Upload
sujana-koirala
View
246
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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?
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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?
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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!
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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:
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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?
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
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.
8/3/2019 Coehlo's Blog - A Collection
26/26