Story No. 101

Teacher and disciple confront the river

A disciple had such faith in the powers of the guru Sanjai that he once asked to meet him beside the river. 'Master, everything I have learned from you has changed my life. I was able to save my marriage, sort out the family business and help my neighbours. Everything I ever asked for in your name and in good faith I have received.' Sanjai looked at his disciple, and his heart swelled with pride. The disciple walked down to the edge of the river. 'Such is my faith in your teachings and in your divinity that I have only to say your name and I will be able to walk on the waters.' Before the teacher could say anything, his disciple had entered the river, crying: 'All praise to Sanjai! All praise to Sanjai!' He took one step.Then another.And a third step. His body began to levitate and the young man managed to reach the other side of the river without even getting his feet wet. Sanjai looked in surprise at the disciple, who was standing on the other shore waving at him and smiling. 'Perhaps I am more enlightened than I thought I was. I could have the most famous monastery in the region!I could rise to the same heights as the great saints and gurus!' Determined to repeat his disciple's success, he too walked down to the shore and, as he stepped into the river, he began to cry: 'All praise to Sanjai! All praise to Sanjai!' He took one step and a second step, but by the third he was already being swept away by the current. Since he did not know how to swim, his disciple had to dive into the water to save him from certain death. When both men reached the shore, exhausted, Sanjai remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said: 'I hope you can draw a wise lesson from what happened today. All that I taught you were the scriptures and the correct way to behave. However, none of that would have been enough if you had not added what was missing: the faith that such teachings could improve your life. I taught you because my teachers taught me. But while I thought and studied, you put into practice what you had learned. Thank you for helping me to understand that one does not always believe in what one wants others to believe.'

Story No. 102

The three books

The monk Tetsugen had a dream: to publish a book 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, the river 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 once more 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.

Story No. 103

Another name

A man said to a friend: 'You talk about God as if you knew him personally, down to the colour of his eyes. Why do you need to create something to believe in? Can't you live without that?' His friend replied: 'Do you have any idea how the Universe was created? Can you explain the miracle of life?' 'Everything around us is the result of chance. Things just happen.' 'Exactly. Well, "Things just happen" is merely another name for God.'

Story No. 104

Respect my wishes

On his deathbed, Jacob summoned his wife, Sarah, to his side. 'Dear Sarah, I want to make my will. To my first-born, Abraham, I am going to leave half of my estate. He is, after all, a man of faith.' 'Oh, don't do that, Jacob! Abraham doesn't need all that money, he's got his own business; besides, he has faith in our religion. Leave it to Isaac, who is in such turmoil about whether or not God exists, and who has still not found his way in the world.' 'All right, I'll leave it to Isaac. And Abraham can have my shares.' 'Like I said, dear Jacob, Abraham doesn't need anything. I'll have the shares and I can always help out the children as and when.' 'You're quite right, Sarah. Now about the land we own in Israel. I think I'll leave it to Deborah.' 'To Deborah! Are you mad, Jacob? She's already got land in Israel. Do you want to make her into a businesswoman and ruin her marriage? I think our daughter Michele is much more in need of help.' Mustering his last ounce of strength, Jacob sat up indignantly. 'My dear Sarah, you have been an excellent wife, an excellent mother, and I know you want the best for each of your children, but, please show some respect for my opinion. After all, who's dying here, you or me?'

Story No. 105

Joy and love

A believer approached Rabbi Moche of Kobryn and asked: 'How should I best use my days so that God will be contented with my actions?' '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.'

Continued...