The collection includes wise short parables about life with morality. A parable is a short instructive story with a hidden meaning; such stories teach morality. Vladimir Dal interpreted the word “parable” as “teaching by example.”

The first parable on our list will be a story called “Weather”:

The traveler asked the shepherd:

What will the weather be like today? To which the shepherd replied:
- The way I like it.
- How do you know that the weather will be exactly what you like?
- Having realized that it is impossible to always get what you like, I learned to love what will be. Therefore, I am absolutely sure that the weather will be exactly what I like...

About insult

In the east there lived a sage who taught his disciples: “People insult in three ways. They may say you are stupid, they may call you a slave, they may call you untalented.

If this happens to you, remember the simple truth: only a fool will call another a fool, only a slave looks for a slave in another, only a mediocrity justifies with the madness of others what he himself does not understand.”

Two wolves

Once upon a time, an old man revealed one vital truth to his grandson:
- There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil: envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies. The other wolf represents goodness: peace, love, hope, truth, kindness and loyalty.
The grandson, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather’s words, thought for a moment, and then asked:
- Which wolf wins in the end?
The old man smiled and answered:
- The wolf you feed always wins.

About the jug and water

There is an Eastern proverb: “You can only pour from a jug into a cup what was in it.” That is, if there is water there, and you want wine to flow, desire alone will not be enough. It’s the same with people: sometimes you in vain expect certain actions from a person, but he is simply filled with the wrong content to meet your expectations.

Oh happiness

God molded a man from clay, and he was left with an unused piece.
- What else do you need to make? - asked God.
“Make me happy,” the man asked.
God did not answer anything, and only placed the remaining piece of clay in the man’s palm.

Glass (Jewish parable)

Rebbe, I don’t understand: you come to a poor man - he is friendly and helps as best he can. You come to a rich man - he doesn’t see anyone. Is it really just about the money?
- Look out the window. What do you see?
- A woman with a child, a cart going to the market...
- Fine. Now look in the mirror. What do you see there?
- Well, what can I see there? Only yourself.
- So: a window made of glass and a mirror made of glass. All you have to do is add a little silver and you see only yourself.

ILLUSION

The man who wanted to become a student said to the sage:
“For many days now I have been listening to you condemn ideas, ideas and behavior that are not characteristic of me and will never be characteristic.
What is the purpose of all this?
The sage answered:

“The purpose of this is to make you finally stop imagining that everything that I condemn was never characteristic of you, and understand that you suffer from the delusion that it is not characteristic of you now.”

WORLD
The student asked the dervish:
- Teacher, is the world hostile for humans? Or does it bring good to a person?
“I’ll tell you a parable about how the world treats a person,” said the teacher.
“Once upon a time, there lived a great Shah. He ordered the construction of a beautiful palace. There were many wonderful things there. Among other wonders in the palace there was a hall where all the walls, ceiling, doors and even the floor were mirrored. The mirrors were unusually clear, and the visitor did not immediately understand that there was a mirror in front of him - they reflected the objects so accurately. In addition, the walls of this room were designed to create an echo. You will ask: “Who are you?” and you will hear in response from different sides: “Who are you?” Who are you? Who are you?".
One day a dog ran into the hall and froze in amazement in the middle - a whole pack of dogs surrounded it on all sides, above and below. The dog bared its teeth just in case; and all the reflections answered her in the same way. Seriously frightened, the dog barked desperately. The echo repeated her bark.
The dog barked louder. Echo did not lag behind. The dog rushed here and there, biting the air, its reflections also rushed around, clicking its teeth. The next morning, the servants found the unfortunate dog lifeless, surrounded by millions of reflections of dead dogs.
There was no one in the room who could cause her any harm. The dog died fighting his own reflections."

“Now you see,” the dervish finished, “the world brings neither good nor evil in itself.” Everything that happens around us is just a reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions. The world is a big mirror.

Assumptions visit people more often than they realize. People usually act based on their hunches. This habit can be useful, because then you don’t have to think and communicate. If you meet a man in uniform, you can guess that he is a law enforcement officer.
But don't make assumptions all the time and don't let them rule your life!
Remember the sad fate of the sign designer - he lost his earnings because he made the wrong assumption. A rich woman asked him to write a warning about a dog in the house to hang on the front door. He wrote: "Beware, evil dog!" - and lost the order. “You fool,” the woman exclaimed, “I wanted to notify those entering: “Knock quietly! Don’t wake the dog!”

CAT AND RABBIT

The cat said:
- Rabbits are not worthy of being taught! I offer cheap mouse catching lessons - and at least one rabbit will be interested!

KNOWLEDGE

The ruler of the city ordered one Sufi to be captured and thrown into prison. The disciples came to visit their teacher in captivity. They were amazed to see that their teacher had not changed at all and was happily greeting them as if they were guests at his home.
- Teacher, what serves as your consolation here, in the house of sorrow? - the students exclaimed.
“Four sayings,” answered the Sufi. - Here's the first one:
“No one can escape evil, for everything is predetermined by fate.”
Here's the second one:
“What can a person do in misfortune but patiently endure his suffering? After all, in the whole universe you are not the only one experiencing something similar.”
Here's the third one:
"Be grateful to fate that the worst did not happen - it is always possible."
And finally, I say to myself: “Deliverance may be near, although you may not know it.”
At that moment the guards came with the news that the Sufi was free, for they had captured him by mistake.

DISSATISFIED

A layman complained to a Sufi about the dominance of wicked people.
“All my life I have suffered from human malice and wickedness,” he complained. - So-and-so reproached me and unfairly condemned me, so-and-so let me down in business, so-and-so deceived me, so-and-so did not share the profit with me...
Complaints flowed in an endless stream. The Sufi was silent without interrupting him. Finally he fell silent, finally asking: What should I do?
“Don’t be like fools who notice only mistakes, blunders and evil in the people with whom they live and communicate,” answered the Sufi. - These foolish people do not pay attention to the merits of people. They are like flies clinging to the sores of the body.

ADVICE

One student asked his Sufi mentor: “Master, what would you say if you knew about my fall?”
- Get up!
- And next time?
- Get up again!
- And how long can this continue - keep falling and rising?
- Fall and rise while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.

