Why do people need books? This question has been asked many times by great philosophers, thinkers and ordinary people. Each creation of a writer is a small world that brings something new to the reader: some books teach you to love and empathize, others always come to the rescue and appreciate friendship, others teach you to set life priorities correctly. However, there are books that bring nothing but chaos and confusion, but they can hardly be called literature. Tales and short stories, short stories and novels, fables and fairy tales... All this is a great heritage of human wisdom, on a separate stage of which are parables about the meaning of life .
What are these short stories filled with deep meaning, which is sometimes impossible to convey even in a three-volume collected works. What is their great strength? Who are these talented creators who gave readers wise words about the meaning of life and human relationships, about faith and hope, about love and mutual understanding, about tolerance and piety?
Why do we need parables about life?
Each of us from a young age, albeit unconsciously, began his acquaintance with parables - short stories about fictional heroes who carried a lesson and morality, every mother was sure to tell. And if in childhood it was perceived as part of upbringing, parental instruction, then in adulthood, parables open up from a completely different side. In addition to the obvious meaning that the work is fraught with, more and more new facets and subtexts appear that can show the full depth of morality.
The main feature of parables, in addition to their meaningful content and small volume, is their peculiar infinity - if stories or novels are interesting only at the first reading, then philosophical parables about life You can re-read an unlimited number of times, and with each reading they will become more and more interesting. They unobtrusively, metaphorically open the eyes of readers to the only important thing in the world - goodness, mutual understanding and spirituality. Moreover, it does not matter how many years ago the parable was created - five years or five centuries ago - it does not lose its relevance, just as moral values transmitted from generation to generation do not become unnecessary or unimportant.
Parables about life and wisdom: where to start acquaintance?
In the context of modernity, literature has ceased to play a primary role - the Internet, mobile phones, e-books and other gadgets have replaced printed publications. Of course, this technique, when used wisely, can bring a lot of good - in a matter of seconds, find the necessary information, tell absolutely any work, no matter what year and origin it may be. On the other hand, no device is able to create a magical aura that appears at the moment when you open a book. That is why read stories about life better in a printed version - this will help to feel the full power of the word, tactilely feel the softness of the pages, breathe in a special typographical aroma and absorb every word said in the parable.
However, there is nothing seditious to draw the wisdom of centuries online - no matter how paradoxical it may sound, there are many really valuable and deep collections of parables on the net that will allow you to plunge into the world of morality and spirituality, take a step towards a more conscious perception of yourself and get closer to knowledge of true values.
Beautiful parables about life young listeners and readers really like it - the child's soul is especially subtle and sensitive, so such works cannot fail to find a response in it. Therefore, caring parents who seek to raise their child as a full-fledged and spiritually developed personality should begin to get acquainted with this genre from the first years of the baby's life. Such upbringing will be useful not only for the baby, but also for the parents themselves - light, kind and instructive parables will explain to the child what cannot be conveyed directly, and the adult will be reminded of how important the soul is.
5 reasons to read parables about life
- Such works allow you to look at life from a different angle, direct your consciousness in the right direction, take a step towards self-development and reconsider your own values.
- In moments of special emotional experiences, there is nothing better than parables of life and wisdom . They will tell you what to do in a given situation, share the wisdom of the ages, and help open your eyes to ongoing events.
- From these mini-stories it breathes goodness and light. Here you will not find dullness, despondency, cruelty and abuse - the stories are presented in such a way that they look more like positive stories about someone else's experience than instructions.
- Such a collection will be an excellent antidepressant for stress and longing, sadness and unmotivated anxiety. An evening spent with a book of parables will relieve the stress of the past day, fill the soul with light and some indescribable faith in the beautiful, help you become more tolerant of others and understand what has been hidden up to this point.
- Parables should become a reference book for any parent - these mini-stories will be able to explain what is beyond the power to present in their own words. How to explain what God is? How to convey to a child that it is possible to hurt with a word more painfully than with a deed, and helping one's neighbor should be in the order of things? Only with the help of wise parables!
Beautiful parables about life: a moral lesson or educational literature?
Each parable is its own ode to a small chest in which morality is stored. And although their variety is limitless, as spiritual matters are limitless, the most popular narratives touch on the following aspects:
- Happiness. What is real happiness, not polished, fake, ostentatious, but small and touching the soul to tears? In something distant, unattainable, or in simple trifles? The answers to these questions can be found in parables.
