Photo by JvL

Once, there was a devout man who saw a filthy, unkempt beggar just outside his house. He had pity on this beggar and invited him inside for a meal.

Before the meal, the man bowed his head to say a prayer of thanks. He had hardly gotten a few words out when the beggar suddenly started cursing God. He told the man, “If you want to feed me, just feed me, but I don’t want to hear you talking about God. God can go to hell for all I care.”

The host was visibly surprised and furious, “Don’t you know that if not for the love of God, I would not have invited you into my home? How dare you insult my God! Get out of my house at once.” And he shooed the beggar away.

God came to the devout man in a dream later that night and said, “That beggar has been cursing my name and spreading vicious lies about me for 18 years. Yet, all through this time, I have put up with him, fed him, kept him alive, and loved him. Could you not put up with him for a single meal?”

When we burn with righteous anger at other people seemingly offending God, is it really God who is offended? Or us?

Baby Baptism - Photo by Racquel Veiga

A little boy was in a Catholic church with his dad to attend the baptism of their neighbor’s baby. The dad wanted his son to pay attention to this important ceremony so they sat right in front.

The boy sat transfixed at the priest as he poured water on the baby’s head and murmured a few words. Then in a loud voice, the boy turned to his dad and asked, “Daddy, why is he brainwashing the baby?”

Shh...Photo by Elizabeth Welsh

“And why should we be quiet in church?” the little girl asked the little boy.

The little boy replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

Photo by Kevin Shorter

The king said to the master, “I will give you my entire kingdom if you can tell me where god is.”

The master replied, “I will give you the entire world if you can tell me where god is not.”

Photo by Steven Martin

The master had a new disciple who was a regular churchgoer. He began to skip church when he saw that the master didn’t bother to attend. Pretty soon he began to feel pretty bad and guilty about it.

When the master learned about this, he said to the disciple, “Of what use is it to copy my actions without my motivation? If you simply stop going to church in imitation of me, that doesn’t do you any good. The monkey who strums a guitar doesn’t become a musician.”

Photo by Julianne Villaflor

The master remarked to his disciple, “Wouldn’t it be better to see God in the world?”

“What do you mean?” said the disciple.

“The preacher creates a dividing line between ‘the world’ and God — implying that there are ‘godly’ concerns and ‘worldly’ concerns. But that line is an illusion and is the cause of much strife. Witness the wife who complains that her husband spends too much time at church, or the family that is neglected in the name of God.

That is why I say it is better to see God in the world. See God in your neighbor. See God in your wife and family. See God in your work, in your every action and in every person you meet. That way, everything you do will be a godly concern,” concluded the master.

Photo by Jimilee Kalu

At night, he would study these notes, organize them and discuss the teachings with other disciples. He would often argue and debate on the meaning of ambiguous statements. He would ask the master to clarify certain thoughts, which the master sometimes did, but he often mentioned something else that would make the disciple more confused. But the disciple was persistent and would not stop until he was satisfied with an answer. Then he would write his own notes to synthesize what he had learned. He would then go to the other people and begin teaching them based on his writings.

This went on for a few years and the disciples notes had spanned several booklets. One morning, the disciple woke up and found his notes gone. He searched and searched but could not find his beloved notes. The master saw him in this agitated state and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The disciple replied, “My notes! Someone took my notes. All your precious teachings were there. I recorded them and preserved them so I would not forget them. And now they’re gone.”

“Oh,” said the master, “I took them.”

“What? What did you do with them?” said the disciple.

“It was cold last night and we had run out of wood. I needed fuel for the fire,” said the master.

“But…but…” sputtered the disciple.

“You think you have lost your life’s work and meaning. But no. In truth, I threw away your notes because they were consuming you. You think they help you understand, but in truth, they were hindering you from moving forward. When you listen to my words, don’t seize on them and make teachings out of them. My words merely hint at a truth that is inexpressible. Seek out that truth,” said the master.

Photo by moyer photos

“Why do you ask?” replied the master.

“I have to know if I should follow you or not,” said the newcomer.

“So what if I am holy? So what if I am not? A sinner can very well tell the truth, while a saint can also lead you to error. Listen to the message. Don’t be a slave to the messenger. The day you begin following me or anyone else, you cease to follow Truth,” said the master.

Original photo by Adam Selwood

“Explain further,” said the disciples, who had formed a small circle around the master.

The master gathered 4 twigs and formed a letter “M” on the ground. “Tell me what you see,” said the master.

One said, “I see an ‘M’.”

Another said, “I see 2 mountains.”

A disciple positioned sideways said, “I see ’3′.”

Another in front of the master said, “I see a ‘W’.”

And still another said, “I see the letter ‘E’.”

The master raised his hand and said, “See? You all saw reality according to how your mind perceived it. You interpreted it according to the symbols and preconceptions you have. In reality, there are only 4 twigs on the ground, nothing more.”

“True,” said the master.

“But if that is so, what do I do with all my goals and dreams? Do I just give them up and throw them away? Why even bother getting out of the bed in the morning if I have nothing to strive for?” said the achiever.

“Ah, that is where you are mistaken,” said the master. “You have it in your head that your goals and dreams are a means to an end — that they will somehow make you happier or more satisfied. But no matter how much you achieve, you still feel something missing inside, right?”

“Yes,” said the achiever.

“That’s because you are searching for something that isn’t there. You are grasping for something that is already in you. You are like the fish in the ocean looking for water. The moment you realize that, there will be peace, contentment, satisfaction, enlightenment,” said the master.

“So back to my question, once I’m content and happy, of what use are goals?” said the achiever.

“Do not pursue goals to in order to be happy or complete. Realize that you already are happy and complete. Rather, pursue goals as a celebration of your happiness and completeness,” said the master.