A Sufi story A certain dervish had a long, well-maintained beard of which he was very proud. He passed a great deal of time in devotional practices but some of his attention was upon the beard which he considered was the mark of his gravity. One day Moses was on his way to God, when… Continue reading The Beard of the Dervish
Tag: truth
What is spirituality?
Adapted from the Gospel of Ramakrishna This is a parable told by Sri Ramakrishna, a spiritual teacher, genius and saint. He did not have any formal education yet he was a treasure-house of oral traditions, out of which he created his own. The story goes like this… A holy man was once meditating on the… Continue reading What is spirituality?
What is Real Fortune?
A Sufi story Once a Sufi Master told his audience that even if help is provided to man, something in him could make the help totally useless. When some people objected to this theory, the Sufi Master smiled and said, “Okay we will see.” When everyone had forgotten the incident, the Sufi Master ordered one… Continue reading What is Real Fortune?
What should we do with illness?
An Indian Folklore Once upon a time, two fevers left their place, took the train and got down at the railway station of a big city. One of them thought of catching hold of a poor man while the other one decided to take on a rich well-to-do man. Fever number one seized a daily… Continue reading What should we do with illness?
Our Biggest Obstacle
A Sufi story Shibli, a prominent figure in Sufi tradition, is known for his eccentric personality, profound spiritual insights, and unconventional methods of guiding others. He left no writings, but his legacy was passed down orally. He was an ascetic who embraced altered states of consciousness. He was also a great lover of poetry and… Continue reading Our Biggest Obstacle
Kaala Paaja – The eternal search for immortality
A Himachali Folktale This is a story of a boy called Kirnu and his Guru called Kapish. They used to live in a small village in Himachal Pradesh. Kirnu was an orphan. When he was ten years old, the villagers had taken him to an ashram in the village. Guru Kapish was the head of… Continue reading Kaala Paaja – The eternal search for immortality
Who is responsible for your suffering?
A Sufi Folktale One night a thief, trying to climb through the window of a house which he intended to rob, fell because the window-frame broke, hit the ground and broke his leg. So the thief went to court to sue the owner of the house. The owner of the house said: “Sue the carpenter… Continue reading Who is responsible for your suffering?
What is real Wealth and Happiness?
An Indian Folklore Once lived a proud King. The King one day decided to go on a pilgrimage. Late one afternoon he camped in a village close to a forest. He heard that in that forest lived a Sage for whom the local people had great respect. What was intriguing, the Sage was once a… Continue reading What is real Wealth and Happiness?
What is true freedom?
An Odia Folktale Once lived a very poor plumber in a town in India. One day he was assigned to repair the toilet of the queen of that town. While he was finishing up his work and leaving, he somehow saw a glimpse of the queen’s thigh. It was smooth as silk, fair and soft… Continue reading What is true freedom?
What is virtue?
An Indian Folktale In a village, there lived a thief. He stole things from here and there, sold what he got cheaply and thus made a living. Once someone in the village died and everyone in the house went to the cremation ground to cremate his body. The thief thought there would be nobody in… Continue reading What is virtue?
What are we really seeking?
An Indian Folktale (In Search of Fire) It was a winter night. The chowkidar (the village guard) had already made two rounds of the village. He was carrying a kalke, a handy earthen pipe through which one smokes. He had filled it with tobacco, but he could not light it as he had no match-box with… Continue reading What are we really seeking?
What is psychological progress?
An Indian Folklore “How long will it take to reach the other bank?” the solitary passenger asked the lone boatman as they started crossing the river. “It takes around half an hour. It depends on the course of wind and the current. Since there is storm gathering on the horizon, I will row as fast… Continue reading What is psychological progress?
Is Surrender really important?
An Indian Folklore This is a story of the Mighty Elephant and the Tiny Fish. A wealthy merchant often visited the holy city of Haridwar where his guru lived. He loved to listen to his guru’s discourse, even though he failed to appreciate all the concepts and ideas the sage presented. For instance, he could… Continue reading Is Surrender really important?
How half-knowledge can mislead us?
An Urdu Folktale A man from the city of Kabul in Afghanistan once visited India. Walking along an Indian street, he came to a sweatmeat shop where all sorts of sweets were neatly displayed. Now the man knew only one or two words of Hindustani. He went up to the vendor of sweets and pointed… Continue reading How half-knowledge can mislead us?
What is Indigenous Psychology?
INDIGENOUS PSYCHOLOGY is a movement that began after the Second World War but gained momentum by the 1970s due to the rising need for decolonization of psychology and its therapeutic applications. The need for recognizing the socio-cultural context was increasingly felt. Many social scientists from different parts of the world had been and still are… Continue reading What is Indigenous Psychology?
What is the mystery of Life and Death?
A Bengali Folklore A young king was stricken with impotence. He became bitter and unhappy. No doctor or medicine could restore to him the pleasures of potency, available even to the poorest man. The sight of beautiful women only made him sick with grief. One day, word reached him that there is a dervish who… Continue reading What is the mystery of Life and Death?
Who is a Sufi?
TO BE A SUFI Being a Sufi is to put away what is in your head—imagined truth, preconceptions, conditioning and to face what may happen to you. – [Abu Said] WHAT MUST COME To those who seek truth in conventionalized religion: Until college and minaret have crumbled This holy work of ours will not be… Continue reading Who is a Sufi?
What the Devil said?
Once upon a time there was a Dervish. As he was sitting in contemplation, he noticed that there was a sort of Devil near him. The Dervish said: “Why are you sitting there, making no mischief?” The Devil raised its head wearily and said: “Since the theoreticians and intellectuals have appeared in such numbers, there… Continue reading What the Devil said?
Being grounded
An Indian Folktale Once a FARMER and a CLEVER MINDED person got together to do farming jointly. They acquired some farmland. The farmer BARRICADED it with hedging and tilled it and PREPARED for sowing. Then went to the clever one and asked about the details of sharing the harvest. The clever one said, “I shall… Continue reading Being grounded
Melon and Knife
A Kashmiri Folktale There was a King who had a dream one night – a strange dream. He saw that there were three things lying in front of him — a watermelon, a knife and a plate. An invisible hand operated the knife, cutting slices of the melon which fell into the plate one after… Continue reading Melon and Knife