- About relationships. Of course, no story is complete without describing the relationship between people. A friendly shoulder, substituted at the right moment, the support of an outsider, a kind deed towards a stranger - this is what is really valuable.
- Dreams. Not to confuse a desire and a dream, not to give up a dream for the sake of a momentary good means to take the first step towards success.
- Properly prioritized. In the bustle of modern megacities, it is so difficult to notice what is really important - the loving look of a loved one, the smile on the face of a passerby, the first flower that blossomed in the spring. Pay attention to the beautiful to make your life a little happier!
- Attitude to money and career. Are finances as important as we used to think. Is buying 101 handbags more important than a couple of hours spent with the family? Is it really worth working non-stop for the sake of relaxing on the overseas coast instead of spending the weekend next to those who are looking forward to it so much? Work to live or live to work? Do not make a mistake in choosing, so as not to miss the really important!
This list can be continued indefinitely - folk wisdom, collected together in parables, has no boundaries.
Wise parables about the meaning of life
Why do you get up every morning, go to an unloved job, sit in the office from 9 to 18, listen to the boss’s displeased remarks, stand in traffic jams, and then break down on loved ones because of fatigue and devastation? Is this really your true purpose? Parables will help to find answers to these difficult questions.
Parables about life designed to remind people of what really matters. Not without reason, many collections are opened by a phrase that has long lost its author and has become popular: "Proverbs are the real art of words to hit the heart". The search for the meaning of life is considered one of the most important tasks of a person in self-knowledge. In order not to get lost on this difficult path, from time to time pick up a collection of these wise stories so as not to forget about something important.
Parables are the real art of words to get right into the heart. It is useful to re-read them from time to time and think about the most important.
Every person is a solution to someone's problem.
“Every person on Earth is a solution to someone’s problem,” my wise grandmother once said.
I was very surprised by her words.
“You are the solution to someone's problem,” she repeated.
And she explained:
- The gift that was given to you may not be needed by everyone, but it is definitely necessary for someone - your smile, your love, your strength.
What you order is what you get...
An irritated woman rides in a trolley bus and thinks:
Passengers are boors and rude. The husband is a drunken bastard. Children are thugs and hooligans. And I'm so poor and unhappy...
Behind her is a guardian angel with a notebook and writes down everything according to the fads:
1. Passengers are boors and rude.
2. Husband is a drunken brute...etc.
Then I reread it and thought:
And why does she need it? But if he orders, we will fulfill ...
Why are people screaming?
Once the teacher asked the students:
Why do people raise their voices when arguing?
“They must be losing their composure,” the students suggested.
- But why raise your voice if the second person is next to you? the Teacher asked.
The students shrugged their shoulders in disbelief. It never crossed their minds. Then the teacher said:
“When people quarrel and dissatisfaction grows among them, their hearts drift away. And along with them, their souls are moving away. To hear each other, they have to raise their voices. And the stronger their resentment and anger, the louder they scream. What happens when people are in love? They do not raise their voices, but speak very quietly. Their hearts are very close, and the distance between them is almost completely erased.
What happens when people are ruled by love? the Teacher asked. They don't even talk, they just whisper. And sometimes no words are needed - their eyes say everything. Do not forget that quarrels move you away from each other, and words spoken in a raised tone increase this distance many times over. Do not abuse this, because the day will come when the distance between you will increase so much that you will not find your way back.
Greatest Wisdom
One night in the province where the monastery was located, there was a heavy snowfall. In the morning, the disciples, literally waist-deep in snow, gathered in the meditation hall.
The teacher gathered the students and asked: - Tell me, what should we do now?
The first disciple said: “We should pray for a thaw to begin.
The second suggested: - You need to wait in your cell, and let the snow go its own way.
The third one said: - Whoever knows the truth should not care whether there is snow or not.
The teacher said: “Now listen to what I will tell you.
The disciples prepared to listen to the greatest wisdom.
The teacher looked around at them, sighed and said: “Shovels in your hands – and go ahead!”
Morality: don't forget what really works - action!
Parable about insults
The student asked the teacher:
- You are so wise. You are always in good mood, never get mad. Help me to be like that too.
The teacher agreed and asked the student to bring potatoes and a transparent bag.
