Coehlo's Blog - A Collection

8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection

1/26

On roses

byRalph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (1841)

Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer

upright

He dares not say I think, I am, but quotes some

saint or sage.He is ashamed before the blade of grass or the

blowing rose.

These roses under my window make no reference

to former roses or to better ones; they are for what

they are; they exist with God to-day.

There is no time to them.

There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every

moment of its existence.

Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in

the full-blown flower there is no more; in the

leafless root there is no less.

Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in allmoments alike.

But man postpones or remembers; he does not live

in the present, but with reverted eye laments the

past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him,

stands on tiptoe to foresee the future.

He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives

with nature in the present, above time.

Paying 3 times for the same

thing

There is a legend in the region of Punjab, about a thief

who broke into a farm and stole two hundred onions.

But before he could make his escape, he was caught

by the farmer and led before the judge.

The magistrate past sentence: the payment of ten

gold pieces.

But the man alleged that the fine was too high, so the

judge offered him two alternatives: to be whipped

twenty times, or eat the two hundred onions.

The thief chose to eat the two hundred onions.

When he had eaten twenty-five, his eyes were already

filled with tears, and his stomach was burning up like

the fires of hell.

Since there were still 175 to go, and he knew he

would never bear this punishment, he begged to be

thrashed twenty times.

The judge agreed. But when the whip tore into his

back for the tenth time, he implored for the

punishment to be stopped, for he could not stand the

pain.

His wish was granted, but the thief still had to pay the

ten pieces of gold.

- If you had accepted the fine, you would have

avoided eating the onions and wouldnt have sufferedwith whip said the judge.

- But you preferred the more difficult path, not

understanding that, when you have done wrong, it is

better to pay up quickly and forget the matter.

Mysteries of Aleph

(research by Alexandra

Jequier after readingALEPH)

The Hebrew alphabet is not simply a collection of

abstract linguistic elements, like the English

alphabet is. All Hebrew letters have names andidentities, and in post-Biblical times were even

rendered numerical value.

It is said that they contain the precise plan of the

principles of creation. Each letter (or auth) is a

crystallization of one of the aspects of

manifestation of the divine word. Each letter

corresponds to a number

Each letter is thus connected to the creative forces

in the universe.

First there are three mother letters, or Immoth:Aleph, Mem and Shin. They form the prime

trinity that came from the Divine.

They represent the three dimensions of space.

They act as a prism which transforms

The numerical value of Aleph is 111 (Aleph +

Lamed + Peh: 1 + 30 + 80 = 111). The number

111 contains the trinity; and it is also the constant

of the magic square of six. 111 = 1 + 10 +100.


2/26

Symbolically this means that Aleph combines thedivine, the spiritual and the physical world.

In Revelation 22:13 Jesus refers to Himself as the

Aleph and Tav, the First and the Last

In Or Torah, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid ofMezritch, explained first words of Torah: Bereshit

Bara Elohim Et (Gen 1:1). Note that etis an

untranslatable word used to indicate that a

definite direct object is next (thus there needs to

be an etbefore the heavens and the earth).

But Dov Ber points out that et is spelled Aleph-

Tav, an abbreviation for the Aleph-Bet. Aleph is

the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Since God

did this before creating the heavens and the earth,

the letters are considered to be the primordial

building blocks of all of creation.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi stated that if the

letters were to depart even for an instant, all ofcreation would become absolute nothingness

The Hebrew alphabet is not simply a collection of

abstract linguistic elements, like the English

alphabet is. All Hebrew letters have names and

identities, and in post-Biblical times were even

rendered numerical value.

It contains secrets that were preserved by the

initiated. They contain the precise plan of the

principles of creation.

Each letter (or auth) is a crystallization of one of

the aspects of manifestation of the divine word.Each letter corresponds to a number which placesit in a numerical hierarchy, a hieroglyph as a

visual representationin form, and a symbol that makes it connect to

other letters.Aleph as first letter is attributed to Kether, the

origin of the Tree of Life.

As a symbol Aleph represents unity, origin,

power, continuity and stability.

10 sec reading: My wife and the burnt

lightOn Christmas Eve, my wife and I were reflecting

on the year that was nearly ending, whilst dining

at a restaurant.

I started to complain about something that hadnt

happened the way I wanted it to.

My wife focused her attention on a Christmas tree

that embellished the place.

I thought that she wasnt interested in the

conversation, so I changed the subject:This tree has a beautiful illumination, I said.

Yes, but if you look carefully you can see one

burnt light among dozens. It seems to me that instead of thinking of this

year as dozens of enlightened blessings, you chose

to look at the one light that did not glow

I dont know God

Sometimes we criticize lack of faith in others.

We arent capable of understanding the

circumstances in which this faith has been lost,

nor do we try to alleviate our brothers misery

and this causes revolt and incredulity in the divine

power.

Humanist Robert Owen traveled all over England

talking of God.In the 19th century it was common to use child

labor in heavy work, and one afternoon Owen

stopped at a coal mine where an undernourished

twelve-year-old boy was lugging a heavy sack of

bricks.

I am here to help you talk to God, said Owen.

Thanks very much, but I dont know him. He

must work in another mine, answered the boy.

How can you expect a boy in those conditions to

be able to believe in God?

Understand that you are not alone when you want

Divine Justice to make itself manifest on this

Earth. In the Middle Ages the Gothic cathedrals

were built by several generations. This prolonged

effort helped the participants to organize their

thoughts, to give thanks and to dream.

The desire to build a better world remains in ourheart. We are building the cathedrals of tomorrow.

Lets meet the right people and do it together.

20 sec reading: Id rather be in hellAs soon as he died, Juan found himself in a

gorgeous place, surrounded by all the comfort and

beauty he had dreamed of.

A fellow dressed in white approached him and

said, You have the right to have whatever you

want; any food, pleasure or amusement.

Charmed, Juan did everything he dreamed of

doing during his life. After many years of


3/26

pleasures, he sought the fellow in white andasked, I have already experienced everything I

wanted. Now I need to work in order to feeluseful.

I am sorry, said the fellow in white, but that is

the only thing I am unable to give you. There is no

work here.

How terrible, Juan said annoyed, I will spend

eternity dying of boredom! Id much rather be in

hell!

The man in white approached him and said in a

low voice:

And where do you think you are?

1 min reading: A Christmas tale

A medieval legend tells us that in the country we

know today as Austria the Burkhard family aman, a woman and a child used to amuse people

at Christmas parties by reciting poetry, singing

ancient troubadour ballads, and juggling. Of

course, there was never any money left over to

buy presents, but the man always told his son:

Do you know why Santa Clauss bag never gets

empty, although there are so many children in the

world? Because it may be full of toys, but

sometimes there are more important things to be

delivered, what we call invisible gifts. In a

broken home, he tries to bring harmony and peaceon the holiest night in Christianity. Where love is

lacking, he deposits a seed of faith in childrens

hearts. Where the future seems black and

uncertain, he brings hope. In our case, the day

after Father Christmas comes to visit us, we arehappy to be still alive and doing our work, which

is to make people happy. Never forget that.

Time passed, the boy grew up, and one day thefamily passed in front of the impressive Melk

Abbey, which had just been built. The young

Burkhard wanted to become a priest. The familyunderstood and respected the boys wish. Theyknocked at the door of the monastery and were

given generous welcome by the monks, who

accepted the young Buckhard as a novice.

Christmas Eve came around. And precisely onthat day, a special miracle happened in Melk: Our

Lady, carrying the baby Jesus in her arms, decidedto descend to Earth to visit the monastery.

All the priests lined up and each of them stoodproudly before the Virgin trying to pay homage to

the Madonna and her Son.

At the very end of the line, young Buckhardanxiously waited his turn. His parents were simple

people, and all that they had taught him was to

toss balls up in the air and do some juggling.

When it came his turn, the other priests wanted to

put an end to all the homage that had been paid,

since the ex-juggler had nothing important to add

and might even mar the image of the abbey.

Nevertheless, deep in his heart he also felt a great

need to give something of himself to Jesus and theVirgin. Feeling very ashamed before the

reproachful gaze of his brothers, he took some

oranges from his pocket and began to toss them in

the air and catch them in his hands, creating a

beautiful circle in the air.

