Truth (wisdom stories)
The house of parable
Truth entered a village naked as the day she was born. The villagers had one look at the naked truth and were afraid of the stark harshness and drove her out in anger and malice.
Dejected, the Truth wandered in the desert. Without food and nourishment, she weakened and would have soon died of loneliness. One day she got to the home of the Parable. Parable took her in, nursed her back to life. Soon the Truth was feeling well again. This time she returned to the same village clothed in a parable and was welcome and accepted with ease.
I’ll organise it
The mystic’s well-meaning followers inadvertently play the role of the devil in an old joke: God and the devil were walking together when God picked up a piece of paper. “What does it say?” the devil inquired. “Truth,” said God serenely. “Give it to me,” said the devil eagerly. “I’ll organize it for you.”
Source: Amit Goswami
The shortest distance
The master gave his teaching in parables and stories, which his disciples listened to with pleasure – and occasional frustration, for they longed for something deeper.
The master was unmoved. To all their objections he would say, “You have yet to understand that the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story.”
Source: Anthony de Mello
The danger of universal truths
Some fishermen pulled a bottle from the deep. It held a piece of paper, with these words: “Somebody save me! I’m here. The ocean cast me on this desert island. I am standing on the shore waiting for help. Hurry! I’m here!”
“There’s no date. I bet it’s already too late anyway. It could have been floating for years,” the first fisherman said.
“And he doesn’t say where. It’s not even clear which ocean,” the second fisherman said.
“It’s not too late, or too far. The island Here is everywhere,” the third fisherman said.
They all felt awkward. No one spoke. That’s how it goes with universal truths.
Source: Wislawa Szymborska
Here and now
The disciple asked: “Are we there yet?”
The master answered: “There is no there – only here.”
The disciple continued: “What time is it?”
The master answered: “Now?”
The disciple asked: “Why do you give cryptic answers?”
The master answered: “Why do you ask questions? Breathe in, breathe out.”