“If you get angry with someone and hold a grudge,” the teacher said, “then take a potato.” Write on it the name of the person with whom the conflict occurred, and put these potatoes in a bag.
- And it's all? the student asked in bewilderment.
“No,” the teacher replied. - You must always carry a package. And every time you take offense at someone, add potatoes to it.
The student agreed. Some time has passed. The student's bag was replenished with potatoes and became quite heavy. It was very inconvenient to always carry it with you. In addition, the potatoes that he put at the very beginning began to deteriorate. It was covered with a slippery, nasty coating, some germinated, some bloomed and began to emit a sharp unpleasant odor.
The student came to the teacher and said:
“It is no longer possible to carry it with you. Firstly, the package is too heavy, and secondly, the potatoes have gone bad. Suggest something else.
But the teacher replied:
“The same thing happens to you. You just don't notice it right away. Actions turn into habits, habits into character, which gives rise to fetid vices. I gave you the opportunity to observe this process from the outside. Every time you decide to be offended or, conversely, offend someone, think about whether you need this load.
The Parable of the Seeker
One wise old man took the boy to the zoo.
Do you see these monkeys?
- Yeah.
“Do you see the one over there that fusses and looks for fleas from other monkeys?
- Yes.
- This monkey is "seeking"! She considers the rest to be a lice-ridden herd and tries to "cleanse" everyone.
- What about others?
Nothing, they just itch sometimes. Or they don't itch.
- And who cleans the "search"?
- Nobody. Therefore, she is the most lousy ...
At any age, we love fairy tales for their warmth and sincerity. And we all love allegorical tales, called parables - they teach and entertain at the same time. They are full of wisdom and inspiration. And these things, as we know, do not happen much.
The Parable of the Two Snowflakes
It was snowing. It was quiet and calm, and fluffy snowflakes slowly circled in a bizarre dance, slowly approaching the ground.
Two small snowflakes flying nearby struck up a conversation. So that they would not be carried away from each other, they joined hands and one snowflake cheerfully said:
- What an incredible feeling of flying!
- We do not fly, we just fall, - the second answered sadly.
- Soon we will meet the ground and turn into a white fluffy blanket!
- No, we are flying towards death, and on the ground they will simply trample us.
- We will become streams and rush to the sea. We will live forever! said the first.
- No, we will melt and disappear forever, - objected to her second.
Finally they got tired of arguing.
They unclenched their hands, and each flew towards the fate that she chose herself.
The parable of the tree
One tree suffered greatly because it was small, crooked and ugly. All the other trees in the neighborhood were much taller and prettier. The tree really wanted to become like them, so that its branches fluttered beautifully in the wind.
But the tree grew on the side of the cliff. Its roots clung to a small piece of soil that had accumulated in a crevice between the stones. An icy wind rustled in its branches. The sun illuminated it only in the morning, and in the afternoon it was hidden behind a rock, giving its light to other trees growing down the slope. It was simply impossible for the tree to grow larger, and it cursed its unfortunate fate.
But one morning, when the first rays of the sun illuminated it, it looked at the valley below and realized that life was not so bad. There was a magnificent view in front of him. None of the trees growing below could see even a tenth of this wonderful panorama.
The ledge of the rock protected it from snow and ice. Without its crooked trunk, knotty and strong boughs, the tree simply could not survive in this place. It had its own unique style and took its place. It was unique.
A parable about why someone else's wife is sweeter
In ancient, ancient times, the Lord blinded ten Adams. One of them plowed the land, the other herded sheep, the third fished ... After some time they came to their Father with a request:
Everything is there, but something is missing. We are bored.
The Lord gave them dough and said:
“Let everyone blind a woman at their own discretion, whoever likes what they like: plump, thin, tall, small ... And I will breathe life into them.”
After that, the Lord brought out sugar on a platter and said:
“There are ten pieces here. Let everyone take one and give it to his wife so that life with her is sweet.
They all did.
The Lord frowned.
“There is a rogue among you, for there were eleven lumps of sugar on the dish. Who took two pieces?
Everyone was silent.
The Lord took their wives from them, mixed them up, and then distributed them to whoever got what.
Since then, nine men out of ten think that someone else's wife is sweeter ... Because she ate an extra piece of sugar.
And only one of the Adams knows that all women are the same, because he himself ate the extra piece of sugar.
