Those who dare having a project in life, foregoing everything to live their Personal Legend, will end up achieving anything. The important thing is to keep the fire in your heart and be strong to overcome hard moments.
Remember, the desires that are in our souls do not come from the nothingness; someone put them there. And this someone, who is pure love and only wishes our happiness, only did it because he gave us, together with these desires, the tools to make them happen.
The risky climb
In the middle of a storm, a pilgrim reaches an inn and the owner asks where he is going.
“I’m going to the mountains,” he answers.
“Forget it,” says the innkeeper, “it’s a risky climb, and the weather is awful.”
“But I’m going up,” answers the pilgrim, “if my heart gets there first, it will be easy to follow it with my body.”
What’s the price?
“Is the price of living a dream much higher than the price of living without daring to dream?” asked the disciple.
The master took him to a clothes store. There, he asked him to try on a suit in exactly his size. The disciple obeyed, and was very amazed at the quality of the clothes.
Then the master asked him to try on the same suit – but this time a size much bigger than his own. The disciple did as he was asked.
“This one is no use. It’s too big.”
“How much are these suits?” the master asked the shop attendant.
“They both cost the same price. It’s just the size that is different.”
When leaving the store, the master told his disciple, “Living your dream or giving it up also costs the same price, which is usually very high. But the first lets us share the miracle of life, and the second is of no use to us.”
The Search of the Path
“I am willing to leave everything. Please, take me as a disciple.”
“How does a man choose his Path?”
“Through sacrifice. A path that demands sacrifice is a true path.”
The abbot bumped into a bookcase. A very rare vase fell down and the young man threw himself to the floor to pick it up. He fell the wrong way and broke his arm. But he was able to save the vase.
“Which sacrifice is greater, to see the vase breaking down our breaking an arm to save it?”
“I don’t know.”
“So then, do not try to guide your choice through sacrifice. The path is chosen by our capacity of compromising with each step we make while we walk.”
The Drunkard Disciple
A Zen master had hundreds of disciples. They all prayed at the right time, except one, who was always drunk.
The master was growing old. Some of the more virtuous pupils began to wonder who would be the new leader of the group, the one who would receive the important secrets of the Tradition.
On the eve of his death, however, the master called the drunkard disciple and revealed the hidden secrets to him.
A veritable revolt broke out among the others.
“How shameful!” they cried in the streets, “We have sacrificed ourselves for the wrong master, one who can’t see our qualities.”
Hearing the commotion outside, the dying master remarked, “I had to pass on these secrets to a man that I knew well. All my pupils are very virtuous, and showed only their qualities. That is dangerous, for virtue often serves to hide vanity, pride and intolerance. That is why I chose the only disciple whom I know really well, since I can see his defect: drunkenness.”
“if my heart gets there first, it will be easy to follow it with my body.”
I think I am going to have it tattooed. Thank you so much! I feel less lonely on my path.
thanks for the story ‘risky climb’.reminded me that i have to keep going,firmly beleiving inspite of well meaning advice which seems .all i need to know is that the one who put the desire has given me the tools to accomplish it.God bless you
Thank you! :-)
Sitting at the computer and writing is not so easy for me at present. Therefore later more.
All this is grand wisdom through my heart.
What can be add? :)
I especially liked the last part. I understand his choice between the one and the others, and yet, I’m still wondering about:
What could have fly through the master’s will, for he gives his secrets to a man, that probably won’t be able to forget a word about them the following day?
And what kind of teaching will this same man offer then to the other disciples?
A risky climb, yes… :)
Thank you Paulo.
“And this someone, who is pure love and only wishes our happiness, only did it because he gave us, together with these desires, the tools to make them happen.”
Everyday’s a discovery…
Copenhagen on Friday. Beautiful birthday in Vår Frue Kirke with White Christ. The church was breathtakingly beautiful with Christ standing up there at the altar, holding his hands out to greet you. Pretty angel on her knees holding a shell, as if it was full of water – offering you something to drink. What a day!
The next step for me “Mari Magi” is to go to Ireland to find my Celtic roots. I don’t have a coin right now, so even though I would like to travel to Dublin – ordering a plane ticket from Norwegian today – it is not possible. (Thanks angel Bjørn for the nice offer.) But I can find information about the Celtic Christian tradition on internet, and I can borrow books at the library. Maybe I can go to Ireland in the spring. I can feel that there is a pilgrimage (or more) ahead of me. Certainly one to Nidaros…
Some day I might even visit Jesus in Rio de Janeiro. I once got 500 letters from Brazil (1975?). That must have been a sign! :-)
I’m not worried about a big sized suit. A big sized suit means there are possibilites for growing. One day it will fit. If you buy it the perfect size, the only possibility is to shrink.
Hills and mountains are made for climbing. I feel like climbing one right now. :-)
These are wonderful stories Paulo! Thank you!
I especially like the second story, ‘What’s the price?’
It’s So true… following or not following our dreams are very costly, I think not following them is even more costlier…
And so clearly and simply stated in the first paragraph, if we have dreams, they came from somewhere and that somewhere also gave us the tools to make them happen.
Thank you very much Paulo, Kisses to you!!
<3
I really needed to read this today. Thank you!
There is no reality without dreams and there are no dreams without reality. They need each other to be like light and shadow and day and night. If you manage to let them work together dreams will come true.
Wow, reading this put everything I struggle with into perspective for me. Truly brilliant.
Perfect timing to receive this message. I have been asking myself if it is worth it….the loneliness, the creative process–making something of which I am unsure of each step, feeling happy and scared at once….no one to really understand it all….feeling displaced, the odd woman out, everybody else going about their “normal” day, and me at me desk, or sitting in a chair–contemplating, which is work.
All I know is this, if I could do something else, I would.
dear mr coelho,
my question to you is that why the dying master passes the secrets to the drunkard, oh, so you want to share to us that a person with many mistakes is the best one, because he will able to fix his mistakes, while virtuous person is a bad example because he will be able to downgrade his virtuous and becoming a bad person, now I understand, thank you…..so it is better to have many weakness rather than having many qualities but hiding their defects…
thank you so much for the inspiration you shared to us. personally, when i feel my own fire dying i read your stories, after that i reflect and find myself ready to face the challenges of achieving my Personal Legend.
I’m glad to learn that there are also a lot of people striving hard to live their dreams.
creations like these remind people that each has a unique purpose in life, we just have to understand and take courage in the path we choose to take. and by doing this we help make the world a more beautiful place to live in… :)
Ah yes it’s so true!I like the last part specially,sounds so like me.Can’t fit.Ever.