbearable burden.
Why are you subjecting yourself to such suffering? the sage asked.
“I suffer for the happiness of my children and grandchildren,” the man replied.
“My great-grandfather suffered all his life for the happiness of my grandfather, my grandfather suffered for the happiness of my father, my father suffered for my happiness, and I will suffer all my life, only so that my children and grandchildren become happy.
Was there any happy person in your family? the sage asked.
— No, but my children and grandchildren will definitely be happy! replied the unfortunate man.
- An illiterate person will not teach to read, and a mole cannot raise an eagle! - Said the sage. - First learn to be happy yourself, then you will understand how to make your children and grandchildren happy!

Parable: The Boy and Faith in Miracles

The boy was very fond of reading kind and clever fairy tales and believed everything that was written there. Therefore, he looked for miracles in life, but could not find anything in it that would be similar to his favorite fairy tales. Feeling somewhat disappointed in his search, he asked his mother if it was right that he believed in miracles. Or miracles do not happen in life?
“My dear,” mother answered him lovingly, “if you try to grow up kind and good boy then all fairy tales in your life will come true. Remember that they are not looking for miracles - they come to good people themselves.

Jewish parable: Moishe and the tight shoe

Moishe comes to the rabbi and says that he wants to divorce his wife. The rabbi begins to persuade him not to do this.
- Moishe, why do you want to get divorced, it will be worse for you.
- No, I'll be better. Well, they argue for a long time, finally, the rabbi says:
- Listen, Moishe. Your wife is so beautiful, so pleasant, she pleases the eye, anyone dreams of such. Everyone knows her virtues, but you want to leave her, why?
Moishe silently takes off his shoe and puts it in front of the rabbi.
- Why are you sticking your shoe to me? - Rebbe, look at this shoe.
- Why should I look at this shoe? And what about the shoe?
- Rebbe, this is a wonderful shoe. Everyone sees how beautiful it is, how pleasant it is, how pleasing to the eye it is, everyone wants to have such a shoe, but only I know how this bastard is pressing me!

Parable: The Dispute of the Disciples

One day the Master saw disciples who were arguing passionately, and everyone was sure that they were right, and it seemed that this argument would never end. Then the Master said:
When people argue because they strive for the truth, then this dispute must inevitably end, for there is only one truth, and both will eventually come to it. When those who argue do not strive for the truth, but for victory, then the dispute flares up more and more, for no one can emerge victorious in the dispute without his opponent being defeated.
The disciples immediately fell silent and then apologized to Master and each other.

The Parable of the Victims

The new teacher, having come to the class, discovered that one boy was being teased by Moishe the Fool. At recess, he asked the guys why they called him that.
- Yes, he really is a fool, mister teacher. If you give him a large coin of five shekels and a small one of ten shekels, he will choose five because he thinks it is larger. Here, look...
The guy takes out two coins and offers Moishe to choose. He, as always, chooses five. The teacher asks in surprise:
- Why did you choose a coin of five shekels, and not ten?
- Look, it's bigger, mister teacher!
After the lessons the teacher approached Moishe.
“Don’t you understand that five shekels are larger only in size, but ten shekels can buy more?”
“Of course I understand, Master.
- So why do you choose five?
- Because if I choose ten, they will stop giving me money!

Parable of Life: The Master and the Waitress

Returning from the trip, the Master told about the story that happened to him, which, as he believed, could become a metaphor for life itself:
During a short stop, he went to a cozy cafe. The menu included mouth-watering soups, spicy condiments and other tempting dishes.
The master ordered soup.
- Are you from this bus? the venerable-looking waitress asked politely. The master nodded.
- Then there's no soup.
“What about steamed rice with curry sauce?” asked the surprised Master.
- No, if you are from this bus. You can only order sandwiches. I spent a whole morning preparing meals, and you have no more than ten minutes left to eat. I can't let you eat a meal that you can't taste because of lack of time.

