One of the great Sufi Masters, Junnaid, was dying. His chief disciple came close to him and asked softly, ″Master, you are leaving us. One question has always been in our minds. …
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The tunnel
Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official’s wife and was discovered. In self-defence, he…
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The pointer
The Zen teacher’s dog loved his evening romp with his master. The dog would bound ahead to fetch a stick, then run back, wag his tail, and wait for the next game.…
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Paradise
Two men wander the desert, hopelessly lost. Tired and thirsty, they ascend a large sand dune – only to discover a giant stone wall. On the other side of the wall, they…
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Harmony
There is the story of a young martial arts student who was under the tutelage of a famous master. One day, the master was watching a practice session in the courtyard. He…
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The moon cannot be stolen
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, a thief visited the hut only to discover there was…
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Finding a piece of the truth
One day Mara, the Evil One, was traveling through the villages of India with his attendants. He saw a man doing meditation walking whose face was lit up with wonder. The man…
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If I had only one year to live, how would I live differently?
Anthony Burgess was 40 when he learned that he had only one year to live. He had a brain tumor that would kill him within a year. He knew he had a…
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Grandma and Santa Claus
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid… I remember tearing across town on my bicycle to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the…
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We are already God
Rabiya (also Rabia) , a great Sufi mystic, was passing…. It was the street she used to pass every day on her way to the marketplace, because in the marketplace she would…