At that instant, the baby Jesus, lying in Our

Ladys lap, began to clap his hands with joy. And

it was to young Buckhard that the Virgin held out

her arms to let him hold the smiling child for a

few moments.

The meaning of the crowns

When Moses rose to the heavens to write a certain

part of the Bible, the Almighty asked him to drawsmall crowns on top of some of the letters of the

Torah.

Moses asked, Creator of the Universe, why put

these crowns here?

Because in a hundred generations, a man called

Akiva will interpret the true meaning of these

drawings.

Show me the interpretation of this man, said

Moses.

The Lord took Moses to the future and placed him

in a classroom where Rabbi Akiva was teaching.

A student was asking the Rabbi, Rabbi, why do

some of these letters have these crowns drawn on

them?

I dont know, Akiva answered, I believe that

even Moses didnt know. But as he was the

greatest prophet of all, he did that in order to teach

us that even when we dont comprehend


4/26

everything the Lord does, we still have to do whatHe asks us to.

Writing as a spiritual activity

While I was writing The Witch ofPortobello, themain character Athena started to unfold in

unexpected ways.It was as if I was chasing after her: I had no idea

how her story would end but got really excited bythe opportunities that aroused from the different

perspectives.

At one point in my book, the character of Nabeel

Al Ehi teaches Athena the following:

Even a simple letter demands that we put all

power into it that we have, as if we were to carve

its meaning in hard stone.

Thus, when holy scripts find their place onpaper, they also include the persons soul.

Because the hand leading the line reflects the

soul of the writer.

In this excerpt, he voices my view on writing. I

regard writing as a spiritual activity.

Its the moment, when, in silence, Im able to talk

to myself, to connect to my soul. But you can

apply that to any act performed with commitment,

humility and love

Havent you ever lost someone?

by Paulo Coelho on August 10, 2011

A man was walking along the road to Damascus.

He recalled his lost love and his soul grieved.

Pity on those who know love, he thought. They

will never be happy, with the fear of losing the

one they love.

At that moment he heard a nightingale sing.

- Why do you act like that? the man asked thenightingale. Dont you see that my beloved, who

loved your song so much, is no longer here by my

side?

- I sing because I am happy answered the

nightingale.

- Havent you ever lost someone? the maninsisted.

- Many times answered the nightingale. But

my love still remains all the same.

And the man went on his way feeling morehopeful.

2O SEC READING:What is written?

A blind man was begging on the road to Mecca,

when a pious Moslem came over and askedwhether the people were giving generously as

the Koran commands. The man showed him his

little tin, which was almost empty. The traveler

said:

- Let me write something on the card around your

neck.

Hours later, the traveler returned. The beggar wassurprised, for he had received a large amount of

money.

- What did you write on the card? he asked.

- All I wrote was: Today is a beautiful spring day,the sun is shining, and I am blind.

I forgot my prayer book

A Jewish peasant boy came to the big town to

celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

But found himself without his prayer book.

The wheel of his cart had come off right in the

middle of the woods and it distressed him that this

day should pass without his having said his

prayers.He thought:

The Holy One blessed is enthroned in theheavens and we pray all year long to Him. We

especially pray during these two days of RoshHashanah when the whole world is being judged

and each person is being judged for the rest of theyear.

But I forgot my prayer book.

So this is the prayer he made:

I have done something very foolish, Lord.

I came away from home this morning without

my prayer book and my memory is such that I

cannot recite a single prayer without it.


5/26

So this is what I am going to do:I shall recite the alphabet five times very slowly

and you, to whom all prayers are known, will putthe letters together to form the prayers I cant

remember.

And the Holy One said to his angels,

Of all the prayers I have heard today, this one

was undoubtedly the best because it came from a

heart that was simple and sincere.

10 sec read: Yom Kippur

On the day of Yom Kippur

On the day of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Elimelekh of

Lisensk took his disciples to a bricklayers

workshop.

Watch how this man behaves, he said. Because

he manages to communicate well with the Lord.

Without noticing that he was being observed, the

bricklayer ended his work and went to thewindow.

He took two pieces of paper from his pocket andraised them to the sky, saying:

Lord, on one paper I have written the list of my

sins. I have erred and there is no reason for me to

hide that I offended You several times.

But on the other paper is the list of Your sins

towards me. You have demanded of me more thanwhat is necessary, brought me difficult moments,

and made me suffer. If we compare the two lists,

You are in debt towards me. But since today is the

Day of Atonement, You pardon me, I pardon You,

and we shall continue on our path together for

another year.

10 SEC READ:Why are you crying?

A man knocked at his Bedouin friends door to

ask him a favor:

I want you to lend me four thousand dinars

because I have a debt to pay. Can you do that for

me?

The friend asked his wife to gather together

everything they had of value, but even so it was

not enough. They had to go out and borrow

money from the neighbors until they managed to

get the full amount.

When the man left, the woman noticed that herhusband was crying.

Why are you sad? Now that weve got ourselves

in debt with our neighbors, are you afraid wewont be able to repay them?

Nothing of the sort! Im crying because he is

someone I love so much, but even so I had no idea

he was in need.

I only remembered him when he had to knock on

my door to ask me for a loan.

10 SEC READING: the world as a

mirror

Cain and Abel came to the banks of an enormous

lake. They had never seen anything like it.

Theres something inside it, said Abel, looking

into the water, not knowing that it was his

reflection.

Cain noticed the same thing, and raised his staff.The image did the same thing. Cain stood waiting

for the blow; his image did the same.

Abel studied the surface of the water. He smiled,and the image smiled. He laughed out loud, and

saw the other imitating him.

As they walked away, Cain thought:

How aggressive those creatures are who live in

there.

And Abel told himself:

Id like to return, for I met someone both

handsome and in good humor.

10 sec reading: After the Deluge

At the end of the forty days of deluge, Noah came

out of the ark. He was filled with hope, but all he

found outside was death and destruction.

Noah protested:

Almighty God, if You knew the future, why did

You create man? Just for the pleasure of

punishing him?


6/26

A triple perfume rose up into the sky: incense, theperfume of Noahs tears, and the aroma of his

actions. Then God replied:

The prayers of a just man are always heard. I willtell you why I did this: so that you will understand

your work.

You and your descendents will always be

rebuilding a world which came from nothing

and in this way we share the work and the

consequences.

Now we are all responsible.

10 SEC READING: loving without fear

A pilgrim arrived at the village where Abu Yazid

al-Bistrami lived.

- Teach me the quickest way to reach God.

Al-Bistrami answered:

- Love Him with all your strength.

- That I already do.

- Then you need to be loved by the others.

- But why?

- Because God looks at the hearts of all men.

When He visits yours He will surely see the loveyou have for Him and He will be happy.

However, if He also finds your name written

with affection in the hearts of others, He will

certainly pay far more attention to you.

20 sec reading: How to behave like a

fool

Mullah Nasrudin (the central figure in almost alltales of the Sufi tradition) had already become a

sort of attraction at the main market in the town.

Whenever he went there to beg, people would

show him a large coin and a small one: Nasrudin

always chose the small one.

A generous man who was tired of seeing everyone

laugh at Nasrudin, explained to him:

When people offer you two coins, choose the

larger one. Then you will have more money, and

people will not think you a fool.

You are surely right, replied Nasrudin.But if I always chose the larger coin, people

would stop offering me money, in order to prove

that I am a greater fool than they are.

And then I would no longer receive enough for

my food.

There is nothing wrong with appearing to be a

fool, if what you are doing is in fact intelligent.

10 sec reading: dont forget the evil

men

The following prayer was found amongst the

personal belongings of a Jew who died in a

concentration camp:

Lord, when you come in Your glory, do not

remember only the men of good, but remember toothe men of evil.

And on the Day of Judgement, do not rememberonly the acts of cruelty, inhumanity and violence

that they carried out,but remember too the fruits that they produced in

us because of what they did to us.Remember the patience, courage, brotherly love,

humility, generosity of spirit and faithfulness

that our executioners awoke in our souls.

And then, Lord, may those fruits be used to savethe souls of those men of evil.