Parable about work: a restless young man

One high Chinese official had an only son. He grew up as an intelligent boy, but he was restless, and no matter what they tried to teach him, he did not show zeal in anything, and his knowledge was only superficial. He could draw and play the flute, but artlessly; studied the laws, but even the scribes knew more than him.
His father, worried about this situation, apprenticed him to a famous martial artist in order to make his son's spirit firm, as a real husband should. However, the young man soon got tired of repeating the monotonous movements of the same blows.
He addressed the master with the words: “Master! How many times can you repeat the same movement? Isn't it time for me to learn the real martial art that your school is so famous for?
The master did not answer, but allowed the older students to repeat the movements, and soon the young man knew many tricks.
Once the master called the young man and handed him a scroll with a letter.
Take this letter to your father.
The young man took the letter and went to the neighboring town where his father lived. The road to the city skirted a large meadow, in the middle of which an old man was practicing a punch. And while the young man walked around the meadow along the road, the old man tirelessly practiced the same blow.
- Hey, old man! the young man shouted. - It will thresh the air for you! You still can't beat even a child!
The old man shouted back that let him first try to defeat him, and then laughed. The young man accepted the challenge.
Ten times he tried to attack the old man and ten times the old man knocked him down with the same blows of his hand. A blow that he had practiced tirelessly before. After the tenth time, the young man could no longer continue the fight.
“I could have killed you with the first blow!” said the old man. But you are still young and stupid. Go your way.
Ashamed, the young man reached his father's house and handed him the letter. Unrolling the scroll, the father returned it to his son:
- This is for you.
It was inscribed in the teacher's calligraphic handwriting: "One blow, brought to perfection, is better than a hundred half-learned."

Parable: Envy and Lemons

My wife once sent me to the shop for lemons. Hy flu, you know. And she said - buy large ones, but not rotten ones, as usual. Hy I went to the tray with lemons, sorting through. All crooked, rotten, thick-skinned.
I look out of the corner of my eye: on the right is another tray, and in it another man is sipping lemons. And his lemons are large, ripe, appetizing. Hy, I think, right now, the man will leave - I'll immediately pick up lemons on the right.
So, for the sake of appearance, I sort out the frykt, and I myself look askance at the man's pyky - wait, when he finally takes what he needs and rolls off. And he, the beast, keeps picking and picking. He waited for five minutes - and he doesn’t like it, and this, even though he has lemons, as if he were picking it up. Hy I could not stand it - I turn to him to say what I think about him, and on the right ... a mirror.

Parable: Wise pig and manners

The Wise Pig was asked:
Why do you put your feet in the food while eating?
“I like to feel food not only with my mouth, but also with my body,” answered the Wise Pig. - When I feel the touch of food on my legs, I get double pleasure from it.
- And what about the manners inherent in a worthy upbringing?
Manners are for others, but pleasure is for yourself. If the basis of pleasure comes from my nature, then the pleasure itself is beneficial.
“But manners are good, too!”
“When manners bring me more benefit than pleasure, I don’t put my feet in food,” the Pig answered proudly and went about her business.

Parable about work: mathematician George Dantzig

When the future mathematician George Dantzig was still a student, the following story happened to him. George took his studies very seriously and often sat up late night.
Once, because of this, he overslept a little and came to Professor Neumann's lecture with a 20-minute delay. The student quickly copied two problems from the blackboard, believing that they homework. The task was difficult, it took George several days to solve them, he brought the solution to the professor.
He said nothing, but a few weeks later broke into George's house at six in the morning. It turned out that the student found the correct solution to two previously unsolvable problems of mathematics, which he did not even suspect, because he was late for class and did not hear the preamble to the problems on the board.
In a few days, he managed to solve not one, but two problems that mathematicians have been tormented by for a thousand years, and even Einstein could not find a solution to them.
George wasn't limited by the fame of these problems as unsolvable, he just didn't know it was impossible.

Parable about motivation: Get up!

One student asked his Sufi teacher:
Teacher, what would you say if you knew about my fall?
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
- And how long can it go on - all fall and rise?
- Fall and get up while you're alive! After all, he who fell and did not rise is dead.