THREE AGES

Conversation in the fifth century
- They say that silk does not grow on trees - it is spun by caterpillars.
- Do diamonds come from eggs? Do not pay attention. This is an obvious lie.
- But in distant lands, undoubtedly, there are many miracles...
“It is from such a thirst for the supernatural that all sorts of fantastic inventions arise, which are in demand among the gullible.
- But in general, if you think about it, such nonsense, so widespread in the East, will never take root in our logically thinking, civilized society.
In the sixth century
- One man came from the East and brought with him some worms.
- Without a doubt, a charlatan. I believe he claims they cure toothache?
- No, it's funnier. He says they can "spin silk." He says that he obtained them at the risk of his life and now displays them at courts in different countries.
- Yes, he is simply exploiting a belief that was already outdated in the time of my great-great-grandfather!
- What are we going to do with him, sir?
- Throw his devilish worms into the fire, and beat him until he publicly renounces his heresy. People like him are extremely insolent. We need to demonstrate to them that we here in the West are not some dark hillbilly, ready to believe any rogue from the East.
In the twentieth century
“So you’re saying that you know something known in the East that we haven’t yet discovered here in the West?” Well, this was said many thousands of years ago. But in the present century, the human mind is truly open to everything new. So let's try it, I guess. Well, go ahead, demonstrate what you want - I have fifteen minutes until the next meeting. Or, if you prefer, you can submit your thoughts in writing. Here's a piece of paper for you.

LAST DAY.

One man believed that the last day of humanity would fall on a certain date, and that it should be met in a special way.
He gathered everyone who listened to his words, and when the appointed day arrived, he led them to a high mountain. But as soon as they all reached the top, the fragile earthen crust collapsed under their combined weight, and they fell into the mouth of the volcano. And this was truly their last day.

THOUGHT OF THE VINE.

There was one grapevine in the world that realized that people were picking its grapes every year and taking them away.
And no one ever says "thank you" to her.
One fine day, a wise man passed by and sat down to rest nearby.
“Here it is, my chance to clarify the mystery,” the vine thought and said:
- A wise man! You see: I am the vine. When my fruits ripen, people come and take them away. I don't see even a hint of gratitude from any of them. Can you explain to me the reason for this behavior?
The wise man thought and said:
- In all likelihood, the reason for it is that all these people had the impression that you cannot help but produce grapes.

GUESS

Once upon a time there was a bee who discovered that wasps did not know how honey was made. She thought she could tell them about it. True, one wise bee warned her:
- Wasps don't like bees. If you found yourself among them, they would not listen to you, because they have an ancient belief that bees are the antipodes of wasps.
After thinking about this problem for a long time, the bee decided that if she stained herself with yellow pollen, she would become completely indistinguishable from the wasps, and they would mistake her for one of their own.
So she did. Posing as a wasp who had made a great discovery, the bee began to teach the wasps how to make honey. They were completely delighted and worked tirelessly under her leadership. But now it's time to rest. And then the wasps noticed that in the heat of work the bee’s disguise had fallen off. And they recognized her.
As one, they pounced on her and bit her to death, like an uninvited guest and an ancient enemy. And of course, all the half-ready honey was indignantly thrown away - for what good could there be in what a stranger offered?

FOOD AND SURPRISE

One young man, who wanted to achieve enlightenment, found a Sufi who lived in solitude and asked to become his disciple. Without saying yes or no, the Sufi allowed him to settle nearby.
A long time passed during which the young man received no instruction and had very few impressions on which to reflect.
One day he said:
- I never see you eat. How can you live without food?
“Since you joined me, I have stopped eating in the presence of strangers,” said the Sufi. - Now I eat in secret.
Completely intrigued, the young man asked:
- But why? If you wanted to deceive me, then why are you admitting it now?
“I stopped eating,” answered the sage, “so that you could be surprised at me.” I hoped that the day would come when you would finally stop being surprised by things that don't apply and actually become a student.
- But couldn't you just tell me not to be surprised by what lies on the surface?!
“This has already been said thousands and thousands of times, clearly and distinctly, to everyone in the world, including yourself,” answered the Sufi. - And you think that an extra handful of words would have an effect?

HISTORY OF THE JUG

Have you heard about the tragedy of the unfortunate jug?
Lying on a bed in the corner of the room, the seriously ill patient begged for a sip of water.
The jug was so imbued with compassion for this man that he managed, with the greatest effort of will, to move himself, rotating, towards him at arm's length
Opening his eyes, the man saw a jug near him and experienced a surge of genuine amazement and joy. He barely reached the jug, brought it to his lips and... discovered that it was empty.
Gathering all the strength he had left, the patient threw the jug against the wall with all his might, and it shattered into many useless pieces of clay.

NECTAR

The absence of sorrows gives rise to satiety. This is illustrated by the story of the bee.
Having flown out of the hive for the first time after a long winter hibernation, the bee discovered a flowerbed.
Three days later she exclaimed:
“I can’t imagine what happened to the nectar: ​​it became so sour.”

ABSOLUTELY

One Sufi sent everyone who wanted to become his disciple to listen and record the rantings of his slanderers - most of them were dogmatic scholars.
Someone asked him:
- Why are you doing this?
He replied:
- One of the first exercises of a Sufi is to see whether he is able to recognize the absurdities, biases and distortions in those who imagine themselves wise. If he is truly able to see what is inside them and recognize their narcissistic and toxic nature - then he can begin to learn Reality.

SYMBOLIC GIFTS

Visitors to Jan Fishan Khan were sometimes greeted by a man who greeted them with flattering words. Then they were served halva. And finally, right before they were allowed into the room where the Master was, they received a magnificent gold bar as a gift.
When they found themselves in front of the Teacher, he said:
- Pay attention to the gifts you have received. In our circle they mean: “If you want to harm someone, give them flattery, food and money.” You can even destroy a person with this, while he will be sincerely grateful to you for doing this.

DONKEY

“I know: when the weather improves, clover will appear,” said the donkey. - But I want it now. And everyone only offers hay. How to solve this problem? - Don't know. I'm too busy: I'm thinking about clover...

STATISTICS

The poor man said to the rich man:
- I spend all my money on food.
“That is your trouble,” answered the rich man. - Personally, I spend only five percent of my money on food.

FOOL

Once upon a time there was a man who did the right thing in one case, and the wrong thing in another - in exactly that order.
The first act was that he told the fool that he was a fool.
The second - he did not pay attention to the fact that he was standing at the edge of a deep well.

TIGER

A deer, running away from a tiger who had gone hunting, noticed a mouse sitting serenely near its hole and, stopping its run for a minute, shouted to it:
- The Lord of the Jungle is approaching! The tiger is obsessed with killing! Save yourself!
The mouse, as if nothing had happened, pinched a blade of grass and said:
- If you said that a cat went out to maraud, it would interest me!

PLEASE DO IT

One Sufi was asked:
- How can you teach people to move in a certain direction if they do not know your “language”?
He answered:
- Here's a story that illustrates this. Once upon a time, a Sufi came to a country where people knew only one phrase in his language: “Please do this!”
He didn't have time to teach them a better understanding of his language. So whenever he needed something done, he would demonstrate it and say, “Please do it!”
And thus everything was done.

