Girl by the river
Two Zen monks, Tanzan (1819-1892) and Ekido, traveling on pilgrimage, came to
a muddy river crossing. There they saw a lovely young woman dressed in her...
Secret of Happiness
Paulo Coelho. Story from the Alchemist
A merchant sent his son to learn the Secret of Happiness from the wisest of men.
The young man wandered...
“Maybe” – Parable of Wisdom
Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years.
One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing...
Parable of Heaven and Hell
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said:
"Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are...
The Burning Hut
The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed
feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he...
Dream of a butterfly
Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around,
happy with himself and doing as he pleased.
He didn't know he...
“This is good!”
One African King had a close friend with whom he grew up.
The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred...
Sharpen your saw!
A short story about effectivness of Method
One man who was walking through a forest when he came across a frustrated lumberjack. A lumberjack was...
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university
professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s...
Donkey in the well
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.
The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out...