Parable about truth and parable

Before, Truth walked the streets naked. This, of course, did not please the people, and no one let her into their house. One day, when the sad Truth was wandering the streets, she met Parable, dressed in beautiful clothes, pleasing to the eye.
The parable asked the Truth:
- Why are you walking the streets naked and so sad?
Truth sadly lowered her head and said:
- My sister, I'm sinking lower and lower. I am already old and unhappy, so people move away from me.
“It cannot be,” said the Parable, “that people move away from you because you are old. I, too, am not younger than you, but the older I get, the more they find in me. I'll tell you a secret: people don't like simple, open things. They prefer things to be a little hidden and embellished. Let me lend you some of mine. beautiful dresses and you will immediately see how people will love you.
Truth took the advice of Proverbs and dressed in her beautiful clothes. And here is a miracle - from that day no one ran away from her, and she was received with joy and with a smile. Since then, Truth and Parable have not parted.

ILLUSION

A man who wanted to become a disciple said to the sage:
“For many days now I have listened to you denounce ideas, ideas, and behaviors that are not my own and never will be my own. What is the purpose of all this?
The sage replied:
- The purpose of this is to make you stop imagining at last that everything that I blame 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 to humans? Or is it good for a person?
“I will tell you a parable about how the world treats a person,” the teacher said.
"A long time ago, a great shah lived. He ordered the construction of a beautiful palace. There were many wonderful things. Among other curiosities in the palace 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?".
Once a dog ran into the hall and froze in amazement in the middle - a whole pack of dogs surrounded it from all sides, from above and below. The dog bared its teeth just in case; and all the reflections answered her the same. Frightened in earnest, the dog barked desperately. The echo repeated her barking.
The dog barked louder and louder. The echo didn't stop. The dog darted back and forth, biting the air, its reflections also darting around, snapping its 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 harm her in any way. The dog died fighting its own reflections."
“Now you see,” the dervish finished, “the world brings neither good nor evil by itself. Everything that happens around us is just a reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, desires, actions. The world is a big mirror.

ASSUMPTIONS

Assumptions visit people more often than they think. Usually people act on their hunches. Such a habit can be useful, because then you do not need to think and communicate. If you meet a man in uniform, you can guess that he is a law enforcement officer.
But don't use 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 assumed incorrectly. A wealthy woman asked him to write a warning about a dog in the house to hang on the front door. He wrote: "Watch out, angry dog!" - and lost the order. - Fool, - the woman exclaimed, - I wanted to notify the incoming: "Knock quieter! Don't wake the dog!"

CAT AND RABBIT

The cat said:
- Rabbits are not worthy to be taught! I offer cheap mouse-catching lessons to get one rabbit interested!

KNOWLEDGE

The ruler of the city ordered that one Sufi be seized and thrown into prison. The students came to visit their teacher in prison. They were amazed to see that their teacher had not changed a bit and greeted them joyfully, as if they were visiting him at home.
- Teacher, what is your consolation here, in the house of sorrow? the students exclaimed.
"Four sayings," replied the Sufi. - Here's the first one:
"No one can avoid evil, for everything is predetermined by fate."
Here is the second one:
"What is left for a man to do in misfortune, how to impatiently endure his suffering? After all, in the whole universe, not only you experience something like this."
Here is 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 close, although you do not know about it."
At that moment the guards came with the news that the Sufi was free, for they had seized 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. - That one reproached me and unjustly condemned me, that one let me down in business, that one deceived me, that one did not share the profit with me ...
Complaints flowed in an endless stream. The Sufi was silent without interrupting him. Finally, he fell silent, asking in the end: What should I do?
- Do not be like fools who notice only mistakes, mistakes and evil in the people with whom they live and communicate, - answered the Sufi. “These fools do not pay attention to the dignity of people. They are like flies that stick to the sores of the body.