CONTRADITIONS

Dialogue between Sufi and questioner:
- Which statement should be chosen if two Sufi sayings contradict each other?
- They contradict each other only when they are considered separately. If you clap your hands and only pay attention to the movement of your hands, it will look as if they are opposing each other. But in this case you will not see what really happened.
- The purpose of the “counteraction” of the hands was, of course, to produce a clap.

SUFI SLAVE

They say that one of the great Sufis, Ayaz, who was brought closer to him by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, was a slave.
The story goes that a certain courtier once said to him:
- You were a dervish, then you were captured. And now you have been serving Mahmud for many years. Your holiness is so great that if you asked for freedom, the Sultan would immediately give it to you. Why do you remain in such an unenviable position?
Ayaz sighed heavily and said:
- If I cease to be a slave, where in all the earth will there be a person to whom people could refer as an example of a slave who is a teacher? And then, if I leave the king, who else can admonish the courtiers? After all, they listen to me only for the reason that Mahmoud listens to me. My friend, people like you created this tiny little world for themselves. And yet, you ask me why I remain a slave in this man-made cage.

AN UNBELIEVABLE LEGEND

Cosmetic surgery, said the eagle, is not only useful in light of today's level of social development: it is practically necessary.
When he trimmed his claws and shortened his beak, everyone around him liked the result so much that they did the same.
Almost all. The crows did not bother with improving their appearance. They grew claws and began to wait for the day when - if it happened that social taboos, under the pressure of circumstances, again allowed the growth of claws - other predators practicing pedicure and developing civilization would simply no longer know what claws were for at all.

ENVIRONMENT

One Sufi invited a man who deeply revered him to live in his house. However, just four days later he left for distant lands and was gone for three years.
Deprived of the Master's presence, the guest lost heart and felt extremely awkward. But he was also forced to cope with household responsibilities...
Many years later, one man, to whom he had confided his troubles, returned to the city where this happened, and discovered that his friend had succeeded in becoming a Sufi, and that his feelings were now very different from before.
He explained to his friend:
“What seemed clear to me at the time when I first came to my Master’s house, as I now understand, was in fact hidden from me. If he had stayed, I would not have been able to bear the intensity of his presence. I thought I wanted to be near him, when in reality I needed to breathe in the atmosphere around him.

INTEREST IN OWN PERSON

When Anwar, Hayat's son, was asked why he does not criticize people, he replied:
- What keeps me interested in myself is my own person. If you demonstrate your neighbor's shortcomings, this may benefit the surrounding society, but it is not always beneficial to you. Practicing sarcasticness develops arrogance.
I care too much about myself and don't want arrogance to eat away at my soul.

One Sufi was asked:
Why did you only travel in search of new experiences when you were young?
He replied:
- Because if I had done this, being already famous, people would have treated me differently, and I would not have gained the experience that I so needed.

HEALING

The dervish was once asked:
- How can you heal the sick if your master cannot do it?
He replied:
- One person was asked: “Why do you go to the grocery store if your master doesn’t?” The man replied: “I go to the shop because my master bakes bread. If he did not do this, there would be no need for flour.”

There is such a story in the Bhagavad Gita.

A great master of archery named Drona taught his students. He hung a target on a tree and asked each of the students what he saw.
One said:
- I see a tree and a target on it. Another said:
- I see a tree, the rising sun, birds in the sky... Everyone else answered about the same.
Then Drona approached his best disciple Arjuna and asked:
- What do you see? He replied:
- I can't see anything but the target. And Drona said:
- Only such a person can hit the target.

FAITH AND DISTRUST

Krishna was sitting at the table in his house. His queen Rakmini served him food. Suddenly Krishna pushed the dish away from him, jumped up and ran through the garden to the street. Rakmini became worried and ran out after him. Halfway there she saw Krishna returning to the house.
Entering the house, he sat down at the table and, as if nothing had happened, continued the meal. Rakmini excitedly asked him:
- What's happened? Why did you suddenly interrupt lunch and run out into the street?
Krishna replied:
“I felt that one of my students needed help, his whole being attracted me. The villagers stopped him, threw stones at him and insulted him. He stood defenseless and prayed.
Rakmini asked in surprise:
- Why did you return halfway and not come to his aid?
Krishna replied:
- At first, when he stood defenseless in front of people who threatened him, all of Genesis came to his defense, but when he could not stand it and raised a stone in his defense, I realized that he decided to rely on his own strength.

FLOWERS

Subhuti meditated under a tree and was able to comprehend the all-pervasiveness of emptiness, the understanding that nothing exists except in the interrelation of the subjective and the objective. Suddenly he felt flowers falling on him from a tree,
“We thank you for the conversation about emptiness,” the gods whispered to him.
“But I didn’t say anything about emptiness,” said Subhuti.
“You didn’t talk about emptiness, we didn’t hear emptiness,” the gods answered. - This is true emptiness.
And again flowers rained down on him.

PARABLE IN ACTION

Many people assume that their interest in a subject is sufficient preparation. Moreover, they cannot believe that others may have the ability to perceive while they themselves must wait.
Junayd once illustrated this on an obvious level when some of his twenty students became jealous of his affection for one of them. The parable-in-action that he invented is worth pondering.
He called all his disciples and ordered them to bring twenty chickens. Each was told to take one bird to a place where no one could see him and kill it.
When they returned, the birds were dead: all except the one that the student in question had taken.
Junayd, in the presence of the other disciples, asked him why he did not kill his bird.
“You told me to go where I cannot be seen, but there is no such place: God sees everything,” the man replied.

PARABLE ABOUT THE MONKS

One day an old and a young monk were returning to their monastery. Their path was crossed by a river, which was overflowing due to the rains.
There was a woman standing on the shore who also needed to move to the opposite shore, but she could not do it without outside help. The vow strictly forbade monks to touch women.
The young monk, noticing the woman, pointedly turned away, and the old one approached her, picked her up and carried her across the river. The monks remained silent the rest of the way, but at the monastery itself the young monk could not stand it: “How could you touch a woman!? You made a vow!” To which the old man calmly replied: “It’s strange, I carried it and left it on the river bank, and you are still carrying it.”

KING SOLOMON'S RING

Once upon a time there lived a wise king Solomon. But despite his wisdom, his life was not calm. And one day King Solomon turned to the court sage for advice with a request: “Help me - a lot in this life can drive me crazy. I am very susceptible to passions, and this really bothers me!” To which the Sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is carved on it: “THIS WILL PASS!” When you experience strong anger or strong joy, look at this inscription and it will sober you up. In this you will find salvation from passions!"
As time passed, Solomon followed the advice of the Sage and found peace. But the moment came and one day, as usual, looking at the ring, he did not calm down, but on the contrary, he lost his temper even more. He tore the ring off his finger and wanted to throw it further into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He took a closer look and read: “THIS ALSO SHALL PASS...”