20 SEC READING: the city on the other

side

A hermit from the monastery of Sceta approached

Abbot Theodore:

I know exactly what the purpose of life is. I know

what God asks of man and I know the best way toserve Him. And yet, even so, I am incapable of

doing everything I should be doing in order to

serve the Lord.

The Abbot remained silent for a long time. Then

he said:

You know that there is a city on the other side of

the ocean, but you have not yet found the ship or

placed your baggage on board and crossed the sea.


7/26

Why then bother talking about it or abouthow weshould walk its streets?

It is not enough to know what life is for or to

know the best way to serve God.

Put your ideas into practice and the road will

reveal itself to you.

30 sec reading: why tell stories

Elie Wiesel recalls that the great Rabbi Israel

Shem Tov, when he saw that the Jews were beingmistreated, went into the forest, lit a holy fire, and

said a special prayer, asking God to protect hispeople.

And God sent him a miracle.

Later, his disciple Maggid de Mezritch, would go

to the same part of the forest and say:

Master of the Universe, I do not know how to

light the holy fire, but I do know the special

prayer; hear me, please!The miracle always came about.

A generation passed, and Rabbi Moshe-leib ofSasov, during some dire times, went to the forest,

saying:I dont know how to light the holy fire, nor do I

know the special prayer, but I still remember theplace. Help us, Lord!

And the Lord helped.

Fifty years later, Rabbi Israel de Rizhin, in his

wheelchair, spoke to God:I dont know how to light the holy fire, nor the

prayer, and I cant even find the place in the

forest. All I can do is tell this story, and hope God

hears me.

And the Lord helped.

Thats why I adore storytelling; stories are how

we learn. The progenitors of the worlds religionsunderstood this, handing down our great myths

and legends from generation to generation

As someone said: The universe is made of

stories, not atoms.

Before God

An old man sold toys in the Baghdad market.

Knowing that his sight was not quite perfect, his

customers sometimes paid him with fake money.

The old man discovered the ruse, but did not sayanything.

In his prayers he asked God to forgive those whocheated him.

Perhaps theyre short of money and want to buy

presents for their children, he said to himself.

The time passed and the old man died. Standing

before the gates of Heaven, he prayed once more:

- Lord! he said. I am a sinner. I did many

wrong things, I am no better than the false coins I

was paid. Forgive me!

At that moment the gates swung open and a Voice

was heard:

- Forgive what? How can I judge someone who allthrough his life never once passed judgment on

others?


8/26

Overcoming obstacles

A famous Sufi master was invited to give a

course in California.

The auditorium was full at 8AM the time

announced when one of the assistants came onto

the stage.The master is just waking up. Please be

patient.-Time passed, and people started leaving

the room.At midday, the assistant returned to the stage,

saying that the master would be starting the

lecture the minute he finished talking to a pretty

girl he had just met.

Most of the remaining audience left.At 4PM the

master appeared apparently drunk.

This time, all but 6 people stormed out.I will

teach you this, said the master, ceasing to act

drunk.

Whoever wishes to go down a long path, mustlearn that the first lesson is to overcome early

disappointments.

Paying the right price

Nixivan had invited his friends to supper and was

cooking a succulent piece of meat for them.

Suddenly, he realised that he had run out of salt.

So Nixivan called to his son.

Go to the village and buy some salt, but pay a fair

price for it: neither too much nor too little.

His son was surprised.

I can understand why I shouldnt pay too much

for it, Father, but if I can bargain them down, why

not save a bit of money?

That would be the sensible thing to do in a big

city, but it could destroy a small village like ours.

When Nixivans guests, who had overheard theirconversation, wanted to know why they should

not buy salt more cheaply if they could, Nixivan

replied:

The only reason a man would sell salt more

cheaply than usual would be because he was

desperate for money. And anyone who took

advantage of that situation would be showing alack of respect for the sweat and struggle of the

man who laboured to produce it.

But such a small thing couldnt possibly destroya village.

In the beginning, there was only a small amount

of injustice abroad in the world, but everyone whocame afterwards added their portion, always

thinking that it was only very small and

unimportant, and look where we have ended up

today.

In search of truth

The devil was talking to his friends when they

noticed a man walking along a road. They

watched him pass and saw that he bent down to

pick something up.

- What did he find? asked one of the friends.

- A piece of Truth answered the devil.

The friends were very concerned. After all, a

piece of Truth might save that mans soul oneless in Hell. But the devil remained unmoved,

gazing at the view.

- Arent you worried? said one of hiscompanions.

- He found a piece of Truth!

- Im not worried answered the devil.

- Do you know what hell do with the piece?As usual, hell create a new religion. And hell

succeed in distancing even more people from thewhole Truth.

20 SEC READING: The lady in

Copacabana

She was standing on the sidewalk of Atlntica

Avenue with a guitar and a hand-written sign thatsaid:

Lets sing together.

She began to play alone.

Then a drunk arrived, then another old lady andthey began to sing along with her.

In a short time a small crowd was singing togetherand another small crowd played the audience,

clapping hands at the end of each number.

Why do you do this? I asked between songs.


9/26

I dont want to be alone, she said. My life isvery lonely, just like almost all old people.

I wish they all could solve their problems in this

way.

20 SEC READING: How poor we are

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his

son on a trip to the country with the firm purposeof showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the

farm of what would be considered a very poorfamily.

On their return from the trip, the father asked his

son, How was the trip?

It was great, Dad.

Did you see how poor people live? the fatherasked.

Oh yes, said the son.So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?

asked the father.

The son answered:I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the

garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and

they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they havethe whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and theyhave fields that go beyond our sight.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us,

they have friends to protect them.

The boys father was speechless. Then his son

added:

Thanks, Dad for showing me how poor we are.

10 SEC READING: Chocolate

Two boys used to go to school together.

One of them had a bad habit of stealing the

chocolates from his friends bag.

One day he felt guilty about what he was doingSo he wrote a letter as he didnt have the courage

to confess directly.I have been stealing your chocolates Im sorry

for that

The other friend smiled reading it, and sent a letter

back:

Dont worry. I know about it Thats why I

keep chocolates in the same place in my bag

20 SEC READING: the best temptation

A group of devils were trying to enter the soul of a

holy man who lived near Cairo; they had already

tempted him with Nubian women, Egyptian food,

Libyan treasure, but nothing had worked.

One day, Satan passed and saw his servantsefforts.

- Youre hopeless said Satan. You haventused the only technique no one can resist; Ill

teach you.

He went over to the holy man and whispered inhis ear:

- Remember the priest who studied under you?Hes just been made Bishop of Alexandria.

Immediately, the holy man was filled with rage,

and blasphemed against Gods injustice.

- The next time, use this temptation said Satan tohis subjects.

Men can resist almost everything, but they are

always jealous of the victory of a fellow man.

Too shy to dance

When I was an adolescent I envied the great

ballerinos among the kids on the block, and

pretended I had other things to do at parties like

having a conversation.

But in fact I was terrified of looking ridiculous,

and because of that I would not risk a single step.

Until one day a girl called Marcia called out to me

in front of everybody:

Come on!


10/26

I said I did not like to dance, but she insisted.Everyone in the group was looking, and because I

was in love (love is capable of so many things!), Icould refuse no further.

I did not know how to follow the steps, but Marcia

did not stop; she went on dancing as if I were a

Rudolf Nureyev.

Forget the others and pay attention to the bass,

she whispered in my ear. Try to follow its

rhythm.

At that moment I understood that we do notalways have to learn the most important things;

they are already part of our nature.

When we become adults, and when we grow old,we need to go on dancing. The rhythm changes,

but music is part of life, and dancing is the

consequence of letting this rhythm come inside us.

I still dance whenever I can.

With dancing, the spiritual world and the real

world manage to co-exist without any conflicts.

As somebody once said, the classic ballerinas arealways on tiptoe because they are at the same time

touching the earth and reaching the sky.

15 SEC READING: Insult the dead

A novice went to Abbot Macarius seeking adviceabout the best way to please the Lord.

- Go to the cemetery and insult the dead said

Macarius.

The brother did as he was told. The following day,he returned to Macarius.