ADVICE

One student asked his Sufi teacher: - Teacher, what would you say if you knew about my fall?
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
- And how long can it go on - all fall and rise?
- Fall and get up 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 the distant lands, there are undoubtedly many wonders…”
- It is from such a thirst for the supernatural that all sorts of fantastic fabrications 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
- A man came from the East and brought some worms with him.
- Undoubtedly, a charlatan. I assume he claims they cure toothache?
- No, it's more fun. He says they can "spin silk". He says that he got them at the risk of his life and now demonstrates them at courts in different countries.
- Yes, he simply exploits a belief that was already outdated at the time of my great-great-grandfather!
What are we going to do with him, sir?
- Throw his devil worms into the fire, and beat him until he publicly renounces his heresy. People like him are extremely insolent. We need to show them that we are here in the West - not some dark hillbilly who is ready to believe any crook from the East.
In the twentieth century
"So you're saying you know something known in the East that we haven't discovered yet here in the West?" Well, it was said many thousands of years ago. But in this age, the human mind is truly open to everything new. So maybe we'll try. Well, come on, demonstrate whatever you want - I have fifteen minutes until the next meeting. Or, if you like, you can put your thoughts in writing. Here's a piece of paper for you.

LAST DAY.

One man believed that the last day of mankind would fall on a certain date, and that he should be met in a special way.
He gathered all who listened to his words, and when the 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 collapsed into the mouth of the volcano. And it was truly their last day.

THE THOUGHT OF THE GRAPEVINE.

There was one vine in the world that realized that people annually remove grapes from it and carry it away.
And no one ever says "thank you" to her.
One day a wise man passed by and sat down to rest nearby.
"Here it is, my chance to clarify the mystery," thought the vine and said:
- A wise man! You see: I am a vine. When my fruits ripen, people come and take them. From none of them I see even a hint of gratitude. Can you explain to me the reason for this behaviour?
The wise man thought and said:
- In all likelihood, the reason for it is that all these people got the impression that you cannot stop producing grapes.

LICHINA

Once upon a time there was a bee who discovered that wasps do not know how honey is made. She thought she could tell them about it. True, one wise bee warned her:
- Wasps don't like bees. If you were 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 take her for their own.
And so she did. Posing as a wasp who made a great discovery, the bee began to teach the wasps how to make honey. Those 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, her disguise crumbled from the bee. And they recognized her.
As one, they pounced on her and bit her to death, like an intruder and an ancient enemy. And of course, all the half-prepared honey was indignantly thrown away - for what good can be in the offer of a stranger?

FOOD AND SURPRISE

One young man who wanted to achieve enlightenment sought out a Sufi who lived in seclusion and asked to be 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.
Once he said:
- I never see you eat. How can you live without food?
“Since you joined me, I have stopped eating in front of strangers,” said the Sufi. - Now I eat in secret.
Completely intrigued, the young man asked:
- But why? If you were willing to deceive me, then why are you confessing it now?
- I stopped eating, - answered the sage, - so that you can be surprised at me. I had hoped that the day would come when you would finally stop being surprised by the irrelevant and truly become a student.
“But couldn’t you just tell me not to be surprised at 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 had an effect?”

HISTORY OF THE JUG

Have you heard about the tragedy of the unfortunate jug?
Lying in the corner of the room on the bed, the seriously ill man begged for a sip of water.
The pitcher 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 beside him and experienced a surge of genuine amazement and joy. He hardly reached for the jug, raised it to his lips and ... found that it was empty.
Gathering all his remaining strength, the sick man threw the jug against the wall with all his might, and it shattered into many useless pieces of clay.

NECTAR

The absence of sorrow breeds satiety. An illustration of this is the story of the bee.
Having flown out of the hive for the first time after a long winter hibernation, the bee found a flower bed.
Three days later she exclaimed:
“I don’t know what happened to the nectar; it became so sour.

AWESOME

One Sufi sent all those who wanted to become his disciples to listen and record the rantings of his slanderers - for the most part they were dogmatic scholars.
Someone asked him:
- Why are you doing this?
He replied:
- One of the first exercises of the Sufi is to see if he is able to recognize the absurdities, biases and distortions in those who imagine themselves to be wise. If he is really able to see what is inside them and recognize their narcissistic and poisonous nature - then he can begin to learn Reality.

SYMBOLIC GIFTS

Visitors to Jan Fishan Khan were sometimes met by a man who greeted them with flattering words. Then they were offered halvah. And, finally, right before they were let into the room where the Master was, they received a gift of a magnificent gold ingot.
When they appeared before the Teacher, he said:
- Pay attention to the gifts you have received. In our circle they mean: "If you wish to harm someone, give him flattery, food and money." You can even destroy a person with this, while he will be sincerely grateful to you for what you are doing.