CROSS

One person once decided that his fate was too difficult. And he turned to the Lord God with the following request: “Savior, my cross is too heavy and I cannot bear it. All the people I know have much lighter crosses. Could you replace my cross with a lighter one?” And God said: “Okay, I invite you to my storage of crosses - choose the one that you like.” A man came to the storage room and began to pick out a cross for himself: he tried on all the crosses and they all seemed too heavy to him. While trying on all the crosses, he noticed a cross at the very exit, which seemed lighter than the others and said to the Lord: “Let me take this one.” And God said: “So this is your own cross, which you left at the door to try on the others.”

WHAT'S SWEET

It is reported that Abu Said spent seven years in the desert, undergoing grueling hardships of asceticism. His food was the stems and roots of thorny bushes, and his drink was collected drops of dew. When he achieved enlightenment, he abandoned such practices.
One day in the city of Mashhad he was resting, leaning back on his pillows. The student cut slices of melon, dipped them in powdered sugar and served them to him. Someone, who had heard about the severe asceticism of the master and did not believe in it, asked him: “O master, what is preferable: a sugar melon or the roots that you ate in the desert?”
“Everything has its time,” our master answered. “If, eating roots, you are in the presence of God, then the roots become sweeter than the melon. If you are outside of God, then the melon in sugar will turn out to be bitterer than the roots!”

PARABLE ABOUT THE BERRY

One day, while walking across a field, a man came across a tiger and rushed away in horror, the tiger following him. Having reached the edge of the abyss, the man grabbed the roots of a wild grapevine and hung over the abyss. The tiger began to sniff him from above. Trembling with fear, the poor fellow looked down: there, licking his lips, another tiger was waiting for him.
Only the vine was still holding him back.
But then two mice, one white, the other black, began to little by little gnaw at the vine.
And suddenly, next to him, the man saw ripe, juicy strawberries. Holding the vine with one hand, he picked the berry with the other. How delicious it was!

ATHEIST

One day, an atheist, walking along a cliff, slipped and fell down. During his fall, he managed to grab the branch of a small tree growing from a crevice in the rock. Hanging on a branch, swaying in the cold wind, he realized the hopelessness of his situation: mossy boulders were black below, and there was no way to climb up. His hands holding onto the branch became weak.
“Well,” he thought, “only God can save me now. I never believed in God, but I must be wrong. What do I have to lose?” So he called: “God! If You exist, save me, and I will believe in You!” There was no answer.
He called again, “Please, God! I never believed in You, but if You save me now, I will believe in You from now on.”
Suddenly a Great Voice came from the clouds: “Oh no, you won’t! I know people like you!”
The man was so surprised that he almost let go of the branch. "Please, God! You're wrong! I really think so! I'll believe!" - “Oh no, you won’t! You all say that!”
The man begged and convinced.
Finally God said: “Okay. I will save you... Let go of the branch.” “Let go of the branch?!” the man exclaimed. “Don’t you think I’m crazy?”

THOUGHTS - LIFESTYLE

One pregnant lioness, going for prey, saw a flock of sheep. She rushed at them, and the effort cost her her life. The lion cub that was born was left without a mother. The sheep took him into their care and fed him. He grew up among them, eating grass like them, and bleating like them, and although he became an adult lion, in his aspirations and needs, as well as in his mind, he was a perfect sheep. Some time passed and another lion approached the herd. Imagine his surprise when he saw a fellow lion running away like sheep when danger approached. He wanted to come closer, but as soon as he got a little closer, the sheep ran away, and with them the lion-sheep. The second lion began to watch him and one day, seeing him sleeping, jumped on him and said: “Wake up, you are a lion!” “No,” he bleated in fear, “I’m a sheep!” Then the lion who came dragged him to the lake and said: “Look! Here are our reflections - mine and yours.” The lion-sheep looked at the lion, then at his reflection in the water, and at that same moment he realized that he himself was a lion. He stopped bleating and growled.

HAPPINESS

The big dog, seeing the puppy chasing its tail, asked:
- Why are you chasing your tail like that?
“I studied philosophy,” answered the puppy, “I solved the problems of the universe that no dog had solved before me; I learned that the best thing for a dog is happiness, and that my happiness is in the tail; so I chase him, and when I catch him, he will be mine.
“Son,” said the dog, “I was also interested in world problems and formed my own opinion about it.” I also realized that happiness is wonderful for a dog and that my happiness is in the tail, but I noticed that wherever I go, no matter what I do, he follows me: I don’t need to chase him.

CURIOSITY AND DOUBT

One day a certain bhakta (walking the path of Divine Love) wanted to cross the sea. Vibhishana, whom he approached for help, had a palm leaf on which was written the name of God. Bhakta did not know about this, Vibhishana told him: “Take this with you and tie your clothes to the edge. This will enable you to cross the ocean in complete safety. But be careful not to unfold the leaf, because if you look inside, you will drown.”
Bhakta believed his friend's words and walked across the ocean in complete safety. But, unfortunately, his constant enemy was curiosity. He wanted to see what kind of precious thing that had such power that he could walk on the waves of the ocean as if on solid ground, Vibhishana gave him. Opening it, he saw that it was a palm leaf with the name of God written on it. He thought: “Is this really all? Such a trifling thing makes it possible to walk on the waves?” As soon as this thought arose in his head, he plunged into the water and drowned.

TAIL AND HEAD

Once upon a time there lived a snake whose head and tail were constantly arguing with each other.
The head says to the tail: “I should be considered the eldest!” Tail replies: “I also deserve to be the eldest.” The head says: “I have ears to hear, eyes to see, a mouth to eat, when moving I am ahead of the rest of the body - that’s why I should be considered the eldest. But you do not have such virtues, so you cannot be considered the eldest. " And the tail responded: “If I let you move, then you can move. What if I wrap myself around a tree three times?” He did just that. The head was unable to move in search of food and almost died of starvation. He said to the tail: “You can let me go, I recognize you as the eldest.”
The tail, hearing these words, immediately unhooked itself from the tree. The head again says to the tail: “Since you are the eldest, let’s see how you go first.” The tail went forward, but did not take even a few steps before it fell into a fiery pit, and the snake died in the fire

SELF-SUGGESTION

One day a certain man was invited to a friend's house. As he was about to drink the offered cup of wine, he thought he saw a baby snake inside the cup. Not wanting to offend the owner by drawing attention to this circumstance, he courageously drained the cup.
Returning home, he felt terrible pain in his stomach. Many medications have been tried. But everything turned out to be in vain, and the man, now seriously ill, felt that he was dying. His friend, hearing about the patient’s condition, once again called him to his house. Having seated the man in the same place, he again offered him a cup of wine, saying that it contained medicine. When the sufferer lifted the cup, he saw a baby snake in it. This time he drew the owner's attention to it. Without a word, the owner pointed to the ceiling above the guest’s head, where the bow hung. The patient immediately realized that the baby snake was only a reflection of the hanging bow. Both people looked at each other and laughed. The guest's pain instantly disappeared and he recovered.

