This teaching story comes from Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism literally meaning receiving…
When the Ultimate Reality created the heavens, earths, and the gods doves did not have wings.
Each day the lion would persecute the dove, running after her and scaring her to near death.
The dove prayed to the Ultimate Reality for help and succor. Ultimate Reality being the source of Ultimate Loving Kindness had compassion on the dove and gave the dove wings to escape from the lion.
Next day the dove pranced in front of the lion showing off his beautiful wings.
The lion chased – the dove ran as fast as possible…
Typically the dove would get away at the last moment – but today the wings got in the way – you see the dove did not know what the wings were for – he imagined he could run faster with them…
So this time the lion caught the dove and ate him.
Somewhere beyond time and space in dove heaven, the dove complained to the dove god. He said, “I asked for help and now I’m dead. You call this justice? You call this loving kindness?”
The dove god explained the truth. Thought all about Ultimate Reality – the Truth (Al Hagh) beyond conception and words. The dove god explained what the wings were to be used for…
Since that time no lion has killed a dove…
***
Note: When the Ultimate Reality created the heavens, earths, and the gods refers to the first sentence of Genesis which according to a Kabbalistic translation means, “The beginningness created the gods, the heavens and the earths…
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Mullah Nasrudin was returning from the market with his son and donkey. They had sold all the goods they had taken to the bazaar and now the Mullah was riding the donkey and his son was on foot when a passing man said, “Aren’t you ashamed old man that you ride the donkey and your young son walks.”
So Nasrudin came off the donkey and let his son ride. Soon another man came and said, “Shame, shame, shame… Young man, how dare you ride the donkey when you fragile old man has to walk.”
Actually Nasrudin was very fit for his age and both of them had walked from their village to the market earlier when the donkey was loaded with their fruits to sell. Anyway, Nasrudin did not wish people to look down on his son and so he joined his son on the donkey.
No sooner her had done this than he heard someone else scream, “You are cruel. You are hurting that donkey. Get off it at once.”
So the Mullah and his son both got off the donkey and started carrying the “poor donkey” on their shoulders. This was uncomfortable for the donkey as well as themselves. The donkey was kicking and braying when they heard the sound of laughter, “What absolute idiots. You are supposed to ride the donkey not the donkey riding you.”
At this the frustrated Nasrudin got back on the donkey with his son following and muttered under his breath, “No matter what you do, some people will disapprove so you might as well do what you want.”
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
A Zen master and novice were walking from one monastery to another. They came to a wide fast river. A young lady was drying at the bank.
The master asked her what her problem was. She replied that she had to get to the other side but the river runs too fast and I am afraid to cross it. The master said, “Jump on my back and I will carry you to the other side.”He carried her to the other bank and dropped her off and blessed her.
Then they continued on their way toward the monastery.
The novice was shocked since he knew that Buddhist monks were not allowed to touch women. For the next eight hours he was silently seething with confusion.
At last they reached their destination and the novice could no longer hold back. He screamed, “But master doesn’t it say in the scripture that we are not to touch the female gender?” The master smiled and replied, “I dropped the young lady on the other side of the river. You have carried her all the way to here!”
***
How many things do you carry when you have reached the other side of the river?
I know I’m burdened needlessly by the past.
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Nasrudin was a coroner and was called to testify in the court. The lawyer for the defendant asked, “Are you sure that Miss Jones was dead when you were performing the autopsy?”
Nasrudin: “I am positive.”
Lawyer: “Did you check his pulse?”
Nasrudin: “No.”
Lawyer: “Did you check his breathing when you did the autopsy?”
Nasrudin: “No.”
Lawyer: “Did you check his blood pressure”
Nasrudin: “No”
Lawyer: “Then he could have been alive before you started cutting him up.”
Nasrudin: “No, he couldn’t.”
Lawyer: “How do you know he wasn’t alive?”
Nasrudin: “I had his brain in a jar.”
Lawyer: “But He could still have been alive.”
Nasrudin: “Only if he was a lawyer.”
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Nasrudin and the lawyer
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
In Iran we have a story about children playing together. Ali the youngest was everyone’s favorite and had many friends but one enemy called Rashid. One day as they played, Ali fell down in a well. All Ali’s friends were scared since they had been told not to play near the well. So they ran away and went home without telling anyone about what had happened.
Fortunately Rashid saw Ali falling into the well. He knew that if something happened to Ali he would be the one who might be blamed. Being wise, he called the adults and told them what had happened. Ali’s father threw a rope into the well and Ali was saved and now Ali and Rashid, the wise became best friends.