A DONKEY

I know that when the weather improves, clover will appear, - said the donkey. - But I want it now. And everyone offers only hay. How to solve this problem? - I do not 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.
“Therein lies 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 in one case did the right thing, and in the other wrong - in that order
The first act was that he told the fool that he was a fool.
The second - he did not pay attention to what is standing at the edge of a deep well.

TIGER

The deer, rushing away from the tiger, which went hunting, noticed a mouse sitting serenely near its mink, and, stopping its run for a minute, shouted to it:
- The Lord of the Jungle is coming! The tiger is obsessed with the desire to kill! 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 loot - it would interest me!

PLEASE DO IT

A Sufi was asked:
- How can you teach people to move in a certain direction if they don't know your "language"?
He replied:
- Here is a story that illustrates this. Once a Sufi came to a country where people knew only one phrase in his language: "Please do it!"
He didn't have time to teach them a better understanding of his language. So when he needed something done, he would demonstrate it and say, "Please do it!"
And thus everything was done.

CONTRADICTIONS

Dialogue between a Sufi and a questioner:
- Which of the statements 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 pay attention only to the movement of your hands, it will look like they are counteracting each other. But in this case you won't see what actually happened.
- The purpose of the "counteraction" of the hands was, of course, to produce cotton.

SUFI SLAB

They say that one of the great Sufis - Ayaz, who was brought closer to himself by Sultan Mahmud from Ghazna, was a slave.
The story goes that a certain courtier once said to him:
- You were a dervish, then you were captured. And for many years now you have served Mahmud. Your holiness is so great that if you asked for freedom, the Sultan would immediately give it to you. Why are you in such an unenviable position?
Ayaz sighed heavily and said:
- If I cease to be a slave, where on earth will there be a person whom people can refer to as an example of a slave who is a teacher? And then, if I leave the king, who else will be able to exhort the courtiers? After all, they listen to me only for the reason that Mahmoud listens to me. My friend, this tiny world was created for themselves by people like you. And yet, you ask me why I remain a slave in this man-made cage.

INCREDIBLE LEGEND

Cosmetic surgery, the eagle said, is not only useful in the 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 to improve their appearance. They grew claws and waited for the day when - should it happen that social taboos, under the pressure of circumstances, again allowed the growth of claws - other predators, practicing pedicures and developing civilization, simply would not know what claws were for at all.

ENVIRONMENT

One Sufi invited a man who deeply revered him to live in his house. However, only four days later he left for distant lands, and was gone for three years.
Deprived of the presence of the Master, the visitor became discouraged and felt extremely uncomfortable. But he also had to cope with household duties ...
After many years, a man returned to the city where this was happening, to whom he confided his troubles, and found 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 my Master's house, as I now understand, was actually hidden from me. If he had stayed, I would not have endured the intensity of his presence. I thought that I wanted to be near him, when in reality I needed to breathe the atmosphere around him.

INTEREST IN OWN PERSON

When Anwar, the son of Hayat, was asked why he does not criticize people, he replied:
- I am kept interested in my own person. If you demonstrate the shortcomings of a neighbor, this may benefit the surrounding society, but it is far from always useful for yourself. Exercising in causticity develops arrogance.
I care too much about myself and do not want arrogance to corrode my soul.

A Sufi was asked:
- Why did you travel in search of new experiences only when you were young?
He replied:
“Because if I had done this when I was already famous, people would treat me differently and I would not have gained the experience that I needed so much.

HEALING

The dervish was once asked:
- How can you heal the sick if your master cannot?
He replied:
- One person was asked: "Why do you go to the grocery store if your master does not?" 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 archery master named Drona taught his students. He hung a target on a tree and asked each of the students what they saw.
One said:
- I see a tree and a target on it. Another said:
- I see a tree, a rising sun, birds in the sky... Everyone else answered in much the same way.
Then Drona approached his best student 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 become a hit on the target.

