Few beautiful stories telling us how to deal with ourself, spouse, neighbors and others.

Zen story: "The other boat is empty."

This story teaches a lesson about anger and ego. It goes as follows:

A man is rowing his boat across a river when he notices another boat heading straight toward him. At first, he shouts for the other boatman to steer away. As the boat draws closer and still doesn’t change course, his anger flares, and he yells even louder. However, when the boat finally reaches him, he realizes it is empty, adrift without anyone to blame.

The story highlights that anger often arises from our assumptions and ego. When there is no one to blame, the anger dissipates. It teaches mindfulness and self-awareness, encouraging us to look inward instead of attributing blame outward.

The Zen Cup 1:

Once, a person went to the Zen master and complained about a thousand and one petty things in life that disturbed his mind. The master handed him a cup filled to the brim with water and said, "You must carry this cup around the square three times without spilling a drop. If you succeed, your mind will be resolved forever."

He carefully carried their cups, focusing on not spilling the water. After completing the task, they returned to the elder, relieved and proud.

The elder asked, "While carrying the cups, did you notice anyone disturbing, insulting, or provoking you?"

He replied, "No, we were too focused on the cups."

"This is the key to peaceful living. When you focus on what is truly important and avoid distractions, you will have no time for quarrels and anger. Live your lives as you carried the water—mindful and undisturbed by petty provocations."

The Zen Cup 2:

A renowned professor once visited a Zen master to learn about Zen. As they sat together, the master quietly prepared and served tea. He poured the tea into the professor’s cup until it was full, and then he kept pouring. The tea overflowed onto the table, spilling everywhere.

The professor exclaimed, “Stop! The cup is full! It can’t hold anymore!”

The master paused and looked at him. “Like this cup,” he said, “you are full of ideas and opinions. How can I teach you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “The Three Questions” 

The story revolves around a king who seeks answers to three crucial questions: What is the most important time? Who is the most important person? What is the most important thing to do?

The king consults wise men, but they fail to satisfy him. Eventually, he decides to visit a hermit known for his wisdom. 

The hermit doesn’t answer him. The hermit was digging his garden. The king assisted the hermit. It becomes evening, but the hermit does not answer.  A wounded man arrives seeking help. The king nurses him back to health, not knowing the man initially sought to harm him but changed his heart due to the king's kindness.

After the wounded man is cared for, the hermit reveals the answers to the king. The most important time is the present because it’s the only time we have to act.  The most important person is the one you are with at any given moment. The most important thing to do is to do good for the person you are with.

Tolstoy conveys that a meaningful life is rooted in mindfulness, compassion, and service to others. The story emphasizes the significance of living in the moment and focusing on the work at hand. 

Folklore about jealousy toward the neighbor:

Once a man gets a boon from the god, whatever he wishes will be fulfilled but his neighbor will receive double the boon.

He wishes for a beautiful house. Everyone in his village gets two beautiful houses. He wishes for two cows, Evey other houses, get four. He wishes for wealth but everyone becomes double wealthy and he becomes the poorest fellow in the village. He becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment toward his neighbors. He wishes one open well in front of his house, others get two. He wishes his one eye get blind. The villagers have both of their eyes blinded, and they walk into the open well and die.

The story warns against the corrosive nature of envy and malice. By seeking harm to others, one ultimately harms oneself. It underscores the value of goodwill and the self-destructive consequences of harboring hatred.

Jealousy burns you like hell. If you have a car that will not give you peace and happiness. It is the two cars your neighbor has that give you pain.

Humorous folklore about the callous spouse:

A poor couple is granted three wishes by God. The wife was hungry and instantly wished for a dozen bananas. The husband was annoyed because she had wasted one wish already.   Frustrated, the husband wishes that his wife had a banana nose. To their shock, the wish comes true, and the wife ends up with a banana nose. Panicked, they used the third wish to make the nose normal again.

The bottom line is not to argue with your spouse. at any cost. period.

The Lamppost Parable:

One evening, a man was on his hands and knees searching beneath a streetlight. A passerby saw him and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“My key,” the man replied.

The passerby decided to help and began searching alongside him. After a while, the passerby asked, “Are you sure you lost it here?”

“No,” the man said, “I lost it inside my house.”

Confused, the passerby asked, “Then why are you looking for it out here?”

The man answered, “Because it’s dark inside, and the light is better here.”

There is another parable of a man on his donkey wandering in search of the same donkey. These stories tell us that we already have what we are searching for inside us, with us, or near us, be it happiness or Buddhahood. Every search is a distraction.