The Master gave his teaching in parables and stories, which his disciples listened to with pleasure — and occasional frustration, for they longed for something deeper.
The Master was unmoved. To all their objections he would say, “You have yet to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story.”
Another time he said, “Do not despise the story. A lost gold coin is found by means of a penny candle; the deepest truth is found by means of a simple story.”
Anthony de Mello
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Anthony de Mello (1931-1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher, writer and public speaker, De Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He continues to be known for his storytelling, which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West. In most of his stories, “The Master” is deliberately framed not as a single historical figure, but as a wise teacher, demonstrating how universal wisdom transcends religious boundaries.
Image: A postage stamp issued by Thailand in 2007 features the Maya Devi Temple , an ancient Buddhist temple situated at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal. It is the main temple at Lumbini, a site traditionally considered the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. The archaeological remains at the site were previously dated to the third-century BCE brick buildings constructed by Ashoka. Courtesy https://www.buddhiststamp.com/
Notes:
The penny candle metaphor in Rabbinic literature: The Master’s metaphor of finding a lost gold coin using a penny candle is directly adapted from a classic Midrashic parable (Song of Songs Rabbah 1:1). The ancient rabbis used this exact imagery to explain why King Solomon taught in simple parables (mashal): just as a person uses a cheap candle worth a penny to search a dark house and locate a lost treasure, a simple story allows the human mind to grasp profound spiritual truths that would otherwise remain hidden in obscurity.
Anthony de Mello’s narrative philosophy: This entry serves as a self-referential manifesto for Anthony de Mello’s entire literary work (The Song of the Bird, One Minute Wisdom). De Mello famously asserted that “the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story,” using narrative as a universal tool to bypass dogmatic divisions across religious traditions.
A note on the power of the story: Humanity has always navigated reality through narrative rather than dry facts, finding coherence and comfort in the ancient art of storytelling. Serving as a direct narrative bridge between abstract wisdom and lived experience, stories remind us that stark truth can often feel too overwhelming to face on its own; when clothed in the warmth of simple narrative, it invites us in, entering our hearts and lingering long after the words have faded. By emphasizing meaning over facts, simple parables function as memory aids, moral compasses, and quiet sanctuaries where we can process the confusion of existence. This reflects Wellsprings’ core philosophy: to act as a slow-paced watering hole that kindles curiosity, fosters deep empathy, and illuminates the enduring beauty of human nature through timeless storytelling.