BELIEF AND DISBELIEF

Krishna was sitting in his house at the table. 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 got worried and ran after him. Halfway along, she saw Krishna returning to the house.
Entering the house, he sat down at the table and, as if nothing had happened, continued to eat Rakmini excitedly asked him:
- What happened? Why did you interrupt your lunch so suddenly 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 come back halfway and did not come to his aid?
Krishna replied:
“At first, when he stood defenseless in front of the people who threatened him, all 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-encompassing emptiness, the understanding that nothing exists except in the interconnection of the subjective and objective. Suddenly he felt that flowers were falling on him from the tree,
“We thank you for talking 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 the 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 when they themselves must wait.
Junayd once illustrated this on an obvious level when some of his twenty disciples were jealous of his attachment to one of them. The parable-in-action that he invented is worth pondering over.
He called all his disciples and told them to bring twenty chickens. Each was told to take one bird to a place where no one would see it and kill it.
When they returned, the birds were dead: all except the one taken by the student in question.
Junayd, in the presence of the rest of the disciples, asked him why he had not killed 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

Once an old and a young monk were returning to their monastery. Their path was crossed by a river, which, due to the rains, greatly overflowed.
A woman was standing on the shore, who also needed to cross to the opposite shore, but she could not do without outside help. The vow strictly forbade the monks to touch women.
The young monk, noticing the woman, defiantly turned away, and the old one approached her, took her in his arms and carried her across the river. For the rest of the way, the monks remained silent, but at the very monastery 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."

RING OF KING SOLOMON

There was a wise king Solomon. But despite his wisdom, his life was not calm. And once King Solomon turned for advice to the court sage with a request: "Help me - a lot of things in this life can drive me crazy. I am very prone to passions, and this really bothers me!" To which the Sage replied: "I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase:" THIS WILL PASS! " passions!"
As time went on, Solomon followed the advice of the Sage and found peace. But the moment came and once, 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 was about to throw it far into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He looked closely and read: "THIS WILL ALSO GO..."

CROSS

Somehow one person decided that his fate was too hard. And he turned to the Lord God with such a 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: "Well, I invite you to my store of crosses - choose for yourself the one that you yourself like." A man came to the vault and began to pick up a cross for himself: he tried on all the crosses and all seemed too heavy to him. As he measured all the crosses, he noticed a cross at the very exit, which seemed to him lighter than the others, and said to the Lord: "Let me take this one." And God said, "Well, this is your own cross that you left at the door to try on the rest."

WHAT IS SWEETER

It is reported that Abu Said spent seven years in the desert, undergoing the exhausting hardships of austerities. The stems and roots of thorny bushes served as food for him, and the collected drops of dew served as drink. When he reached enlightenment, he abandoned such practices.
Once in the city of Mashhad, he was resting, leaning back on pillows. The student cut slices of melon, dipped them in powdered sugar and served them to him. Someone who heard about the severe austerity of the master and did not believe in it, asked him: "O teacher, which is more preferable: sugar melon or the roots that you ate in the desert?"
“There is a time for everything,” our master replied. “If, while eating roots, you are in the presence of God, then the roots become sweeter than a melon. If you are outside of God, then the melon in sugar will be bitterer than the roots!”

PARABLE OF THE BERRY

Once, walking across the field, a man stumbled upon a tiger and rushed away in horror, the tiger followed him. Having reached the edge of the abyss, the man grabbed the roots of a wild vine 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 still held him back.
But then two mice, one white, the other black, began to gnaw at the vine little by little.
And suddenly, next to him, a man saw ripe, juicy strawberries. Holding on to the vine with one hand, he plucked a berry with the other. How delicious it was!

ATHEIST

Once an atheist, walking along a cliff, slipped and fell down. During the fall, he managed to grab onto 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 on to the branch, weakened.
Well, he thought, only God can save me now. I never believed in God, but I must have been 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 are wrong! I really think so! I will believe!" "Oh no, you won't! You all say so!"
The man begged and persuaded.
Finally God said, "All right. I'll save you... Let go of the branch." - "Let go of the branch ?! - the man exclaimed. - Don't you think that I'm crazy?"