From this we get the Persian saying, “A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.”
The real point is that we do not know what goes on in an other’s mind. As Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.” It is the effects of our actions which matter not our intentions.
However, when we have good (wise) intention and act on those intentions we will act well and produce good results.
***
As I’m about to repost this lost story from a now defunct blog (I thought I had lost everything on it and now have managed to recover some of the posts), I’m thinking that some of these “Persian” stories may in fact come from other sources and this story with the moral so plainly at the end may come from Aesop’s fables, but the source is not as important as the meaning of the story in itself.
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Nasrudin and the rats
A friend complained to Nasrudin that he had fifty pounds of wheat and before he knew it the rats had come and eaten all his wheat.
Nasrudin replied, “I too had fifty pounds of wheat and before the rats knew it I had eaten all my wheat.”
Since that was a short story two more short Nasrudin stories for you.
The black crow:
Mullah Nasrudin’s wife was washing her clothes when a crow came and stole the piece of soap and took it to the top of a tree. She shouted to Nasrudin, “Come the black crow took my soap.”
Nasrudin looked up and without concern said, “Not important. Don’t you see the poor crow is so dirty. He needs the soap much more than we do.”
The dog bite:
A dog bit Nasrudin and he hurt. They told him, “If you want to heal quickly feed him some meat.”
Nasrudin thought and replied, “If I do that all the neighborhood dogs will want to bite me.”
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
The villagers had found a compass in the desert. They brought to Nasrudin who was the wisest person in the county. They asked him what it was. Nasrudin looked it over, smelled it, played with it and started crying at first. After weeping for a few minutes he started to examine the compass one more time and then he burst out laughing so loud that he fell down from his chair.
The villagers asked him what was going on. The Mullah replied I cried out of pity for you who obviously do not understand the purpose of this instrument. Then I laughed when I discovered that I did not know what it was for either.
***
Here Nasrudin shows the correct attitude toward others and self. He has compassion for others and a sense of humility and humor toward self.
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Nasrudin and weeping and laughing
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Another two short Mullah Nasrudin short teaching stories I had posted in another website which went down and as I’m finding the stories I’m transferring here.
Nasrudin and the flying donkey
Mullah Nasrudin was riding his donkey at a slow pace one day when his donkey saw a snake in the road and started to bolt.
He was holding on for dear life, when some villagers asked him, “Nasrudin, where are you going so fast?”
The Mullah shouted back, “Don’t ask me, ask my donkey!”
Nasrudin and the Lost Donkey
Nasrudin’s donkey was lost. Everyone helped him to search the neighborhood. They searched the whole village and no donkey. A friend said, “Mullah, you don’t seem to be too worried. You realize, your donkey may never be found?”
The Mullah replied, “You see that hill, over there? Noone has looked there yet. If they don’t find it there, then I’ll start worrying.”
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Nasrudin and the flying donkey
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Three short Mullah Nasrudin short teaching stories:
Nasrudin and the sea water
Note in those days no refrigerators so they would smoke the fish to preserve it. These were extremely salty.
They asked Nasrudin why is the sea water salty?
The Mullah replied, “Haven’t you eaten fish? You know it’s so salty. It’s obvious if you throw so many fish in the sea the water will become salty.”
An eye for an eye…
Nasrudin was the Ghazi (judge). A young lady complained that a young man had kissed her by force. The Mullah thought to himself and after some contemplation announced the judgment, “You can do by force what he did to you by force.”
The show off.
One day Nasrudin was in the presence of the Sultan and the court, target practicing. He pulled his bow and aimed. The arrow fell short. Nasrudin said, “This is the way my father used to shoot.”
His next shot flew long. The Mullah said, “This is the way my brother shoots.”
Finally accidently he hit the target and shouted, “And this is the way I shoot.”
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Mullah Nasrudin was walking with his son when a funeral procession came by.
The mullah’s son pointed to the coffin and asked him, “What is in that box?”
Nasrudin replied, “A man, my son.”
The son continued, “Where are they taking him, father, and why are they so sad?”
“They are sad because they take him to a place where there is no food, no drink, no bread, no water, no fire, no gold, no carpet, not even a small rug,” said Nasrudin.
The son answered, “They must be taking him to our house.”
Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System, Only $299.00 plus Free Shipping
Click here to order “My Very Own Name”, a personalized children’s book
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
