The best parables about life with meaning from ancient Chinese philosophers

Good day, dear blog reader! Today we will look at wise and interesting parables about life with meaning. These short philosophical stories are a great way for human self-improvement. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is sometimes very important to stop and notice yourself. In addition, they do not take much time, and at the same time provide rich food for thought.

Their value lies in the fact that between the lines there is a deep meaning, which everyone discovers for himself in his own way.

Most often these are oriental parables, but if you look carefully, you can find philosophical instructive stories in every nation. And it doesn’t matter if they are vital, about religion, the meaning of life or about love, they teach us to overcome difficulties, find our own truth and appreciate our every day we live.

1.Where to look for the truth?

One young man had a passion for the search for Truth; she was so strong that he abandoned his family and friends and went looking for her. He visited many countries, swam many seas, climbed mountains, went through many trials and sufferings.

One day he woke up thinking that he was seventy-five years old and still hadn’t found the truth he was looking for. In desperation, he decided to stop searching and return home.

Since he was no longer young, the journey home took him many months. Arriving home, he opened the door of his house and found there the Truth that had been waiting for him all these years.

2. Things are not what they seem

The best parables about life with meaning from ancient Chinese philosophers

Two traveling angels stopped for the night in the house of a wealthy family. The family was inhospitable and did not want to leave the angels in the living room. Instead, they were laid to sleep in a cold basement. As they were making the bed, the elder angel saw a hole in the wall and patched it up. When the younger angel saw this, he asked why. The elder replied:

“Things are not what they seem.

The next night they came to spend the night in the house of a very poor but hospitable man and his wife. The couple shared with the angels some of the food they had and told the angels to sleep in their beds where they could sleep well. In the morning after waking up, the angels found the owner and his wife weeping. Their only cow, whose milk was the only income for the family, lay dead in the barn.

The younger angel asked the elder:

— How could this happen? The first man had everything, and you helped him. Another family had very little but was willing to share everything, and you let their only cow die. Why?

“Things are not what they seem,” replied the elder angel. When we were in the basement, I realized that there was a treasure with gold in the hole in the wall. Its owner was rude and did not want to do good, I repaired the wall so that the treasure would not be found. As we slept in the master’s bed the next night, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him a cow…

3. Teacher and student

The best parables about life with meaning from ancient Chinese philosophers

In a Chinese school, an old teacher invited a student into his office and said, «Look carefully around the room and look for brown objects in it.» The student looked around. There were a lot of brown objects around: a sofa, book bindings, a table, a cornice to which curtains were attached, and all sorts of other trifles.

The teacher waited a bit and said: “You remember everything well, now close your eyes and tell me the objects that have the color blue.”

The student was confused and said: “But listen, teacher, you were talking about brown, but I just didn’t notice blue.”

At this, the teacher shook his head and waved his hand around the room: «Look around, you see how many blue objects are here.»

It was the pure truth. The floor was covered with a blue carpet, photographs were framed in blue, and on the table was a blue glass vase.

The student exclaimed: “But you acted dishonestly. At your direction, I was looking for everything brown, not blue.

The teacher smiled, “That’s exactly what I wanted to show you. At my request, you searched and found everything brown. Exactly the same happens in life. People seek and find only the bad, while missing out on the good. They are always taught to wait for trouble so as not to experience the pain of disappointment. After all, if you hope for good, but it will not happen, it will be very disappointing. But if you always set yourself up for the worst, you will get exactly what you expect. But if you believe that everything will work out, then it will happen. From now on, you will look at the world differently, not missing the positive that is in it.

Conclusion

These Chinese parables teach us to appreciate loved ones, to be able to notice the versatility of this world and to accept unpleasant situations that can turn out to be invaluable experience.

I also recommend that you read a previously published article: “TOP 10 books about the meaning of life and how to find it.”

That’s all, dear friends. Do not forget to subscribe to updates and add a record to your social. networks. Bye Bye.

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