- Did they respond? asked the abbot.

The novice said no, they didnt.

- Then go to them and praise them.

The novice obeyed. That same afternoon, he

returned to the abbot, who again wished to know

whether the dead had responded.

- No said the novice.

- In order to please the Lord, behave as they do

said Macarius.

Pay no heed to the insults of men, nor to theirpraise; in this way, you shall forge your own

path.

15 SEC READING: covering the sun

A disciple went to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav:

I shall not continue with my studies of sacredtexts he said. I live in a small house with my

brothers and parents, and never have the idealconditions for concentrating on that which is

important.

Nachman pointed to the sun and asked his disciple

to place his hand over his face, in order to hide it.

The disciple obeyed.

Your hand is small, yet it can completely cover

the power, light and majesty of the great sun.

In the same way, the small problems manage togive you the excuse you need in order to hinder

your progress along your spiritual journey.

Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun,

mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light.Do not blame others for your own

incompetence.

10 SEC READING: careful with your

work

As a boy, Abin-Alsar overheard a conversationbetween his father and a dervish.

Careful with your work, said the dervish.

Think of what future generations will say aboutyou.

So what?, replied his father, When I die,everything shall end, and it will not matter what

they say.

Abin-Alsar never forgot that conversation.

During his whole life, he made an effort to do

good, to help people and go about his work withenthusiasm.

He became well-known for his concern for others.When he died, he left behind a great number of

things which improved the quality of life in histown.

On his tombstone, he had the following epitaph

engraved:


11/26

A life which ends with death, is a life not wellspent.

20 SEC READING: The game of chess

A young man said to the abbot of a monastery:

I would really like to become a monk, but I havelearned nothing of importance in my life. My

father only taught me how to play chess, and I wastold that all games are sinful.

The abbot called for a chessboard and summoned

a monk to play with the young man. However,

before the game began, he added:

We also need diversion, but we will have only

the best players here. If our monk loses, he will

leave the monastery, thus creating an opening for

you.

The abbot was deadly serious.

The young man played an aggressive game, but

then he noticed the saintly look in the monkseyes, and from then on, he began to play

deliberately badly.He decided that he would rather lose because he

felt that the monk could prove far more useful tothe world than him.

Suddenly, the abbot overturned the chessboard

onto the floor.

You learned far more than you were taught, he

said. You have the powers of concentration

necessary to win and you are capable of fighting

for what you want, but you also have compassion

and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble

cause.

You have shown yourself capable of balancing

discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!

10 SECOND READING: the one who

cared most

The writer Leo Buscaglia was once invited to be

on the jury of a school competition to find the

child who cared most for others.

The winner was a boy whose neighbour, a

gentleman of over eighty, had just been widowed.

When he saw the old man sitting in his garden

crying, the boy jumped over the fence, sat on themans lap and stayed there for a long time.

When he went back home, his mother asked him

what he had said to the poor man.

Nothing, said the boy. Hes lost his wife andthat must have really hurt.

I just went over to help him to cry.

20 SEC READING:What is truth?

I read the following piece of news in the Spanish

newspaper La Vanguardia.

What is truth? The President of the Court, Josep

Maria Pijuan, had to check which of the versions

of rape offered by the girl victim, 11-year-old J.,

was closest to reality. The lawyers attending thequestioning did not believe that she would manageto avoid contradicting herself in her deposition.

At a certain moment the judge asked a rather

philosophical question: What is truth? Is it whatyou imagine or what they asked you to tell?

The girl stopped for a minute, then she answered:

Truth is the bad they did to me.

Lawyer Jufresa, a renowned and prestigiousjurist, said that was one of the most brilliant

definitions she had heard in her whole career.

20 SEC READING: How to level out the

world

Once when Confucius was traveling with his

disciples, he heard about a very intelligent boy

who was living in a particular village.

Confucius went to speak with him and asked him

jokingly:

How would you like to help me correct all the

irregularities and inequalities in the world?

But why? asked the boy.

If we flattened the mountains, the birds would

have no shelter. If we filled up the deep rivers and

the sea, the fish would die. The world is vast

enough to cope with differences.


12/26

The disciples left feeling greatly impressed by theboys wisdom. But Confucius said:

Ive known many children who, instead of

playing and doing the things appropriate to theirage, were busy trying to understand the world.

Not one of those precocious children did

anything of any great significance later in life

because they had never experienced the innocence

and healthy irresponsibility of childhood.

20 SEC READING: The window and the

mirror

A very rich young man went to see a Rabbi in

order to ask his advice about what he should do

with his life. The Rabbi led him over to thewindow and asked him:

What can you see through the glass?

I can see men coming and going and a blind man

begging for alms in the street.

Then the Rabbi showed him a large mirror and

said to him:

Look in this mirror and tell me what you see.

I can see myself.

And you cant see the others. Notice that the

window and the mirror are both made of the same

basic material, glass.

You should compare yourself to these two kinds

of glass. Poor, you saw other people and felt

compassion for them.

Rich covered in silver you see yourself.

You will only be worth anything when you have

the courage to tear away the coating of silvercovering your eyes in order to be able to see again

and love your fellow man.

20 SEC READING: just like marriage

Nasrudin spent the entire autumn working his

garden. The flowers had blossomed in the spring

and Nasrudin noticed a few dandelions appearing,

which he hadnt planted.

Nasrudin tore them up. But the pollen had alreadyspread and others began to grow. He tried to find a

weed killer which only killed dandelions. Aspecialist told him any type of poison would end

up killing all the other flowers. In despair, he went

to ask a gardener for help.

- It is like a marriage said the gardener. Along

with the good things, a few little inconveniences

always appear.

- What can I do? insisted Nasrudin.

- Learn how to love them . Although they are

flowers you did not count on, they are still part of

the garden.

The lion and the cats

A lion came across a group of cats having a chat.Im going to devour them, he thought.

But then an odd feeling of calm came over him.

And he decided to sit down with them and pay

attention to what they were saying.

- Good God! said one of the cats, withoutnoticing the lions presence. We have prayed all

afternoon! We asked for the skies to rain mice onus!

- And so far nothing has happened! said another. I wonder if the Lord really exists.

The skies remained mute. And the cats lost their

faith.

The lion rose and went on his way, thinking:funny how things are. I was going to kill those

animals, but God stopped me. And even so, theystopped believing in divine grace. They were so

worried about what was missing that they did not

even notice the protection they were given.

20 SEC REading: Joy and love

A believer approached Rabbi Moche of Kobryn

and asked:

How should I best use my days so that God willbe contented with my actions?


13/26

There is only one possible option: to live with

love, replied the Rabbi.

Minutes later, another follower approached him

and asked the same question.

There is only one possible option: try to live with

joy.

The first follower was taken aback.

But the advice you gave me was different!

Not at all, said the rabbi. It was exactly the

same.

10 SEC READING: a hassidic story

Nahum of Bratslav said:

When I appear before the Heavenly tribunal and

I am asked, Why did you not lead your peoplelike Moses?

I shall not be afraid.

When I am asked, Why were you not a David

who worshiped me and shepherded your people?

I will be calm.

When they query, Why were you not Elijah who

spoke the truth and brought forth justice?Even then I will not shake.

Ah, but when they ask, Nahum, why were you

not Nahum?It is then I will tremble from head to toe!

30 SEC reading: A saint in the wrong

place

Why is it that some people can resolve the mostcomplicated problems really easily, whilst othersagonize over every tiny crisis and end up

drowning in a glass of water? I asked.

Ramesh replied by telling the following story:

Once upon a time, there was a man who had beenthe soul of kindness all his life.

When he died, everyone assumed that he wouldgo straight to Heaven, for the only possible place

for a good man like him was Paradise.

The man wasnt particularly bothered about goingto Heaven, but that was where he went.

Now in those days, service in heaven was not all

that it might be.The reception desk was extremely inefficient, and

the girl who received him gave only a cursory

glance through the index cards before her and

when she couldnt find the mans name, she sent

him straight to Hell.

And in Hell no one asks to check your badge or

your invitation, for anyone who turns up is invited

in. The man entered and stayed.

