Inspiration: Folk Tales & Stories

It is as if a man had been wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and kinsmen were to get a surgeon to heal him, and he were to say, I will not have this arrow pulled out until I know by what man I was wounded, whether he is of the warrior...

A Korean Folk Tale Once upon a time an old man lived with his wife. One day, after he had held a service in memory of his ancestors, one of their neighbors sent them a present of some food. He sent them cooked rice and vegetables, but only one cake. They were...

Once a young disciple came to his master and asked him, “Master, What is Compassion?” Master took him to the window and asked him to look at the beggar sitting at the corner of the street. While looking at him for some time they saw that an old lady passed by and gave...

Buddha reached the gate of heaven. Of course, the people there were waiting. They opened the door, they welcomed him, but he turned his back towards the door looked at the world -- millions of souls on the same path, struggling, in misery, in anguish, striving to...

A brother committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to attend. Then the superior sent someone to say to him, "Come, for everyone is waiting for you." So Abba Moses got up and went. He took a leaking jug, filled it with...

Sitting on the altar, "They're burning incense to me," Boasted the rat to all his assembled family. As the rat grew giddy from excess of incense smoke, A cat lunged in, seized him, and dispatched him at a stroke. From Fables and Parables (1779) by Ignacy Krasicki,...

The stream, flowing with a clamor from the mountain top, Laughed at the river as it quietly flowed nonstop. Water ran short at the mountain when the snows did melt, Until at last the stream became only a streamlet. What is worse, what had started out with a hue and...

The weak, if they be wise, take not umbrage at the strong! A bee, confident in the grievousness of her sting, Approached an elephant as he grazed in the meadow And paid no attention to his wee apian fellow. Bee resolved to chastise him and proceeded to sting. What...

Begotten of a muddy puddle, a lump of ice Resented a crystal's transparence and in a trice Started praying to the sun. The sun began to shine, The lump of ice glistered but proceeded to decline; Thus, keen to mend its lot with inopportune trouble, The lump melted away...

A very hungry hyena went out on the Tanzanian plains to hunt for food. He came to a branch in the bush road where the two paths veered off in different directions. He saw two goats caught in the thickets at the far end of the two different paths. With his mouth...

Whatever you have promised make it not as changeable as a loop in a string, but as firm as a line on a rock. Tibetan Proverb. ONCE upon a time in a far, far away land, in a very high, high land, when the old world was very, very young and animals and men spoke and...

A rich man complained to his friend: "People don't like me. They say I'm selfish and stingy. And yet in my last will and testament I have donated all that I own to charitable causes." His friend said: "Well,maybe the story of the cow and the pig has a lesson for you."...

A herd of camels happened to be passing an orchard, the owner of which was seated upon the "sinsileh" or rough stone fence. One of the animals, a very fine male, caught hold of the overhanging bough of a fruit tree and broke it off with his teeth. Hereupon the owner...

When the official is avaricious there is much talk--when a poor man eats meat and wine it is the same. Tibetan Proverb. ONCE upon a time, in a tiny hut on the side of a mountain, there lived an old wood-cutter who was blind, but who had a dutiful son who cared for him...

The Kâdi "‘Abdallah el Mustakìm," some whose descendants are said to reside at Jaffa at the present day, lived at Baghdad, during the reign of El Mansûr, one of the Caliphs of the dynasty of "Abbâs"; and is alleged to have obtained his honorable surname, which means...

A little fox ran out to play. Just then a lion came along. "Dear me!" cried the little fox, as he ran behind a tree to hide. "What a dreadful roar! I shall die of fright!" Another day the fox ran out to play. Again the lion came along. "Dear me," said the little fox,...

The tall strong pine is a great help, for with its support the weak vine may climb as high. Tibetan Proverb. ONCE upon a time, in the days when the world was young and all animals understood each other's languages, an old, old tiger named Tsuden went out hunting for...

A wolf went out to look for his breakfast. Up on a steep cliff he saw a goat. "I must have that goat," said the wolf to himself. "But can I reach her?" "My dear friend," said the wolf, "I am afraid you will fall." "Do not be afraid," answered the goat. "But I really...

A lark had made her nest in the wheat-field. All summer the little larks had been growing strong and large. All summer the wheat had been growing tall and ripe. Now the larks were nearly old enough to fly. Now the wheat was nearly ripe. One day the farmer came to look...

A HARE pounced upon by an eagle sobbed very much and uttered cries like a child. A Sparrow upbraided her and said, 'Where now is thy remarkable swiftness of foot? Why were your feet so slow?' While the Sparrow was thus speaking, a hawk suddenly seized him and killed...

A cunning old rat discovered in his rounds a most tempting piece of cheese, which was placed in a trap. But being well aware that if he touched it he would be caught, he slyly sought one of his young friends, and, under the mask of friendship, informed him of the...