THIRST AND WISDOM

A young man once came to a sage and asked: “Sir, what should I do to gain wisdom?” The sage did not answer. Having repeated his question several times and without receiving an answer, the young man finally left, only to return the next day and still with the same question. Again he did not receive an answer and returned on the third day, again repeating: “Sir, what must I do to become a sage?” The sage turned and headed towards the nearby river. He entered the water and nodded to the young man to follow him. Having reached a sufficient depth, the sage took the young man by the shoulders and held him under water, despite the young man’s attempts to free himself. When he was freed and his breathing evened out, the sage asked him: “My son, when you were under water, what did you desire most?” The young man answered without hesitation: “Air! Air! I only wanted air!” - “Wouldn’t you prefer wealth, pleasure, power and love to this, my son? Haven’t you thought about these things?” - the sage asked. “No, sir, I wanted air and thought only about air,” came the immediate answer. “Then,” said the sage, “to become wise, you must desire wisdom with the same intensity with which you just thirsted for air. You must fight for it to the exclusion of all other goals in life. If you strive for wisdom with such With passion, my son, you will definitely become wise."

STINGY

Mokusen Hiki lived in a temple in the province of Amba. One of his followers complained about his wife's stinginess.
Mokusen visited the wife of his follower and showed her his hand clenched into a fist.
“What do you mean by this?” asked the surprised woman.
- Let's assume that my hand is clenched into a fist all the time. What do you call it? - asked Mokusen.
“Mutilation,” the woman answered.
Then he opened his hand and asked again:
- Now suppose that my hand is always in this position. What is it then?
“Another form of mutilation,” the woman said.
“If you understand this well,” Mokusen finished, “you are a good wife.”
- And he left.
- After his visit, the wife began to help her husband both in savings and in spending.

Greetings to everyone who visited our site. Today we decided to tell you short and very wise life parables in this post. Probably, each of you asked yourself many questions about life, happiness, love and relationships between people. Life makes us think about many things. These short stories in the form of parables help you think about the meaning of life. They make us think. They teach to forgive and ask for forgiveness. Appreciate what we have. In each parable you will find something useful for yourself, perhaps in it you will find the answer to your question. How much wisdom is in these stories, how much love and life!? Many today try to express their feelings and thoughts in parables. We think that these short parables will not leave you indifferent!

One day a man came to God, he complained about his boring life and said that he was lonely on this beautiful planet. God began to think about how to create a woman, since he spent all the material on creating a man? God did not want to refuse the man, after reflection, he began to create a woman and invented the same thing.

He took the bright, beautiful rays of the sun, all the colors of the enchanting morning dawn, the sadness of the pensive moon, the beautiful appearance of a swan, the tenderness of a playful kitten, the grace of a dragonfly, the gentle warmth of affectionate fur, the insane attractiveness of a magnet. When all this was collected into one image, an ideal creation of incredible beauty appeared in front of him; she was not adapted to life on earth.
To prevent the cloying of this creature, he added the twinkling of cold stars, windy inconstancy, tears of clouds, fox cunning, the importunity of a fly, shark greed, the jealousy of a tigress, wasp vindictiveness, the intoxication of opium and filled it with life. As a result, a real charm, a real sweet woman, appeared in the world.
God gave this creation to a man and urgently said: - take her as she is, and don’t even try to change her!

Footprints in the sand

Once a man had a dream that he was walking along a sandy shore, and the Lord was next to him. And the man began to remember the events of his life. I remembered the joyful ones - and noticed two chains of footprints in the sand, my own and the Lord’s. I recalled misfortunes - and saw only one. Then the man became sad and began to ask the Lord: “Didn’t You tell me: if I follow Your path, You will not leave me?” Why, during the most difficult times of my life, was there only one chain of footprints stretching across the sand? Why did You abandon me when I needed You most? The Lord answered: “I love you and have never left you.” It’s just that in times of troubles and trials I carried you in my arms.

Parable about happiness

God molded a man from clay, and he was left with an unused piece.
- What else do you need to make? - asked God.
“Make me happy,” the man asked.
God did not answer anything, and only placed the remaining piece of clay in the man’s palm.

Taina of love

Once upon a time there lived an old man. He lived in an old temple.
Children often came to the temple to play. The most mischievous was a boy named Taro.
One day, while he was playing on the steps of the temple, three sparrows flew to him, and one of them said:
- The greatest thing in this world is the Sun. Thanks to the sun, our world is so beautiful.
But people accustomed to its light perceive the sun as a normal phenomenon.
Hearing this, the second sparrow said:
- No, the greatest thing in this world is water. Without water there is no life. But people are so used to her availability that they don’t give her her due.
And finally the third sparrow spoke:
- What you said is true. Both sun and water are wonderful gifts. But the most valuable thing on earth, which people don’t even think about, whose generosity they don’t even notice, is air. Without him we would have died.
After listening to the conversation of the sparrows, Taro began to think. He never felt grateful to either the air, or the water, or the sun... The boy ran to the old man and told him about what he had heard. He was sad that people were so ignorant that little birds turned out to be wiser than people.
The old man smiled affectionately and said:
- I congratulate you on your great discovery. You are right. People have lost sight of what is most important in life. But all their mistakes can be forgiven if they learn Love. There are vices in people, but you cannot get rid of them, even if you gather all your will into a fist.
In order to drive out vices, God gave people Love. Only Love and its mysterious power allow people to remain the pinnacle of divine creation.

Only in Love is there improvement, only in Love is there development.
Love is the path to God. God does not show himself to us; instead of himself, he sends us Love.
Thanks to Love, people forgive each other, accept each other and create a beautiful world.

One day, a man walking down the street accidentally saw a butterfly cocoon. He watched for a long time as a butterfly tried to exit through a small gap in the cocoon. A lot of time passed, the butterfly seemed to give up its efforts, and the gap remained just as small. It seemed that the butterfly did everything she could, and she had no more strength for anything else.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a penknife and cut the cocoon. The butterfly immediately came out. But her body was weak and feeble, her wings were undeveloped and barely moved. The man continued to watch, thinking that the butterfly’s wings were about to spread out and get stronger and it would be able to fly. Nothing happened! For the rest of its life, the butterfly dragged its weak body and its unstretched wings along the ground.