Some days later, Lucifer stormed up to the gatesof Heaven to demand an explanation from St

Peter.

What youre doing is pure terrorism! he said.

You sent that man down into Hell, and hescompletely undermining me! Right from the start,

there he was listening to people, looking them in

the eye, talking to them.

And now everyones sharing their feelings and

hugging and kissing. Thats not the sort of thing I

want in Hell! Please, let him into Heaven!

When Ramesh had finished telling the story, he

looked at me fondly and said:

Live your life with so much love in your heart

that if, by mistake, you were sent to Hell, theDevil himself would deliver you up to Paradise.

20 SEC READING: The AsylumA story by Kahlil Gibran

I was strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum

when I met a young man who was reading a

philosophy book.

His behavior and his evident good health made

him stand out from the other inmates.

I sat down beside him and asked:

What are you doing here?

He looked at me, surprised. But seeing that I was

not one of the doctors, he replied:

Its very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer,

wanted me to be like him.


14/26

My uncle, who owns a large emporium, hoped Iwould follow his example.

My mother wanted me to be the image of herbeloved father.

My sister always set her husband before me as an

example of the successful man.

My brother tried to train me up to be a fine

athlete like himself.

And the same thing happened at school, with the

piano teacher and the English teacher they were

all convinced and determined that they were the

best possible example to follow.

None of them looked at me as one should look at

a man, but as if they were looking in a mirror.

So I decided to enter this asylum. At least here I

can be myself.

10SEC READING:

Where the truth is

Some disciples are always asking where the

truth is, said Maal-El.

So one day I decided to point in one direction,

trying to show them how important it is to follow

a path, and not just to think about it.

Instead of looking in the direction I had pointed,

the man who had asked the question started

examining my finger, trying to find out where the

truth was hidden.

When people seek out a master, they should be

looking for experiences which can help them

avoid certain obstacles.

But unfortunately, reality is different: they adopt

the law of minimum effort, trying to find answers

to everything.

The person who accepts, without question, the

truths of his master, will never find his/her own

path.

20 SEC READING: The older sisters

question

When her brother alone with was born, Sa-chi

Gabriel begged her parents to leave her the baby.

They refused, fearing that, as with many four-

year-olds, she was jealous and wanted to mistreathim.But Sa-chi showed no signs of jealousy.

And since she was always extremely affectionatetowards her little brother, her parents decided to

carry out an experiment.

They left Sa-chi alone with their new-born baby,but kept the bedroom door ajar so that they could

watch what she did.

Delighted to have her wish granted, little Sa-chi

tiptoed over to the cradle, leaned over the baby

and said:

Little brother, tell me what God is like. Im

beginning to forget.

10 sec reading: body and soul

In the middle of a storm, a pilgrim reaches an inn

and the owner asks where he is going.

Im going to the mountains, he answers.

Forget it, says the innkeeper, its a risky climb,

and the weather is awful.

But Im going up, answers the pilgrim.It is mydream.

If my heart got there first, it will be easy to

follow it with my body.

20 SEC READING:Would anyone

know the difference?

A friend tells me the story of a father who took his

two boys to play mini-golf. At the ticket office he

wanted to know the price.

- Five coins for adults, three for those over sixyears. Under six years entry is free.

- One of them is three, the other seven. Ill pay for

the oldest.

- You are silly said the ticket seller. You could

have saved three coins, saying that the oldest wasunder six; I would never have known the

difference.

- That may be, but the boys would know. Andthey would remember the bad example for ever.


15/26

Do not question the search

Sri Ramakrisna tells the story of a man who wasabout to cross a river, when master Bibhishana

came over, wrote a name on a leaf, tied it to themans back, and said:

- Dont be afraid. Your faith will help you walk on

the waters. But the minute you lose faith, you willdrown.

The man trusted Bibhishana, and began to walk on

the waters, without any difficulty. At a certainpoint, he had an overwhelming desire to know

what his master had written on the leaf tied to his

back.

He took it and read what was written:

Oh god Rama, help this man to cross the river.

Is that all? thought the man. And who is thisgod Rama, anyway?

The moment this doubt became lodged in his

mind, he was submerged and drowned in the

strong current.

The mouse and the books

When I was interned in Dr. Eiras Hospital, I began

to have panic crises.

One day, I decided to consult the psychiatrist in

charge of my case:

Doctor, I am overcome by fear; it takes from me

the joy of living.

Here in my office there is a mouse that eats my

books, said the doctor.

If I get desperate about this mouse, he will hide

from me and I will do nothing else in life but hunt

him.Therefore, I put the most important books in a

safe place and let him gnaw some others.

In this way, he is still a mouse and does not

become a monster.

Be afraid of some things and concentrate all your

fear on them so that you have courage in therest.

10 SEC READING: How to achieve

immortality

by Paulo Coelho on March 20, 2011

When he was still a young man, Beethoven

decided to compose a few improvisations on amusic by Pergolesi. He devoted months to this

task and finally had the courage to publish it.

A critic wrote a full page review in a Germannewspaper in which he launched a ferocious

attack on the music.

Beethoven, however, was quite unshaken by his

comments. When his friends pressed him torespond to the critic, he merely said:

All I need to do is to carry on with my work. If

the music I compose is as good as I think it is,

then it will survive that journalist.

If it has the depth I hope it has, it will survive the

newspaper too.

Should that ferocious attack on what I do ever be

remembered in the future, it will only serve as an

example of the imbecility of critics.

Beethoven was absolutely right.

Over a hundred years later, that same review wasmentioned in a radio programme in So Paulo.

20 SEC READING: Time to give, time

to receiveIt is important to know when we can give attention

and when we need attention.

Often we are inclined to give, give, give without every

asking anything in return.

We may think this is a sign of generosity or even

heroism.

But it might be little else than a proud attitude that

says:

I dont need help from others. I only want to

give.

When we keep giving without receiving we burn

out quicklythere is a time to give and a time toreceive.


16/26

We need equal time for both if we want to livehealthy lives.

10 sec reading: patience and speed

A Warrior of Light needs patience and speed atthe same time.

The two biggest mistakes of a strategy are

a]to act prematurelybto let the opportunity pass by.

To avoid making these mistakes, the warrior

copes with each situation as if it were unique, andapplies no formulas, prescriptions or the opinions

of others.

Caliph Moauiyat asked Omar Ben Al-Aas what

was the secret of his great political skill:

I have never gotten involved in any matterwithout first studying the way out;

on the other hand, I have never become involvedand wanted to get out right away, was his

answer.

10 sec reading: stay in the desert

Why do you live in the desert?

Because I cant be what I want to be. When I begin to be myself, people treat me witha reverence thats false.

When I am true to my faith, then they begin todoubt.

They all believe they are holier than I, but they

pretend they are sinners, afraid to insult mysolitude.

They try all the time to show that they considerme a saint, and in this way they become

emissaries of the devil, tempting me with Pride.

Your problem isnt trying to be who you are, buttrying to be accepted by everybody in the way you

think you should be accepted said the gentleman,walking off.

And acting in this way, its better to stay in the

desert.

The three editions

The monk Tetsugen had a dream: to publish abook in Japanese, containing all the sacred verses.

Determined to transform this dream into reality,he began to travel the country in order to raise the

necessary money.

However, just as he had managed to get together

enough money to begin work on the project, theriver Uji flooded, provoking a catastrophe of

gigantic proportions.

When he saw the victims of the flood, Tetsugen

resolved to spend all the money he had collected

on relieving the sufferings of the people.

Afterwards, he resumed his struggle to make his

dream come true: he went from door to door, he

visited the various islands of Japan, and oncemore he managed to raise the money he needed.

When he returned, exultant, to Edo, a cholera

epidemic was sweeping the country. Again, the

monk used the money to treat the sick and to help

the families of the dead.

Undeterred, he returned to his original project. He

set off again and, nearly twenty years later, he

published seven thousand copies of the sacred

verses.

They say that Tetsugen actually published three

separate editions of the sacred texts.

But the first two are invisible.

10 SEC READING: Keeping friends

When she was eleven years old, Anita went to her

mother to complain.I cant manage to have friends. They all stay

away from me because Im so jealous.

