Late one evening a poor farmer on his way back from the market found himself without his prayer book. The wheel of his cart had come off right in the middle of…
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Prayer in a sigh
A cobbler came to Rabbi Issac of Ger and said: “Tell me what to do about my morning prayer. My customers are poor men who have only one pair of shoes. I…
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Going higher
It intrigued the congregation to see that their rabbi disappeared each week on the eve of the Sabbath. They suspected that he was secretly meeting the Almighty, so they deputed one of…
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The truth
A soldier was asked to rush back home from the battle front because his father was seriously ill. He was permitted to leave as he was all that his father had. When the…
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The bad coin
There was once an old Sufi who earned his living by selling all sorts of odds and ends. It seemed as if the man had no judgment because people would frequently pay…
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Appointment with April
Once, philosopher George Santayana came into a sizeable legacy and was able to relinquish his post on the Harvard faculty. The classroom was packed for his final appearance, and Santayana did himself…
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Sitting by the side, watching
One day Buddha is passing by a forest. It is a hot summer day and he is feeling very thirsty. He says to Ananda, his chief disciple, “Ananda, you go back. Just…
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Resist not evil
Some people brought a woman to Jesus and said, “She has committed adultery. It is written in the ancient scriptures, that she should be stoned to death. What do you think?” Jesus…
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Is it crazy enough?
I have heard a true story, as told by Freeman Dyson… A few months ago, Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli believed that they had made an essential step forward in the direction…
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‘Put your hands on the top of your heads’
I have come across a very beautiful Zen story. Listen to it attentively; it is your story. Behind a temple there was a field where a lot of squashes (vegetables of the…