Allegory / wise story thread

[Infinity]

Inspired by suninmyeyes mystical poetry thread and Everyone post some favorite quotes!

I have started this thread:

 

I love thoughtfull stories that can in my humble opinion sometimes give us real insight, understanding and even empower us.

 

This is one I read in an Osho book years ago and it always stayed with me. I am writing it from memory as I cannot find it on the net.

 

Sorry if your heard it before, hopefully another Bum will offer one that you have not!

 

∞

 

There was a little boy in India who was always late for school and had been in trouble with his teachers for being late many times. One particular day when he was late again his teachers said to him that his lateness was unacceptable and they informed him that if he was late again he would be expelled.

 

The boy new that if he was expelled his mother and father would be very annoyed and upset and that he would not be able to go to college and get a good job and be able help take care of his family. The next day he was determined to get to school and he got up very early to leave himself lots of time for the long walk. Unfortunately that morning the monsoon started and the rain poured down and the roads and paths were wet and slippery and every time he took a step forward he slipped two back.

 

Eventually he arrived at school but he was late. The teacher immediatly took him aside and chastised him and informed him he was now expelled. But the boy passionately defended himself saying how he had got up early and walked in the monsoon and slipped two steps back with every one step forward. The teacher however was having none of it and said how did you get to school then? The boy said I walked backwards.

[chegg]

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg

[chegg]

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg

[Nungali]

.I like the stories of the Sufi, Mullah Nasruddin. Here is an example:

In one town the Mullah stayed at for a while he would be on the corner acting stupid and begging, people would be entertained as when he was offered two coins he alywas took the smaller amount. People would offer him larger and larger amounts - and the smaller coin but he would always take the small amount and then they would laugh at him.

One day a kinder soul said to him "Mullah, why do you never take the large amount of money, if you did you would have much more money and could eventually stop begging?"

"If I did that," the Mullah replied " Then they would stop giving me money very soon and I would have no money at all. This way I am assured an income by allowing them to pay me so they can demonstrate to their friends that there is someone more stupid than they are.".

Edited November 28, 2013 by Nungali

[chegg]

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg

[Brian]

.I like the stories of the Sufi, Mullah Nasruddin. Here is an example:

In one town the Mullah stayed at for a while he would be on the corner acting stupid and begging, people would be entertained as when he was offered two coins he alywas took the smaller amount. People would offer him larger and larger amounts - and the smaller coin but he would always take the small amount and then they would laugh at him.

One day a kinder soul said to him "Mullah, why do you never take the large amount of money, if you did you would have much more money and could eventually stop begging?"

"If I did that," the Mullah replied " Then they would stop giving me money very soon and I would have no money at all. This way I am assured an income by allowing them to pay me so they can demonstrate to their friends that there is someone more stupid than they are.".

 

This is also an old story from the American Southeast -- a town simpleton taunted by mean kids with nickels & dimes who turns out to be wiser than was thought...

[Nungali]

I once read a paper on folk stories and many western stories have an origin in Sufi stories.

 

I like this one:

 

I like the ' Tale of the Horrendous Dib-Dib.'

 

Hasan walks past the old widows place at night and her window is open … she is a strange old woman, up to … who knows what? So he walks past the window and listens. He hears a moaning noise , a rather horrible noise and ‘concerned’ he goes and peeks in the window. There is the widow thrashing in bed “Oh I cant stand it any longer …. the horrible Dib-dib …. How can I sleep when it torments me so … that horrible horrible Dib-dib.”

 

Concerned he rushes home but on the way there he starts to feel unwell himself, by the time he gets home he is worse, he goes inside and up to his wife, “ Quick! Call the doctor. I think I have been infected by a horrible spirit … an evil spirit.”

 

The doctor comes and examines him but cant find anything wrong, Hassan tells him the story. The doctor says “This may be case of spirit possession, there is not much I can do … but, as you tell me this, I am beginning to feel unwell myself.” He decides to lie down and bids the wife to call the Imman.

 

The Imman arrives (and to cut the story short) the same thing happens to him. Eventually there is a crowd of people lying around and moaning and being possessed by the horrible Dib-dib.

 

Eventually, they pull themselves together and go around in a group to the widows house with an ancient Koran, spells, incense and all sorts of parapanalia . They surround the house and start reading from the Koran and chanting and sensing and trowing holy water at the house.

 

The widow sticks her head out the window and “What is going on out there?”

They explain and she calls them all idiots and bids them to the window. “Look ! There is the monster that has possesed you. If my husband could have one done last job before he died … but he didn’t … look over there, there is your demon.

 

They looked to where she pointed and there was the sink with the dripping tap ; dib-dib … dib-dib …. dib-dib.

[chegg]

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg

[soaring crane]

Paraphrasing one I read in an Osho book:

 

There was a man who's life's ambition was to make diamonds. He dedicated every minute of every day to this and nothing else. He traveled all the corners of the world, searching for wise people who may hold one bit of information that could help him find the answer to making diamonds. Along the way, he managed to make silver, and platinum, and gold, all of no interest to him. It had to be diamond or nothing.

 

Nearing the end of his life, after many decades of fruitlessly searching, he came across an old man who told him of a legend of a woman of vast knowledge who was said to able to answer any question put to her. She was a kind of mystical oracle, and the old man couldn't say for certain if she even existed.

 

But the man was inspired to search for the oracle and put his question to her.

 

As is to be expected in this type of story, the journey to the woman's settlement was arduous, involved long, nearly impossible climbs over many mountains, battling the worst weather imaginable ...

 

And after many years of traveling, at the end of his energies, near death, the man came to a glade, hidden in a valley, that matched exactly the description the old man so many years ago had given him. This had to be the place where the oracle lived.

 

In the center of the glad was a small house, with smoke coming from the chimney. It looked innocent enough, even inviting, so the man, getting excited, walked quickly to the one door, knocked, and began trembling with excitement as he heard some shuffling inside, and the door slowly swung open. He knew the question he wanted to put to the oracle, he'd recited it silently to himself hundreds of thousands of times during his journey.

 

When the door finally opened, he was stunned by the vision of beauty that greeted him: A young, voluptuous female, in flowing, sheer, silk that barely disguised the curves below, and a face like a goddess, with soft red lips. The red lips smiled gently at him. They parted, and the sweetest voice ever heard said to the weary, desperate man, 'Hello. I'm the oracle of the valley glade, I greet you. My husband is out collecting firewood. But you've found me and now you can ask me your question. Mind, please, that I can only answer one question. After that, I'm silent to you forever.'

 

The man was stunned by this vision, and his question welled up inside him. He was shaking. After all those decades of disappointment, his life's mission was going to be fulfilled ....

 

He opened his mouth. The goddess' red lips smiled at him expectantly ...

 

He felt himself begin to speak ... from deep within his soul, the words came bubbling forth ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'When do you think your husband will be back?'

Edited December 8, 2013 by soaring crane

[chegg]

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg

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Edited March 14, 2015 by chegg