She was never able to fly. And all because the person, wanting to help her, did not understand that the butterfly needs effort to exit through the narrow gap of the cocoon, so that the fluid from the body passes into the wings and so that the butterfly can fly. Life made the butterfly struggle to leave this shell so that it could grow and develop.

Sometimes it is effort that we need in life. If we were allowed to live without encountering difficulties, we would be deprived. We couldn't be as strong as we are now. We would never be able to fly.

I asked for strength... and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom: and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for wealth: and God gave me brains and muscles so that I could work.

I asked for the opportunity to fly... and God gave me obstacles to overcome.

I asked for love... and God gave me people whom I could help with their problems.

I asked for blessings... and God gave me opportunities.

Forgiveness

Ah, Love! I so dream of being just like you! - Love repeated admiringly. You are much stronger than me.
- Do you know what my strength is? - asked Lyubov, shaking her head thoughtfully.
- Because you are more important to people.
“No, my dear, that’s not why at all,” Love sighed and stroked Love’s head. - I know how to forgive, that’s what makes me like this.

Can you forgive Betrayal?
- Yes, I can, because Betrayal often comes from ignorance, and not from malicious intent.
-Can you forgive Treason?
- Yes, and Treason too, because, having changed and returned, a person had the opportunity to compare, and chose the best.
-Can you forgive Lies?
- Lying is the lesser of two evils, silly, because it often happens out of hopelessness, awareness of one’s own guilt, or out of unwillingness to hurt, and this is a positive indicator.
- I don’t think so, there are just deceitful people!!!
- Of course there are, but they have nothing to do with me, because they don’t know how to love.
- What else can you forgive?
- I can forgive Anger, since it is short-lived. I can forgive Harshness, since it is often a companion to Chagrin, and Chagrin cannot be predicted and controlled, since everyone is upset in their own way.
- And what else?
- I can also forgive Resentment - the older sister of Chagrin, since they often flow from one another. I can forgive Disappointment because it is often followed by Suffering, and Suffering is purifying.
- Ah, Love! You are truly amazing! You can forgive everything, everything, but at the first test I go out like a burnt out match! I'm so jealous of you!!!
- And here you are wrong, baby. No one can forgive everything. Even Love.
- But you just told me something completely different!!!
- No, what I said, I actually can forgive, and I forgive endlessly. But there is something in the world that even Love cannot forgive.

Because it kills feelings, corrodes the soul, leads to Melancholy and Destruction. It hurts so much that not even a great miracle can heal it. This poisons the lives of those around you and makes you withdraw into yourself.
This hurts more than Betrayal and Betrayal and hurts worse than Lies and Resentment. You will understand this when you encounter him yourself.
Remember, Falling in love, the most terrible enemy of feelings is Indifference. Because there is no cure for it.

Somehow souls gathered for a meeting before incarnation on Earth. And so God asks one of them:
- Why are you going to Earth?
- I want to learn to forgive.

Who are you going to forgive? Look how pure, bright and loving the souls are. They love you so much they can't do anything
something for which they need to be forgiven. Soul looked at her sisters, indeed, she loves them unconditionally and they love her just the same! The Soul became sad and said: “And I really want to learn to forgive!”
Then another Soul comes up to her and says:
- Don’t worry, I love you so much that I’m ready to be with you on Earth and help you experience forgiveness. I will become your husband and I will be for you
cheat, drink, and you will learn to forgive me.

Another Soul comes up and says:
- I love you very much too and I will go with you: I will be your mother, punish you, interfere in your life in every possible way and prevent you from living happily, and you
you will learn to forgive me.
Third Soul says:
- And I will be your best friend and at the most inopportune moment I will betray you, and you will learn to forgive.

Another Soul comes up and says:
- And I will become your boss, and out of love for you I will treat you harshly and unfairly so that you can experience forgiveness.
Another Soul volunteered to be an evil and unfair mother-in-law...

Thus, a group of souls loving each other gathered, came up with a scenario for their life on Earth to live the experience of forgiveness and
embodied. But it turned out that on Earth it is very difficult to remember Yourself and your agreement.
Most took this life seriously, began to be offended and angry at each other, forgetting that they themselves created this life scenario, and
The main thing is that everyone loves each other!

Parable. Why is the woman crying?

The little boy asked his mother: “Why are you crying?”
- Because I'm a woman.
- I don't understand!
Mom hugged him and said: “You will never understand this.”
Then the boy asked his father, “Why does mom sometimes cry for no reason?” “All women sometimes cry for no reason,” was all the father could answer.
Then the boy grew up and became a man, but he never ceased to wonder: “Why do women cry?”
Finally he asked God. And God answered:
“When I conceived a woman, I wanted her to be perfect.
I gave her shoulders so strong that they could hold the whole world, and so soft that they could support a child's head.
I gave her a spirit strong enough to endure childbirth and other pain.
I have given her a will so strong that she goes forward when others fall, and she takes care of the fallen and the sick and the tired without complaining.
I gave her the kindness to love children under any circumstances, even if they hurt her.
I gave her the strength to support her husband despite all his shortcomings.
I made it from his rib to protect his heart.
I gave her the wisdom to understand that a good husband never intentionally hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strength and determination to stand by his side without hesitation.
And finally, I gave her tears. And the right to shed them where and when necessary.
And you, My son, need to understand that the beauty of a woman is not in her clothes, hairstyle or manicure.
her beauty is in her eyes, which open the door to her heart. To the place where love lives."

Two names

A woman is truly happy when she has two names:
the first is “Beloved”, and the second is “Mom”.

Real love

A daughter once asked her mother how to distinguish real love from a fake.
“It’s very simple,” the mother answered, “... because I love you!” - this is true love. “I love you because...” is a fake.

Heart

In one village there lived a sage. He loved children and often gave them things, but they were always very fragile objects. The children tried to handle them carefully, but their new toys often broke and they were very sad. The sage again gave them toys, but even more fragile ones. One day his parents couldn’t stand it and came to him: “You are a wise and kind person, why do you give our children fragile toys?” They cry bitterly when toys break. “Very few years will pass,” the sage smiled, “and someone will give them his heart.” Maybe, with my help, they will learn to handle this priceless gift more carefully.