Her mother was taking care of newly-born

chickens, and Anita held up one of them, which

immediately tried to escape.

The more the girl squeezed it in her hands, the

more the chicken struggled.

Her mother said: try holding it gently.

Anita obeyed her. She opened her hands and the


17/26

chicken stopped struggling.She began to stroke it and the chicken cuddled up

between her fingers.

Human beings are like that too, said her mother.If you want to hold onto them by any means,

they escape. But if you are kind to them, they will

remain for ever by your side.

Nasrudin always makes the wrong

choice

Every day Nasrudin went to beg for alms in the

market, and people used to make fun of him byplaying the following trick: they would show him

two coins, one worth ten times more than theother, and Nasrudin would always choose the

smaller coin.

The story went round the whole province.Day after day, groups of men and women would

show him the two coins, and Nasrudin would

always choose the smaller one.

Then one day, a generous man, tired of seeing

Nasrudin ridiculed in this fashion, beckoned him

over to a corner of the square and said:

When they offer you two coins, you shouldchoose the larger one. That way you would earn

more money and people wouldnt consider you anidiot.

That sounds like good advice, replied Nasrudin,

but if I chose the larger coin, people would stop

offering me money, because they like to believe

that I am even more stupid than they are. Youve

no idea how much money Ive earned using this

trick.

Theres nothing wrong with looking like a fool

if, in fact, youre being really clever.

10 SEC READ: Dialogue

Keeping the dialogue alive

Rabbi Iaakovs wife was always looking for an

excuse to argue with her husband. Iaakov neverreacted to her provocations.

Until one night when, during a dinner with somefriends, the rabbi had a ferocious argument with

his wife to the surprise of all at the table.

What happened? they asked. Why did youbreak your habit of never answering?

Because I realized that what bothered my wife

the most was the fact that I remained silent.Acting in this way, I remained far from her

emotions. My reaction was an act of love: now

she understands that I hear her words.

20 SEC READING: The stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the

mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was

hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to

share her food.

The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and

asked the woman to give it to him.

She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He

knew the stone was worth enough to give himsecurity for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the

stone to the wise woman.

Ive been thinking, he said. I know how

valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the

hope that you can give me something even more

precious.

Give me what you have within you that enabled

you to give me this stone.

The daisy and selfishness

Warriors of Light must be together. The

short story below illustrated this:

I am a daisy in a field of daisies, thought the

flower. Amidst others, it is impossible to notice

my beauty.

An angel heard what she was thinking andcommented:

- But you are so pretty!

- I want to be the only one!

In order not to hear any complaints, the angel

carried her off to a city square.


18/26

Some days later, the mayor went there with agardener to make some changes to the square.

- There is nothing of interest here. Dig up the

earth and plant geraniums.

- Hold on a minute! cried out the daisy. Youllkill me if you do that!

- If there were some others like you, we couldmake some nice decoration answered the mayor.

But there are no daisies to be found around here,and you on your own do not make a garden.

Then he tore the flower from the ground.

Appointment in Bokhara

A merchant asked his servant to go to the market

to buy some pieces of cloth.

Upon reaching the market, the servant saw his

own Death shopping at the store near him.

Terrified, he ran back to the merchants house.

I have to leave now, he said, almost crying. I

saw my death this morning in the market, and I

have to escape. I will go to Bokhara, my village,

to spend the weekend there.

The merchant accepts the plea of the servant, but

is wary. He decides to go to the market, where hefinds the Death of the servant.

Wow, you frightened my employee, said the

merchant.

He also frightened me replied Death. I never

expected to find him around here as I have an

appointment with him in Bokhara.

I dont want to offend you (Islamic

tradition)

During his pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy man

began to feel the presence of God.

In the midst of a trance he knelt down, hid his face

and prayed:

Lord, I ask for only one thing in life: that I be

given the grace of never offending you.

I cannot grant you that grace, answered theAlmighty. If you dont offend me I shall have no

reason to pardon you.

If I have no need to pardon you, soon you willalso forget the importance of mercy towards

others.

So go on your way with Love and let me grant

pardon now and again so that you dont forget that

virtue as well.

20 SEC READ: The Drunkard Disciple

A Zen master had hundreds of disciples. They all

prayed at the right time, except one, who was

always drunk.

The master was growing old. Some of the more

virtuous pupils began to wonder who would be thenew leader of the group, the one who wouldreceive the important secrets of the Tradition.

On the eve of his death, however, the master

called the drunkard disciple and revealed thehidden secrets to him.

A veritable revolt broke out among the others.

How shameful! they cried in the streets, Wehave sacrificed ourselves for the wrong master,

one who cant see our qualities.

Hearing the commotion outside, the dying masterremarked:

I had to pass on these secrets to a man that Iknew well. All my pupils are very virtuous, and

showed only their qualities. That is dangerous, forvirtue often serves to hide vanity, pride and

intolerance. That is why I chose the only disciple

whom I know really well, since I can see his

defect: drunkenness.

The kingdom of this world

by Paulo Coelho on February 2, 2011

An old hermit was once invited to visit the court

of the most powerful king of those times.

- I envy such a saintly man, who is content with so

little said the ruler.


19/26

- I envy Your Majesty, who is content with evenless than I responded the hermit.

- How can you say such a thing, when this entire

country belongs to me? said the offended king.

- For precisely that reason. I have the music of thecelestial spheres, I have the rivers and mountains

of the whole world, I have the moon and the sun,

because I have God in my soul.

Your Majesty, on the other hand, has only thiskingdom.

0 SEC READING: Here where I am

After having won many archery contests, the townchampion went to the Zen master.

- I am the best of all he said. I didnt studyreligion, never sought help from the monks, andsucceeded in becoming the finest archer in the

whole region. I heard that, for a time, you werethe best archer in the region, and ask you: was it

necessary to become a monk in order to learn toshoot?

- No replied the Zen master.

But the champion was not satisfied: he took anarrow, placed it in the bow, fired it and hit a

cherry which was very far away. Smiling, as if tosay: "you might have saved your time, devoting

yourself only to technique." And he said:

- I doubt whether you could do that.

Without looking in the least bit worried, themaster went inside, fetched his bow, and began to

walk towards a nearby mountain.On the way, there was an abyss which could only

be crossed by an old bridge made of rotting rope,

and which was almost collapsing.

The Zen master went to the middle of the bridge,

took his bow and placed an arrow in it, then aimedat a tree on the far side of the precipice, and hit his

target.

- Now it is your turn he kindly told the youngman, as he returned to firm ground.

Terrified as he gazed down at the abyss below his

feet, the young man went to the spot and fired, but

his arrow veered wide of the mark.

- That is why the discipline of meditation wasworthwhile concluded the master, when the

young man returned to him.

You may have great skill with the instrument youchoose for your livelihood, but it us useless, if you

cannot command the mind which uses that

instrument.

10 SEC READING: Different languages

A fervent Buddhist lady made every effort to love

others. But every time she went to the market, a

merchant made indecent proposals to her.

One rainy morning, when the man bothered her

once again, she lost control and hit him on the

face with her umbrella.

That same afternoon, she sought out a monk andtold him what had happened.I am ashamed, she said. I couldnt control my

hate.

You did wrong to hate him, answered the monk. But life is about communicating our feelings to

each other and you need to understand that

people are different.

The next time he says something, fill your heart

with goodness.

And hit him again with your umbrella, because

thats the only language he knows.

1O SEC READING: choosing the path

I am willing to give up everything, said the

prince to the master. Please accept me as yourdisciple.

How does a man choose his path? asked the

master.

Through sacrifice, answered the prince. A path

which demands sacrifice, is a true path.

The master bumped into some shelves. A precious

vase fell, and the prince threw himself down in

order to grab hold of it. He fell badly and broke

his arm, but managed to save the vase.


20/26

What is the greater sacrifice: to watch the vasesmash, or break ones arm in order to save it?

asked the master.

I do not know, said the prince.

Then how can you guide your choice forsacrifice? The true path is chosen by our ability to

love it, not to suffer for it.

The man and his shadow

Many years ago, there lived a man who was

capable of loving and forgiving everyone he cameacross. Because of this, God sent an angel to talk

to him.

