While Seisetsu was the master of Engaku in Kamakura, he required larger quarters, since those in which he was teaching were overcrowded. Umezu Seibei, a merchant of Edo, decided to donate five…
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Cherry blossoms and the misty moon
It happened about a very famous Zen woman, her name was Rengetsu…. Very few women have attained to the Zen ultimate. This one is one of those rare women. She was on…
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Work and rest
There is an ancient story: It is said that an old follower of Lao Tzu, who was 90 years old, was busy pulling water from the well, together with his young son.…
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Chishti and music
I have heard a story. It happened in Ajmer… You must have heard about one Sufi mystic, Moinuddin Chishti, whose dargah, whose tomb, is in Ajmer. Chishti was a great mystic, one…
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Ashtavakra, the pre-born genius
The story of Ashtavakra is from the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It is the story of a young boy who was born deformed but whose intellect and wisdom surpassed many learned…
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In search of a master
There is a famous Sufi story: A man went in search of a Master. He was ready to go around the world, but he was determined to find the Master, the true…
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The holy shadow
Let me tell you a very famous Sufi story, “The Holy Shadow.” There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be…
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Way to be pure
It happened….A man used to come to a great saint, and he would always ask, ‘Sir, one thing puzzles me. You are so innocent, so pure, how is this possible? Suspicion arises…
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Truth at any cost
The Chhandogya Upanishad has a beautiful story.Let us begin with it. Satyakam asked his mother, Jabala, “Mother, I want to live the life of a student of supreme knowledge. What is my…
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The French Revolution: A history
In 1834, the philosopher John Stuart Mill discovered that, although he had signed a contract with his publisher to produce a general history of the French revolution, he was actually too busy…