Abortion

Once a certain married couple came to the elder.
“Father,” says the wife, “I’m expecting a child, and we already have four children; If the fifth one is born, we won’t live. Bless me to have an abortion.
“I see that your life is not easy,” the elder answers, “well, I bless you to kill your child.” Just kill the eldest daughter, she is already fifteen years old: tea, she has already lived in the world, she has seen something, but that little one has not yet seen a ray of sunshine, it would be unfair to deprive him of this opportunity.
In horror, the woman covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

One couple had no children, although they had been married for several years. To avoid feeling lonely, a husband and wife bought a German Shepherd puppy. They loved him and cared for him as if they were their own son. The puppy grew up and turned into a big, beautiful, smart dog and more than once saved the owner’s property from thieves, was faithful, devoted, loved and protected his owners.
Seven years after the couple adopted the dog, their long-awaited child was born. The husband and wife were happy, the baby took up almost all of their time, and the dog received almost no attention. The dog felt unnecessary and became jealous of the child’s owners. One day, parents left their sleeping son in the house, while they themselves were preparing for a barbecue on the terrace. When they went to check on the child, a dog came out of the nursery. His mouth was bloody and he was wagging his tail contentedly.
The child's father assumed the worst, grabbed a weapon and promptly killed the dog. Then he ran into the nursery and on the floor, near his son’s cradle, he saw a huge headless snake. “I killed my faithful dog,” said the man, holding back tears.
How often do we judge people unfairly? The worst thing is that we do it without thinking, without even knowing the reasons why they acted one way or another. We don't care what they thought or felt, we don't care. And we do not allow the thought that later, perhaps, we will regret our haste. So next time, when we judge someone, let’s remember this parable about the faithful dog.

Happiness

Happiness ran across the field... So quickly, cheerfully and serenely that it did not notice the hole and fell into it. He sits at the bottom of this hole and cries. People found out about this and began to come to the pit to look at this miracle. Happiness fulfilled their wishes, and they left, happy and satisfied. One day a young man walked past this place. He stopped at the edge of the pit and watched for a long time as people made more and more new wishes, and then he offered his hand and rescued happiness from captivity. “What do you want? I will fulfill your every desire,” asked Happiness. But the young man did not answer anything and went on his way. And Happiness ran alongside...

As soon as the train started moving, he stuck his hand out the window to feel the flow of air and suddenly shouted in delight:
- Dad, see, all the trees are going back!
The elderly man smiled back.
A married couple was sitting next to the young man. They were a little confused that a 25 year old man was acting like a little child.
Suddenly the young man shouted again in delight:
- Dad, you see, the lake and the animals... The clouds are traveling with the train!
The couple watched in confusion at the strange behavior of the young man, in which his father did not seem to find anything strange.
It began to rain, and the raindrops touched the young man’s hand. He was filled with joy again and closed his eyes. And then he shouted:
- Dad, it’s raining, the water is touching me! Do you see, dad?
Wanting to help in some way, the couple sitting next to them asked the elderly man:
— Why don’t you take your son to some clinic for a consultation?
The elderly man replied: “We just came from the clinic.” Today my son regained his sight for the first time in his life...

Once upon a time, a wise pilgrim, wandering through different lands, walked past an open field towards the temple. In the field he saw three people working. The pilgrim had never met anyone in this land, and he wanted to talk to these people. The pilgrim approached three workers and, wanting to offer his help, turned to the one who looked the most tired and, as it seemed to the pilgrim, dissatisfied and even embittered. "What are you doing here?" - asked the pilgrim. The first worker, all dirty and tired, answered with undisguised anger in his voice: “Don’t you see, I’m moving stones.” This answer surprised and upset the pilgrim, and then he turned to the second worker with the same question. The second worker looked away from his work for a moment and said indifferently: “Don’t you see? I’m making money!” For some reason, the pilgrim was dissatisfied with this answer, but let me remind you that he was a wise man. Then he approached the third worker to ask the same question. The third worker stopped, put aside his simple tool, dusted off his hands, bowed to the wanderer and, raising his eyes to the sky, quietly said: “I am building a road to the temple here.”

Parable of Sins

Two people go to the elder for confession. The first one committed one grave sin, and now he goes and humbly thinks about how he should confess. And the second one goes to the elder and reasons: he has a big sin, but why am I going, because I’m sinning all over the little things and there’s nothing to say. They come to the elder, he looked at them, and the one who committed one big sin was ordered to bring one big stone. And the second one has a hundred small stones. And when they brought it, the elder said to them: “Now return these stones to the place where you took them from.” But returning a hundred stones to their place is much more difficult. This parable is about the fact that there are no small, insignificant sins, that sin in its essence is always a violation of order.

The price of love

It is not the one who has seen a lot who will understand, but the one who has lost a lot. It is not the one who did not offend who will forgive, but the one who has forgiven a lot. Anyone who is unable to give way to another will condemn. Only the one in whose veins the blood never boils is jealous. And he who lives by his own profit cannot take someone else’s pain. And sadness does not bother those who do not know love at night. And the happiness of the meeting will not be known to those who did not breathe parting. Only those who lose a lot have learned the value of a lot!

Parable about God

A hermit once came to a village where it was full of unbelievers. He was surrounded by young people, calling on him to show where God, whom he so deeply revered, lived. He said he could do it, but first let them give him a cup of milk.
When the milk was placed in front of him, he did not drink it, but looked at it for a long time and silently with increasing curiosity. The young people became impatient, their demands became more and more insistent. Then the hermit said to them:

Wait a minute; They say milk contains butter, but no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t see it in this cup.
The youth began to laugh at his naivety.
- You stupid man! Don't make such ridiculous conclusions. Every drop of milk contains oil, which makes it nutritious. To get and see it, you need to boil the milk, cool it, add curdled milk, wait a few hours for it to curdle, then beat and remove the piece of butter that appears on the surface.

Ah well! - said the ascetic, - now it is much easier for me to explain to you where God lives. He is everywhere, in every being, in every atom of the Universe, thanks to which they all exist and we perceive them and rejoice in them. But to see Him as a real entity, you need to strictly, earnestly and sincerely follow the prescribed rules. Then, at the end of this process, you will experience His mercy and His power.

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed one vital truth to his grandson.
“There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies... The other wolf represents good - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty...
The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather’s words, thought for a few moments, and then asked:
- Which wolf wins in the end?
The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:
“The wolf you feed always wins.”

Parable. Appreciate every person

Every person who appears in our life is a teacher! Someone teaches us to be stronger, someone - wiser, someone teaches us to forgive, someone - to be happy and enjoy every day. Someone doesn’t teach us at all - they just break us, but from this we gain experience. Appreciate every person, even if he appeared for a moment. After all, if he appeared, then it’s no accident!

Parable about love

A young woman was sitting on a park bench and for some reason weeping bitterly. At this time Vanya was riding his tricycle along the alley. And he felt so sorry for his aunt that he asked:

Auntie, why are you crying?

“Oh, baby, you won’t be able to understand,” the woman waved her off.

It seemed to Vanya that after this her aunt began to cry even more. He says:

Auntie, does something hurt you and are you crying? Do you want me to give you my toy?