God asked me to come and visit you and tell you

that he wishes to reward you for your goodness,

said the angel. You may have any gift you wishfor. Would you like the gift of healing?

Certainly not, said the man. I would prefer Godto choose those who should be healed.

And what about leading sinners back to the path

of Truth?

Thats a job for angels like you. I dont want to

be venerated by anyone or to serve as a permanentexample.

Look, I cant go back to Heaven without having

given you a miracle. If you dont choose, Ill haveto choose one for you.

The man thought for a moment and then said:

All right, I would like good to be done through

me, but without anyone noticing, not even me, in

case I should commit the sin of vanity.

So the angel arranged for the mans shadow to

have the power of healing, but only when the sun

was shining on the mans face. In this way,wherever he went, the sick were healed, the earth

grew fertile again, and sad people rediscoveredhappiness.

The man traveled the Earth for many years,

oblivious of the miracles he was working because

when he was facing the sun, his shadow was

always behind him. In this way, he was able to

live and die unaware of his own holiness.

The chess game

A young man said to the abbot from themonastery of Melk:

Id actually like to be a monk, but I haventlearned anything in life. All my father taught me

was to play chess, which does not lead toenlightenment. Apart from that, I learned that all

games are a sin. They may be a sin but they can also be a

diversion, and who knows, this monastery needs alittle of both was the reply.

The abbot asked for a chess board, sent for a

monk and told him to play the young man.

But before the game began, he added:

- Although we need diversion, we cannot allow

everyone to play chess the whole time. So, we

only have the best players here; if our monk loses,

he will leave the monastery and his place will beyours.

The abbot was serious. The young man knew he

was playing for his life, and broke into a cold

sweat; the chess board became the center of the

world.

The monk began badly. The young man attacked,but then saw the saintly look on the other mans

face; at that moment, he began playing badly onpurpose.

After all, he would rather lose, a monk is far moreuseful to the world.

Suddenly, the abbot threw the chess board to the

floor.

- You have learned far more than was taught you he said. You concentrated yourself enough to

win, were capable of fighting for that which youdesire.

Then, you had compassion, and were willing to

make a sacrifice in the name of a noble cause.Welcome, because the secret of life is to know

how to balance discipline with compassion.

1 MIN reading: the blind man and the

Everest

Little by little we seem to grow used to the same

metaphors for life. I met a reader in Hamburg who

decides to share his experience with me aboutclimbing in life. He discovered what hotel I am in,

and has some criticism to make of my page in the


21/26

Internet. After making some harsh comments, heasks:

Can a blind man climb Mount Everest?I dont think so, I answer.

Why dont you answer perhaps?

I am almost certain that I am in the company of a

compulsive optimist. One thing is the whole

universe conspiring for our dreams to become

true, quite another is to place yourself in front of

absolutely unnecessary challenges, which can lead

to death or unpredictable failure.

I explain that I have to leave for an appointment,

but the reader does not give up.

The blind can climb Everest, the highest

mountain in the world (8,848 meters). Not only

can they do it, but I happen to know of at least one

blind person who did it. His name is ErikWeihenmayer. In 2001, Weihenmayer managed

the feat. Meanwhile, people complain that theycannot afford a better car, more elegant clothes,

and a salary that matches their abilities.Are you sure?

But we are interrupted in our conversation; it istime for the appointment that has brought me to

Hamburg. I thank him for his attention, ask him tosend me suggestions for my page on the Internet,

we take another picture and then say goodbye.

At three oclock in the morning, returning from

that event, I reach into my pocket for the key to

my room and discover the piece of paper where hehad jotted down the blind mans name.Even knowing that I have to travel to Cairo in a

couple of hours, I turn on the computer, and thereit is:

On 25 May 2001, at the age of 32, Erik

Weihenmayer became the first blind person to

reach the top of the highest mountain in the world.

A former high-school teacher, he received the

ESPN and IDEA prize for his courage in

overcoming the limits that his physical condition

permitted. Besides Everest, Erik Weihenmayer hasclimbed the other seven highest mountains in the

world, including Aconcagua in Argentina and

Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

10 SEC READING: Purifying the world

How do we purify the world?- asked a disciple.

Ibn al-Husayn replied:

There was once a sheik in Damascus called AbuMusa al-Qumasi. Everyone honored him for his

great wisdom, but no one knew whether he was agood man.

One afternoon, a construction fault caused the

house where the sheik lived with his wife, to

collapse. The desperate neighbors began to dig the

ruins; eventually, they managed to locate the

sheiks wife.

She said: Dont worry about me. First save my

husband, who was sitting somewhere over there.

The neighbors removed the rubble from the area

she indicated, and found the sheik. He said:Dont worry about me. First save my wife, who

was lying somewhere over there.

When someone acts as this couple did, she/he is

purifying the whole world.

20 SEC READ: A lie who always speaks

the truth

A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nordoes a nursery gardener scent his roses. An artist

cannot speak about his art any more than a plantcan discuss horticulture.

The extreme limit of wisdom, thats what the

public calls madness. The instinct of nearly all

societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free.

First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If

this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too,

they finish by loading honors on your head.

The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be

believed.

Art produces ugly things which frequently

become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the

other hand, produces beautiful things whichalways become ugly with time. Take a

commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that

it produces the same effect of youth and freshness

and originality and spontaneity as it did originally,

and you have done a poets job. The rest is

literature.

When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is

only the time that is behind the work.

The actual tragedies of life bear no relation to

ones preconceived ideas. In the event, one is


22/26

always bewildered by their simplicity, theirgrandeur of design, and by that element of the

bizarre which seems inherent in them. Man seeksto escape himself in myth, and does so by any

means at his disposal. Drugs, alcohol, or lies.

Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises

himself. Lies and inaccuracy give him a few

moments of comfort.

I am a lie who always speaks the truth.

30 SEC READ: Focus!

A goose who was plucking grass upon a common

thought herself affronted by a horse who fed near

her; and in hissing accents, thus addressed him: I

am certainly a more noble and perfect animal than

you, for the whole range and extent of your

faculties is confined to one element.

I can walk upon the ground as well as you; Ihave, besides, wings, with which I can raise

myself in the air; and when I please, I can sport on

ponds and lakes, and refresh myself in the cool

waters. I enjoy the different powers of a bird, a

fish and a quadruped.

The horse, snorting somewhat disdainfully,

replied: It is true you inhabit three elements, butyou make no very distinguished figure in any one

of them. You fly, indeed; but your flight is soheavy and clumsy, that you have no right to put

yourself on a level with the lark or the swallow.You can swim on the surface of the waters, but

you cannot live in them as fishes do; you cannotfind your food in that element, nor glide smoothly

along the bottom of the waves.

And when you walk, or rather waddle, upon theground, with your broad feet and long neck

stretched out, hissing at everyone who passes by,you bring upon yourself the derision of the

beholders.

I confess that I am formed only to move upon the

ground; but how graceful is my make! How wellturned my limbs! How highly finished my whole

body! How great my strength! how astonishing

my speed! I had much rather be confined to one

element, and be admired in that, than be a goose

in all!

10 SEC READ: Offending you

I DONT WANTTO OFFEND YOU

You only understand the power and importance offorgiveness if you had been forgiven. The short

story below illlustrates this:

During a pilgrimage to a sacred place, a holy manbegan to feel the presence of God. In the midst of

a trance he knelt down, hid his face and prayed:

Lord, I ask for only one thing in life: that I be

given the grace of never offending you.

I cannot grant you that grace, answered the

Almighty. If you dont offend me I shall have no

reason to pardon you. If I have no need to pardon

you, soon you will also forget the importance of

mercy towards others.

So go on your way with Love and let me grant

pardon now and again so that you dont forget that

virtue as well.

10 SEC READ: Insults (EN, PT, ES, FR)

Changing attitude

Over the course of one year, give a coin to eachperson who offends or upsets you, instructed the

abbot of a young man who wanted people to

follow a spiritual path.

For the next twelve months, the boy gave a coin to

each person who offended or upset him, as he was

instructed. At the end of the year, he returned to

the abbot to find out what the next steps were.Go into town and buy food for me, the abbot

responded.

