Christianity: The Chess Game
A young man said to the abbot from the monastery, “I’d actually like to be a monk, but I haven’t learned anything in life. All my father taught me was to play chess, which does not lead to enlightenment. Apart from that, I learned that all games are a sin.
“They may be a sin but they can also be a diversion, and who knows, this monastery needs a little of both,” was the reply.
The abbot asked for a chessboard, sent for a monk, and told him to play with the young man.
But before the game began, he added, “Although we need diversion, we cannot allow everyone to play chess the whole time. So, we have the best players here; if our monk loses, he will leave the monastery and his place will be yours.”
The abbot was serious. The young man knew he was playing for his life, and broke into a cold sweat; the chessboard became the center of the world.
The monk began badly. The young man attacked, but then saw the saintly look on the other man’s face; at that moment, he began playing badly on purpose. After all, a monk is far more useful to the world.
Suddenly, the abbot threw the chessboard to the floor.
“You have learned far more than was taught you,” he said. “You concentrated yourself enough to win, were capable of fighting for your desire. Then, you had compassion, and were willing to make a sacrifice in the name of a noble cause. Welcome to the monastery, because you know how to balance discipline with compassion.”
Judaism: Forgiving in the Same Spirit
The Rabbi Nahum of Chernobyl was always being insulted by a shopkeeper. One day, the latter’s business began to go badly.
“It must be the Rabbi, who is asking for God’s revenge,” he thought. He went to ask for Nahum’s forgiveness.
“I forgive you in the same spirit you ask for forgiveness.” replied the Rabbi.
But the man’s losses just kept increasing, until he was reduced to misery. Nahum’s horrified disciples went to ask him what had happened.
“I forgave him, but he continued to hate me deep down in his heart.” said the Rabbi. “Therefore, his hatred contaminated everything he did, and God’s punishment became more and more severe.”
Islamism: Where God Is
At a small Moroccan village an imam was thinking about the only well of the entire region. Another Muslim approached him and asked:
“What is in there?”
“God is hidden in there.”
“God is hidden inside this well? That is a sin! What you may be seeing is an image left by the unfaithful!”
The imam asked him to get closer and lean out on the edge. Reflected on the water, he could see his own face.
“But that is me!”
“Right. Now you know where God is hidden.”
from a qudsi hadith God says ” I fit into neither my earth nor my sky,but I fit into my humans’ hearts who believe in me”
( I couldn’t translate it very well)
well, I’ve got question…Paulo, please could you tell me, your religion is Catholic, isn’t it? So, why do you often talk(write) about other religions? It was kindly asked question)))don’t think that i’m criticizing!:-)
for example my religion is Islam…yesterday i’ve finished your “Alchemist” book))), first of all I started to think about your religion!I tought that you are muslim…Santiago step by step learned that arabian people were praying I mean reading Namaz…He realized that it is important for arabians! Did he exept Islam??? Thank you for your representations of my religion!
According to islamic beleif The God is in the heaven and on His throne.He is not hidden anywhere.
My question was for Liina
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Can you explain me what you exactly mean with humiliation, fear and flattery in the 3 stories?
Thanks..
F
Religion… I consider God as an energy, as the motor of all this life… As the begining and the end of all.. Religion isnt it more than just a rode? Religion is for me.. The color of the sky, tha passion of rain, the sound of the wind..
[But Cathars would think so different dont they? ^^!! ]
Christianity? What does it really means? Are you a Christian just because you are from a certain religion? or is there more than a belief?
Christianity has no race, color, religion, gender, society status. It is a way to bring people together into doing good. I can believe in it, or pretend to believe. I can act as a
Christian, or become a Christian. Those who believe in Jesus Christ are one step ahead to paradise. If you believe in good, if you have compassion, if your heart is fulfilled with pure love. You are one step ahead. Our merely existence depends doing good. You decide to pretend or to become a Chritian in heart.
Balancing discipline and compassion…. sometimes it’s so easy to just want to prove that you are the winner, because you can.
Thank you very much for sharing these stories! Thank you for keeping me thinking!
xxxxxBisous, Ekerplay
… el que mas me gusto..fue el ultimo.. por que lo vivi…. alguien lo hizo conmigo..
teniamos que entrar a un cuarto oscuro… camianr por el centro..he ir dodne estaba la luz… dlante de la luz habia un espejo y alguien.. afirmandolo… me dijo… hay esta Dios.. lo vez..?’… yo cuando lo vi… me vi a mi y no entendi nada… me inundo una pena… saber..que siempre ha estado conmigo…y yo nunca lo habia querido escuchar….
fue hermoso…fue entre alegria y pena…
pero fue hermoso
Merci Paulo pour ces 3 histoires et de nous rappeler que nous sommes “le trésor” et que par conséquent nous devons agir envers nous-mêmes avec compassion.
Il est important de rechercher cette capacité d’amour et de pardon que l’on se doit à soi-même afin de grandir et d’en faire profiter les personnes autour de nous.
Cordialement,
allo
i am an 18 year-old Filipino student living in a world of complete independence with my parents, and even with the responsibility of performing the spiritual tasks of visiting the church and praying to God. I am a nominal Christian. Your stories made me think about my religion, though i don’t know if I will pursue to be like the 80% of pinoys together with my family who are conserving the Catholic faith. But, through the habit of reading your works, i will simply choose Faith as my religion. Thank you so much.