THOUGHTS - LIFESTYLE

One pregnant lioness, going for prey, saw a herd of sheep. She rushed at them, and this effort cost her her life. The lion cub that was born at the same time 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 a full-grown lion, but 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 follow him and one day, seeing him sleeping, jumped on him and said: "Wake up, because you are a lion!" - "No," he bleated in fear, "I am a sheep!" Then a lion came and 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 the same moment he realized that he himself was a lion. He stopped bleating and growled.

HAPPINESS

The big dog, seeing the puppy chasing the tail, asked:
Why are you chasing your tail like that?
- I studied philosophy, - answered the puppy, - I solved the problems of the universe, which no dog before me solved; 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 opinion about it. I also realized that happiness is great for a dog and that my happiness is in the tail, but I noticed that wherever I go, whatever I do, he follows me: I do not need to chase him.

CURIOSITY AND DOUBT

One day a certain bhakta (walking the path of Divine Love) wanted to cross the sea. Vibhishana, to whom he turned 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 a garment to the edge. This will enable you to cross the ocean in complete safety. But be careful, do not unfold the leaf, because if you look inside, you will drown."
Bhakta believed the words of his friend and walked across the ocean in complete safety. But, unfortunately, his constant enemy was curiosity. He wanted to see what a precious thing that has such power that he can walk on the waves of the ocean, as on solid ground, Vibhishana gave him. When he opened it, he saw that it was a palm leaf with the name of God written on it. He thought: "Is that all? Such a trifling thing makes it possible to walk on the waves?" As soon as this thought entered his head, he sank 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 must be considered the eldest!" Tail replies, "I'm worthy of being a senior too." The head says: "I have ears to hear, eyes to see, a mouth to eat, I am in front of the rest of the body when moving - that's why I should be considered the elder. And you do not have such virtues, therefore you cannot be considered the elder. " And the tail answered: "If I let you move, then you can move. What if I wrap myself around the tree three times?" He did just that. The head was unable to move in search of food and nearly starved to death. She said to the tail: "You can let me go, I recognize you as the elder."
The tail, hearing these words, immediately unhooked from the tree. The head again says to the tail: "Since you are the oldest, let's see how you go first." The tail went forward, but did not take even a few steps, as he fell into a fiery pit, and the snake died in the fire.

SELF-SUGGEMENT

One day a certain person was invited to a friend's house. As he was about to drink the offered cup of wine, he thought he saw a serpent inside the cup. Not wanting to offend the owner by drawing attention to this circumstance, he courageously drained the cup.
When he returned home, he felt terrible pains in his stomach. Many medicines have been tried. But all was in vain, and the man, now seriously ill, felt that he was dying. His friend, hearing about the condition of the patient, 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 serpent in it. This time he brought it to the attention of the owner. Without a word, the host pointed to the ceiling above the guest's head, where a bow hung. The patient immediately realized that the serpent was only a reflection of the hanging bow. Both men looked at each other and laughed. The guest's pain instantly passed, and he recovered.

THIRST AND WISDOM

A young man once came to a sage and asked, "Sir, what must I do to gain wisdom?" The sage didn't answer. After repeating his question several times and still not getting an answer, the young man finally left to return the next day and still with the same question. Again he received no answer and returned on the third day, again repeating: "Sir, what must I do to become a sage?" The sage turned and walked towards the nearby river. He stepped into the water and nodded to the young man to follow him. Having reached 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 released and his breathing evened out, the sage asked him: "My son, when you were under water, what did you desire most of all?" The young man answered without hesitation: "Air! Air! I only wanted air!" "Wouldn't you rather have wealth, pleasure, power, and love, my son? Have you thought about these things?" - asked the sage. "No, sir, I wanted air and thought only of air," came the immediate reply. "Then," said the sage, "to become wise, you must desire wisdom with such force as you have just thirsted for air. You must strive for it to the exclusion of all other goals in life. If you strive for wisdom with such passion, my son, you will surely become wise."

SPIN

Mokusen Hiki lived in a temple in Amba province. One of his adherents complained about the stinginess of his wife.
Mokusen visited his adherent's wife and showed her his clenched fist.
“What do you mean by that?” asked the surprised woman.
- Suppose that my hand is clenched into a fist all the time. What would you call it? Mokusen asked.
“Mutilation,” the woman replied.
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.