Once the boy left, the abbot changed his clothes,

disguised himself as a beggar and went to the

gate. When the boy approached, he began to insult

him.

Good! said the boy, for a whole year I had topay the people who upset or offended me, and

now I can be offended for free, without spendinganything!

Hearing this, the abbot removed his disguise. He

who does not take insults seriously, is on the pathto wisdom.

Rebuilding the world

A father was trying to read the newspaper, but his

little son kept pestering him.Finally, the father grew tired of this and, tearing a

page from the newspaper one that bore a map of


23/26

the world he cut it into several pieces andhanded them to his son.

Right, now youve got something to do. Ive

given you a map of the world and I want to see ifyou can put it back together correctly.

He resumed his reading, knowing that the task

would keep the child occupied for the rest of the

day.

However, a quarter of an hour later, the boy

returned with the map.

Has your mother been teaching you geography?asked his father in astonishment.

I dont even know what that is, replied the boy.

But there was a photo of a man on the other sideof the page, so I put the man back together and

found Id put the world back together too.

The cracked jar

An Indian legend tells of a man who carried water

to his village every day, in two large jars tied tothe ends of a wooden pole, which he balanced on

his back.

One of the jars was older than the other, and had

some small cracks; every time the man covered

the distance to his house, half of the water was

lost.

The younger jar was always very proud of its

performance, safe in the knowledge that it was up

to the mission it had been made for, while the

other jar was mortified with shame at only

fulfilling half of its allotted task.

It was so ashamed that one day, while the man got

ready to fetch water from the well, it decided to

speak to him:

I want to apologize, but because of the many

years of service, you are only able to deliver half

of my load, and quench half of the thirst whichawaits you at your home.

The man smiled, and said:

When we return, observe carefully the path.

And so it did. And the jar noticed that, on its side,

many flowers and plants grew.

See how nature is more lovely on your side?

commented the man. I always knew you were

cracked, and decided to make use of this fact.I planted flowers and vegetables, and you have

always watered them.I have picked many roses to decorate my house

with, I have fed my children with lettuce, cabbage

and onions.

If you were not as you are, how could I have

done that?

All of us, at some point, grow old and start to

acquire other qualities. We can always make the

most of each one of these new qualities and obtain

a good result.

Conversation in heaven

Abd Mubarak was on his way to Mecca when one

night he dreamed that he was in heaven and heard

two angels having a conversation.

How many pilgrims came to the holy city this

year? one of them asked.Six hundred thousand, answered the other.

And how many of them had their pilgrimage

accepted?

None of them. However, in Baghdad there is a

shoemaker called Ali Mufiq who did not make the

pilgrimage, but did have his pilgrimage accepted,

and his graces benefited the 600,000 pilgrims.

When he woke up, Abd Mubarak went to Mufiqs

shoe shop and told him his dream.At great cost and much sacrifice, I finally

managed to get 350 coins together, the

shoemaker said in tears. But then, when I wasready to go to Mecca I discovered that myneighbors were hungry, so I distributed the money

among them and gave up my pilgrimage.

30 SEC READ: Bravo!

The Substitute Singer

Though I was unable to prove the events of this

tale, this event supposedly happened many years

ago in the Paris Opera. On the night when afamous tenor was to perform, the packed housewas told he would not be able to attend due to

traffic.

Concerned, the director of the Opera appeared on

the stage to explain what was happening and to

ask for a local tenor to act as a substitute.

The audience reacted as expected; with

discomfort. Some spectators rose and asked for

their money back, while others simply waited to

see what lay in store for them, seeing that they had


24/26

instructed their chauffeurs and made reservationsfor dinner, and did not quite know how to kill the

time.

The substitute tenor came on stage and did thebest he could. For two hours he sang with all his

heart and soul. At the end, there was almost

complete silence.

Then one spectator applauded, and a childs voice

was heard, Daddy, youre great! Just great!

The next moment, the whole theater gave a

standing ovation; a simple word of love had

changed everything.

20 SEC READ: The pencil

A boy was watching his grandmother write a

letter. At one point he asked:

Are you writing a story about what weve done?Is it a story about me?

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and

said to her grandson:

I am writing about you, actually, but more

important than the words is the pencil Im using. I

hope you will be like this pencil when you grow

up.

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didnt

seem very special.

But its just like any other pencil Ive ever seen!

That depends on how you look at things. It has

five qualities which, if you manage to hang on

them, will make you a person who is always at

peace with the world.

First quality: you are capable of great things, but

you must never forget that there is a hand guiding

your steps. We call that hand God, and He always

guides us according to His will.

Second quality: now and then, I have to stop

writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil

suffer a little, but afterwards, hes much sharper.So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and

sorrows, because they will make you a better

person.

Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use

an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that

correcting something we did is not necessarily abad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to

justice.Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is

not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So

always pay attention to what is happening insideyou.

Finally, the pencils fifth quality: it always leavesa mark. in just the same way, you should know

that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so

try to be conscious of that in your every action

10 SEC READ: Angels talk

Conversation in heaven

Abd Mubarak was on his way to Mecca when onenight he dreamed that he was in heaven and heard

two angels having a conversation.

How many pilgrims came to the holy city this

year? one of them asked.

Six hundred thousand, answered the other.

And how many of them had their pilgrimage

accepted?

None of them. However, in Baghdad there is ashoemaker called Ali Mufiq who did not make the

pilgrimage, but did have his pilgrimage accepted,

and his graces benefited the 600,000 pilgrims.

When he woke up, Abd Mubarak went to Mufiqs

shoe shop and told him his dream.

At great cost and much sacrifice, I finallymanaged to get 350 coins together, the

shoemaker said in tears. But then, when I wasready to go to Mecca I discovered that my

neighbors were hungry, so I distributed the moneyamong them and gave up my pilgrimage.

20 SEC READ: Tears

Whyare you crying?

A man knocked at his friends door to ask him a

favor:

I want you to lend me four thousand dinars

because I have a debt to pay. Can you do that for

me?

The friend asked his wife to gather together

everything they had of value, but even so it was

not enough. They had to go out and borrowmoney from the neighbors until they managed to

get the full amount.

When the man left, the woman noticed that herhusband was crying.

Why are you sad? Now that weve got ourselvesin debt with our neighbors, are you afraid we

wont be able to repay them?Nothing of the sort! Im crying because he is


25/26

someone I like so much, but even so I had no ideahe was in need. I only remembered him when he

had to knock on my door to ask me for a loan.

10 SEC READ:Warrior

The warrior decides

The Warrior of Light holds the sword in his

hands. He is the one who decides what he is goingto do, and what he will not do in any

circumstances. There are moments when life leadshim to a crisis: he is forced to divorce himself

from things he has always loved.

Then the Warrior reflects. He assesses whether he

is fulfilling Gods will or if he is acting through

egoism. If separation is really the path he must

follow, he accepts it without complaining.

However, if this separation is provoked by the

perversity of others, then he is implacable in hisanswer.

The Warrior possesses the art of the blow and the

art of forgiveness. He knows how to use both with

equal skill.

10 SEC READ: Moses

Moses parts the waters

Sometimes we get used to what we see in the

movies, and end up forgetting the true story, afriend said to me once while we were looking at

the port of Miami, Do you remember the Ten

Commandments?

Of course I remembered. Moses, played by

Charlton Heston, at one point he raises his wand

and with that action the waters were divided and

the Jewish people walked through it.

In the Bible it is different, said my friend. In

the Bible, God orders Moses to do this by saying,

the children of Israel are to go forward, and only

after they start walking does Moses raise his wand

to part the Red Sea.

Courage in the path is what makes the path

manifests itself.

10 SEC READ: Kings

The kingdom of this world

An old hermit was once invited to visit the courtof the most powerful king of the day.

I envy a holy man, who is content with so little,commented the sovereign.

I envy Your Majesty, who is content with less

than I. I have the music of the celestial spheres, I

have the rivers and mountains of the whole wide

world, I have the moon and the sun, because I

have God in my soul. Your Majesty, however, has

only this kingdom.


26/26

Coehlo's Blog - A Collection

Documents

Transcript of Coehlo's Blog - A Collection