The Difference Between Heaven and Hell Hasidic Judaism – Lithuania It is said that the wise Rabbi Haim of Romshishok –an itinerant preacher– spent many years rummaging through the books of Hebrew wisdom in search of a way to cross the veil that separates us from the other world. He wanted to know what…
The Crazy Young Man and the Old Man Palestine Once there was a widow with a son who, according to her, was very clever. The woman, who had been widowed at a very young age, had done her best to raise the boy so that he would be a smart and capable man with…
The Foolish Brahmins India There were once four Brahmin friends who lived in a village. Three of them were men of great erudition, who competed to see who had gathered the most knowledge, and who had developed the best theories. The fourth was illiterate, although he lived many experiences great and small. One…
The Rose Prince Romania At a time when wonders were credible, and therefore possible, a rose bush grew on the edge of a forest. It produced large and fragrant roses, the like of which had never been seen before in that region. One day, from that rose bush grew a bud more beautiful and…
Old Joe and the Carpenter USA (Appalachians) Old Joe had a friend with whom he had shared the joys and misfortunes of a lifetime. They had gone to school together, and they had captured and released frogs together at Hickory Creek. And when they became adults and thought of getting married, they bought land…
The Origin of Stories Seneca (Iroquois) – USA / Canada This happened long ago, in the time of our forefathers. In a Seneca village lived a boy whose father and mother died when he was only a few weeks old. The little boy was cared for by a woman, who had known his…
On Oppression and Corruption Persian Sufism – Iran An anecdote of Núshírván the Just, one of the most important kings of the Sasanian dynasty, during the second Persian empire, who is known in the West as Khosrow I (4th century). Sa’adi of Shiraz tells that, on a certain occasion, during a hunting party…
The Sufi and the Sultan Persian Sufism – Iran A darwish, who had taken a vow of loneliness and had cut himself off from the world was living in a desert when the caravan of the sultan passed by. The darwish was, at that moment, submerged in deep contemplation, so he did not notice…
The Invisible Hunters Miskito People – Nicaragua / Honduras What I am going to tell you was narrated by my grandmother, but her grandmother told it to her and she … well, you know! The people of the river and the people of the beach from the Miskito culture have this in common:…
The Deer King of the Banyan Indian Buddhism In one of his previous incarnations, the Buddha incarnated in the form of a deer in a forest near Kashi, which later received the name of Varanasi or Benares. Over the years, he grew into a beautiful, golden stag. His eyes shone like two stars, his…