The woman burst into tears even more at these sympathetic words:

“Oh, boy,” she answered, “nobody needs me, no one loves me...

Vanya looked seriously and said:

Are you sure you asked everyone?

One day three wanderers were walking. Night caught them on the way. They saw the house and knocked. The owner opened the door for them and asked: “Who are you?”
- Health, Love and Wealth. Let us in for the night.
- It's a pity, but we only have one free place. I’ll go and consult with my family about which of you to let in.
The sick mother said: “Let’s let Health in.”
The daughter suggested letting Love in, and the wife - Wealth.
While they were arguing, the wanderers disappeared.

All in your hands

One master had a lot of students. The most capable of them once thought: “Is there a question that our teacher cannot answer?” Then he caught the most beautiful butterfly in the meadow and hid it in his palms. Then he came to the master and asked:
- Tell me, teacher, what kind of butterfly, living or dead, am I holding in my palms? - He was ready to clench his palms harder at any moment for the sake of his truth.
Without looking at the student, the master answered: “EVERYTHING IS IN YOUR HANDS.”

Parable of the Brook

Once upon a time there lived in the world a little Brook. He descended from the mountains into a beautiful green valley. And then one day he reached the desert. Then he stopped and thought: “Where should I run next?” There was a lot of new and unknown ahead, so Brook was scared.
But then he heard a Voice: “Courage! Don’t stop there, there’s still a lot of interesting things ahead!”
But Brook continued to stand. He wanted to become a big, full-flowing river. But he was afraid of change and did not want to take risks.
Then the voice spoke again: “If you stop, you will never know what you are really capable of! Just believe in yourself, and then you will be able to find the right path in any environment! Run on!”
And Brook made up his mind. He ran across the desert. He felt very bad. Unfamiliar places and sweltering heat took away his strength every day. And after a few days it dried up...
But after evaporating, the small droplets met high in the sky. They united into one large cloud and floated further over the desert.
The cloud floated over the desert for a long time until it reached the sea. And then the stream spilled into the sea with numerous drops of rain. Now he has merged with the vast sea.
Gently rocking on the waves, he smiled to himself...
Previously, when he lived in the valley, he could not even dream of such a thing.
Brook thought: “I changed my form several times and only now it seems to me that I have finally become myself!”
Don't be afraid of change and never stop there. When you overcome yourself, your weaknesses, when you win, you experience an amazing, incomparable feeling of delight, a feeling of victory!
Life is so multifaceted that you never know what awaits you ahead. God does not give trials to man that he cannot handle. This means that all challenges can be overcome.
And what a feeling of joy and happiness fills the one who overcomes them and wins!
Someone said: “He who risks nothing risks everything.”

Parable of King Solomon's Ring

The wisdom of King Solomon was infinite and the wealth in his treasury was almost also countless. Therefore, when one of the courtiers presented him with a gold ring as a gift, the king ordered it to be taken to the rest of the treasures, without paying special attention to it, and so it was lost among the other riches...

But one day there was a bad harvest in his country, men and women, children and old people died. Then Solomon ordered to take part of the treasures from his treasury and exchange them with a neighboring kingdom for grain in order to feed his people dying of hunger. When the gold was being taken out, a ring that had previously been given to him fell from the tray, Solomon took it in his hands and read the engraved inscription on the outer edge: “Everything passes!” He put it on his finger and never took it off again, looking at this engraving in difficult moments and finding consolation in this.

But his beloved wife died, and Solomon for a long time could not find a place for himself from grief, the ring no longer saved him. He took it off and was about to throw it into the pond when another inscription flashed on the inner edge: “This too shall pass!”
Being already a wise old man, sitting by the pond and watching the sunset, King Solomon twisted a ring on his finger and thought that his life was coming to an end, that everything had already happened... how important was his life, and did it mean anything? or. It was then that he saw the third and final engraving on the narrowest edge of the ring: “Nothing passes!”

Parable Angel

There lived a hermit-hunchback in an old village.
He was feared, he was not loved,
There were rumors about him that he was an evil sorcerer,
and people avoided him.

He wandered around the village with an old bag
in a perennial coat, eaten away by moths.
And if they saw him off with a laugh,
He sighed quietly, without offense, but with pain.

And people mocked, whispering behind their backs:
his horns are supposedly hidden under his hat,
And that’s why this little lame one
that he has hooves instead of fingers.

One day trouble came to the village:
then the wheat seedlings will die under the hail,
Then in the summer in July the cold will come,
then the wolves will slaughter the herd in the pasture.

Troubling, difficult days have come,
They will have a hard time in the winter without grain.
Not knowing what to do, they decided:
"The hunchback is to blame! Death to you, Satan!

Come on, let's go to the river quickly!
He’s there, he’s living in a dugout like an exile!”
And they moved en masse. And in each hand,
a stone that had been picked up was caught in the road.

He walked towards them, sad and quiet,
He already knew everything, He is not stupid, He understood.
And He didn’t turn away, He didn’t hide from them
and only hid his face in his hands.

Without once screaming under the hail of stones,
He only whispered: “May the Almighty forgive you!
Stones on the body, but it hurts the heart more.
He doesn’t look like us, which means he’s evil, which means he’s superfluous...”

The execution is over. Someone said rudely:
"Let's see the ugly back!
I’ve never seen such a hump!”
He threw off the coat covered in blood from the dead man.

The crowd languished in sick curiosity.
Suddenly, silently, like statues, people froze,
“Evil devil”, “Satan” hid instead of a hump,
under an old coat there are snow-white wings...

And past the dugout, with eyes downcast,
cruel, stupid people pass by.
The Almighty, perhaps, will still forgive them,
but Angel will no longer be around...

They are about everything in the world. They contain the centuries-old wisdom of peoples.

• Jewish
• Hindu
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Ukrainian
• Russians
• Scandinavian
• Greek
• Indian...

There is probably no people who do not write their own parables.

The reason for the parable is most often presented in an allegorical form. However, in most cases it is quite simple to understand. An exception, perhaps, can be considered Zen and Taoist parables. Although, maybe it all depends on the way of life, and European parables seem strange to the Japanese and Chinese. Or maybe we are not so different?! After all, it’s worth remembering that even the matryoshka doll was invented in Japan...
The wisdom of centuries, compressed into a few dozen sentences, teaches how understand yourself and the world around you, gives understanding about life.
But, with all due respect to the age-old knowledge that these short philosophical stories included, we should not forget that there is also original and modern parables. Both are also based on the experience of previous generations.
Both Solomon and Leo Tolstoy, Leonardo da Vinci and Oscar Wilde spoke about the meaning of existence. And many of our contemporaries are trying to put together a good instructive story.
In general, read, enjoy, absorb, look for the meaning of life and be sure to find it.

Live wisely!