The people of the village always approached the master when they had troubling questions. He would always listen and respond to each in a way that brought great understanding and enlightenment.
There was only one topic that he would avoid and that was the topic of God. When people would begin to ask, “Is there a God?” or “Why is God so unfair?” and so on, he would excuse himself and walk away from the conversation.
Then someone asked him, “Why is it that when people start asking you about God, you refuse to answer them?”
“Do you see that rock there by the tree?” said the master.
“Yes,” replied the man.
“Can you tell me why it exists — what is its purpose for being?” said the master.
“Um…no,” said the man.
“Then I trust I have answered your question,” finished the master.
A young rabbi became infamous because of his unconventional methods and teachings. Because of this, he earned the ire of the elder, more traditional rabbis. One day, an elder approached him and said, “Why do you do these things? If your father were still alive, I’m not sure he would approve of what you are doing. You are nothing like him.”
The young man replied, “When my father was young, he initiated many changes and reforms that have been our custom for these past 20 years. Now, we no longer think of these as reforms because we have been so used to them. But back then, everyone was against him because he was the only one who wanted to change, who was not content with the way things were. It is not true that I am not like my father. On the contrary, I am exactly like him. He followed no one. I, too, follow no one.”
“Why is it that you are so against theology?” he asked.
“It is not really theology that I am against, but what it has become, and how it is now being used and understood,” said the master.
“What do you mean?” said the theologian.
photo courtesy of Susan WD, Flickr
“Well, theology first came into being because man was interested to explore and know more about the truth. But theology today is very different. It is no longer a search for truth,” said the master.
“What is it now then?” said the theologian.
“A maintenance of a belief system,” replied the master.
The disciples were gathered in the hall. The master, who was very old, was supposed to give his final address and name his successor.
photo courtesy of brendan.lally, Flickr
In a few moments the the master walked in and the disciples’ idle chatter died down as they looked at the old man walking slowly up the dais. He carried a white lily blossom in his hand and looked at it intently. He didn’t look up to meet the eyes of his disciples. He didn’t utter a single word. He just looked at the lily for a very long time.
The disciples started to whisper and murmur among themselves. What does this mean? Some speculated that the master had finally gone mad. Still others debated on the symbolism and significance of the white lily.
There was one disciple, however, who just stood in a corner while the others were murmuring among themselves. He just stood there staring at the master. After a while, he began to giggle. And then when he couldn’t contain himself any longer, he gave out a big belly laugh. He laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes.
The master finally looked away from the flower and into the eyes of the disciple who had laughed. The master gestured for him to come.
When the disciple came, the master smiled as he handed the flower to him. Then he walked away from the hall, never to return.
A thief’s son approached him one day and said, “I wish to learn the trade. I think I am old enough and man enough to do so.”
The thief looked at the young boy from head to foot, then simply shrugged and said, “Okay. Come with me tonight.”
Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks, Flickr
That night, they sneaked into a large house. The thief saw a large cabinet in the corner, opened it and saw that it contained very little. He hissed at the boy and signaled him over. When the boy came, the father shoved him inside and slipped a broom between the door handles, effectively trapping him. Then he slipped silently out of the house.
The boy began to shout and bang on the door but he came to his senses and realized that the household must now be awake after hearing all the racket. He stayed quiet until he heard voices from outside the cabinet door. Then he began to mew like a cat.
A servant heard the sound and opened the cabinet. The boy immediately jumped out and the servant was silent in shock for a few seconds. He then called out “Stop, thief!” but the boy had already jumped out the window.
People stormed out of the house, hot and angry, pursuing the boy who dared break into the sanctity of their home. The boy rounded a dark corner and saw a well by the side. He lifted a nearby rock, threw it into the well, and hid beside some bushes.
The pursuers rounded the corner just in time to hear a loud splash coming from the well and they all gathered around it, to see if the boy drowned himself or to capture him if he came up. While they were all intent on the well, the boy quietly slipped out from behind the bush and headed home.
When he arrived, he was so excited from his near escape that he forgot his anger at his father for trapping him in the first place. He stumbled over his words as he began to recount the tale of his escape. However, his father placed a finger over the boy’s mouth and said, “There is no need to tell me the details, my son. You are here. You have learned the trade.”