Parable about the real price
A merchant bought a large diamond in Africa, the size of a pigeon's egg. He had one drawback - there was a small crack inside. The merchant turned to the jeweler for advice, and he said:
– This stone can be split into two parts, which will make two magnificent diamonds, each of which will be many times more expensive than a diamond. But a careless blow can break this miracle of nature into a handful of tiny pebbles that will cost a penny. I'm not taking that risk.
Others responded the same way. But one day he was advised to turn to an old jeweler from London, a master with golden hands. He examined the stone and again spoke about the risks. The merchant said that he already knew this story by heart. Then the jeweler agreed to help, naming a good price for the work.
When the merchant agreed, the jeweler summoned his young apprentice. He took the stone in his palm and once hit the diamond with a hammer, breaking it into two equal parts. The merchant asked admiringly:
How long has he been working for you?
- It's only the third day. He does not know the real value of this stone, and therefore his hand was firm.
Parable about happiness
Happiness was walking through the forest, enjoying nature, when he suddenly fell into a hole. Sits and cries. A man was walking by, Happiness heard a man and shouts from the pit:
– I want a big and beautiful house with a sea view, the most expensive one.
Happiness gave a man a beautiful house by the sea, he was delighted, ran away and forgot about Happiness. Happiness sits in a hole and cries even louder.
A second man was walking past, the Happiness of the man heard and shouted to him:
- Good man! Get me out of here.
- What will you give me for this? the man asks.
- And what do you want? – asked Happiness.
- I want a lot of beautiful and expensive cars, various brands.
Happiness gave the man what he asked for, the man was delighted, forgot about Happiness and ran away. Happiness has completely lost hope.
Suddenly he hears a third person coming, Happiness called out to him:
- Good man! Get me out of here.
The man pulled Happiness out of the pit and went on. Happiness was delighted, ran after him and asked:
- Human! What do you want for helping me?
“I don’t need anything,” the man replied.
And so Happiness ran after the man, never lagging behind him.
A parable about a world view
A small crooked tree grew along the road. One night a thief ran past. He saw a silhouette from a distance and with fear thought that a policeman was standing by the road, so he ran away in fright.
One evening, a young man in love passed by. He saw a slender silhouette from afar and decided that his beloved was already waiting for him. He was happy and walked faster.
One day a mother with a child passed by a tree. The kid, frightened by terrible tales, thought that a ghost was looking out by the road and burst into loud tears.
But… a tree has always been just a tree.
The world around us is just a reflection of ourselves.
Parable about where happiness is hidden
The wise old cat lay on the grass and basked in the sun. Then a small nimble kitten rushed past her. He tumbled past the cat, then jumped up briskly and began to run in circles again.
What are you doing? the cat asked lazily.
- I'm trying to catch my tail! – out of breath, answered the kitten.
- But why? the cat laughed.
- I was told that the tail is my happiness. If I catch my tail, I will catch my happiness. So I've been running for the third day after my tail. But he always eludes me.
The old cat smiled in a way that only old cats can do and said:
- When I was young, I was also told that my tail was my happiness. I ran after my tail for many days and tried to grab it. I did not eat, did not drink, but only ran after the tail. I fell exhausted, got up and again tried to catch my tail. At some point, I despaired. And she just went where her eyes look. And you know what I suddenly noticed?
What? the kitten asked in surprise.
- I noticed that wherever I go, my tail follows me everywhere. You don't have to run for happiness. You have to choose your own path, and happiness will go with you.
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 do not 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:
- Shame on you! 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 glory! 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
In the wolf pack, the Old Leader decided to appoint a successor for himself. 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's 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 into a royal family, life could be so simple ..." And he went towards the city center, from where a rhythmic knock was heard hammers and loud cries. 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 study, 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 out in the open air all day, doing manual labor, or working for someone, or even being a street bum, and quite not to think about politics and other complex issues.
“What a simple life these simple people must have,” 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 packet of cookies, and in the next chair sat a man reading a magazine. She took the cookie, the man took it 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
Two different families live in neighboring houses. 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,” his mother answered him lovingly, “if you try to grow up to be a kind and good boy, then all the 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 the arguing seeks not 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 diligence 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 worked 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
Somehow my wife sent me here to the store 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.
— But 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 stayed up late into the 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 were 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 my beautiful dresses, and you will immediately see how people 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.