SE LO CONTARE HASTA QUE MIRE UN SAPO A LOS OJOS
PARA QUE SIRVEN LOS SAPOS?
NO SABE
Namaste,
These are beautiful stories. Thank you.
Love to you
I’m sorry, but for some reason, the Christian story speaks to me of acceptance through humiliation, Judaism through fear and Islamic through flattery… These are the roots of how to grow one’s relationship with God, in each of these religions, differently.
In other words, I know, that they all represent that we have different ways to reach god, through different religions, which actually will lead us to the same source.
I am asking – is it possible, maybe, to reach it without being religious, in the official way. Maybe the “END” or “THE LAST DAY” (the worlds end) what bible describes is actually a hint that maybe religions as ‘Crhistianity’, ‘Islamism’, ‘Judaism’, etc… are coming to an end themselves. Maybe this new generation of people are actually creating their own “religions”… inside themselves. Maybe we are actually meant to look inside ourselves, and not follow a certain religious group? These are just thoughts that came in my mind, after I read these stories.
I am sorry, if I have offended anyone. It is not my itention.
I respect people, no matter what their beliefs are.
Love,
Liina
WEll, I am very young with a life full of experience that i must say you surely helped me see the light in most of my difficult times. With the Alchemist the most, also Brida. Youre writing is spectacular! I think that you speak to every person in different ways depending on their mood, how they grew up, and their life experiences out of the home. Keep it upppp!
At a small Moroccan village an imam was thinking about the only well of the entire region. Another Muslim approached him and asked:
“What is in there?”
“God is hidden in there.”…
This story says so much in so few words! The orthodoxy that cannot see God in itself. The well is a fine representation of narrowness of view!
I hope you enjoy these words…
Frogs in the Well
If my mouth wounds with words ills spoke,
Do not think of me so unwell,
But treat me lightly like a madman whose
Tongue has run loose
Down endless horizons.
Now look at the hapless frogs in their well!
Who from exile of well- narrow views
preposterous proportions spies,
False horizons of false seen skies.
How much ideology can a frog swallow?
Spouting from his well, the ideas
Of a world that has no heart,
But ordered rules and regulations.
I smashed my rosary in disgust
When i heard there was no place for love
On this endless road.
I tore up my prayer mat in despair
That this God has no heart,
No mercy to forgive the transgressors step.
That the errant son should end in a hail of stones.
Why does brothers blood spill on the floor,
When you can see our familial traits?
The smile on a face is divine,
How can you smash your brothers face
To tears of blood because he sees
Gods face in his loved ones eyes?
The divine is here and there,
Immanent and permanent.
He resides in every atom of our being,
In the love laughter and smiles of
Our friends.
Why do you confine him to books?
Bind him with the chains of dogma and ideology?
His jailers are Priests and Mullahs.
You have beat and battered him wherever
You saw him stir in a mans hearts
And turned the temples to Mausolea.
This is not the house of God,
But a graveyard.
His life is the smile of my friends,
The laughter of my child.
In the blood I will shed to protect his love.
But still you croak of rules!
For a well you have sacrificed an ocean of being…
Dear Paulo,
I love the 3 stories the same… the true art of saying a lot by saying too little. Fantastic!!
Love and light
Gabi
Thank you for these stories Paulo!
Always love reading them!
Love and Kisses
Beautiful stories, and very comforting today. Thank you Paulo, for making me smile!!
Love to All, Jane : ) xo
The smile disappeared. Mine or yours? Why? Because I joined the enemy? I must admit – I’m quite confused.
Paulo,
Thank you for the reminders. It’s so eaxy to get wrapped up in the daily grind that one (I) too often forget why I am here, and who/what life is about.
I do – right -
It is the only way, the right way.
Thank you.
Love
Marie-Christine
Sono convinta che la religione detta un comportamento per proteggere la vita e il suo regolare processo di evoluzione.
Un esempio pratico: la libertà sessuale
Certo è piacevole avere rapporti intimi con diversi compagni in modo libero, ma ciò potrebbe comportare il propagarsi dell’ AIDS e quindi l’impossibilità di avere una generazione di figli sani.
Seguire i comandamenti e quindi determinate regole di comportamento assicura la salute dell’uomo nella sua interezza: corpo, mente e spirito e assicura di conseguenza anche della sua prole.
clone – en version originale, bien entendu!
I read these stories last night, and decided I would have to spend the night thinking considering the secret messages hidden in the stories.
The night was long and magical. I sleep outside in order to feel the elements and having the feeling of being part of nature. Last night it was very windy, and the high trees bent over trying to save their branches. A large branch of my plum tree broke off the stem, and a lightening flashed over the sky. But no thunder and no rain. Very nice temperature. I guess I stayed
awake till two o’clock watching the trees and listening to the wind while I was thinking about the stories. And what can I say:
The Chrisian story: I got the message…..
The Jewish story: I got the message…..
The Islamic story: I got the message…..
Now maybe there is somebody who wants to talk to me today? :-)
BIGOTTA, sorry.
I want to know the message, from your point of view :)