“I am willing to give up everything”, said the prince to the master. “Please accept me as your disciple.”
“How does a man choose his path?” asked the master.
“Through sacrifice,” answered the prince. “A path which demands sacrifice, is a true path.”
The master bumped into some shelves. A precious vase fell, and the prince threw himself down in order to grab hold of it. He fell badly and broke his arm, but managed to save the vase.
“What is the greater sacrifice: to watch the vase smash, or break one’s arm in order to save it?” asked the master.
“I do not know,” said the prince.
“Then how can you guide your choice for sacrifice? The true path is chosen by our ability to love it, not to suffer for it.”
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another 20 sec story that leaves me perpexled and pushes me into a stream of thoughts that last for more than 20 minutes…. Yes, the reaction of the prince is an emotional one, is the reaction of the subconscious..and his decision to give up the mondane world for the spiritual one is a rational one, made with his mind… and sacrifice is something that we make with our mind, but train our emotions gradually to accept it, till it becomes part of our spontaneous actions and we fit it into our daily lives…
es como sufrir solo si lo peermitimos…si asi lo queremos…..?
Nesta parte de saber ou não e sobre sacrifícios.
Na realidade o rapaz tentou salvar o vaso, mas não sabia
que iria quebar o braço.
Depois do ocorrido fica difícil reavaliar o que foi feito.
Ele agiu por instinto.
A resposta dele foi automática.
Se ele soubesse que iria quebrar o braço, talvez nãqo tentaria salvar o vaso que nem era dele.
mas, como tentou, acabou com o braço quebrado.
Ora, eu acho que existem atitutdes que são pontuais e não implicam em se saber o caminho ou não.
De qualquer maneira, isso ocorreu porque não sabemos o futuro.
A escolha dele foi esta. E nem por isso foi um sacrifício.
Foi uma fatalidade.
isn’t destiny planned up dere by Almighty n we r jst da players or call it artistss……..
suffer in a sense that u are not happy anymore.. like a trap??
es un bien material que se recupera o sinplemente tirarlo por que ya no es jaron el sacrificio lo hago por mi familia por lo que amo y valoro mas el ser humano capaz de crear y formar lo que somos el mundo maravilloso que habitamos la tierra llena de tronpieso y de sacrificio quien dijo que todo es color de rosa angy
Full of wisdom! Thank you!!!
its better to have loved and lost than to have never of loved at all:) if the vase would have fallen he would of known how much love the vase had inside it.
es mas dificil querer lo que uno hace a hacer lo que uno quiere no? creo haber entendido asi o me equivoco? como siempre besos mil
when we start loving something automatically that becomes our path and priority too……..
i would say that it’s all about priorities in life.
Thank you.My door is closed for love,because i think ,no i thought) that love it is suffering, pain ,self-destruction ,danger that your partner go away, because in my family was so with me and i do not know another love.But now i know that it is was not love….i do not know what i must feel to my parents…..
may be you should also add a conclusion at the end of stories.
A VOLTA AS PALAVRAS SAO INUTILE.
How does a man choose his path? Asked the master.
If a man chooses his own path, then man is his own god.
If man chooses Gods path, then man finds the Way, the Truth and Life!
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life!
For to be still choosing a path, is to be still on a path of your own.
What path are you on?
I stumble to You
On my pathway of poems
Falling over words…
A path with a heart
Spirals in the mystery
Becoming paver…
makes you think what are you sacrifising and what are you gaining in return!! somethings (or someone) are not worth the sacrifise…
Life is komplicated,life is goi,life is game and won a big scen,lets try to engoi and go through the life with less sacrifice and suffer,with more lov and more work.
does the story mean this :
if you like to do something then you will enjoy it no matter how difficult it is or whatever difficult you will face to get into doing it.
OR something else
we need to at times let go of things to make place for new ones!!
So true. Love is the great helper. Love brings love. Suffering can only bring suffering. The great religions of the world believe that God wants us to suffer for our sins. I believe God is love and wants us to love by loving, not by blaming or pointing an accusing finger.I read a wonderful book that spoke about the error of some forms of Christian worship. Concentrating on the crucifixion perpetuates the suffering, while focusing on the resurrection, opens the door to life and hope and new beginnings.
very true
The truth path should be chosen basing on our love for others and for ourself.
In my point of view this story relates to a relationship. Love… it is meant to be enjoyed and not a source of pain and suffering. Why hold on to something you consider precious and valuable when it would be the cause of each person involved their pain and suffering. It would then be better to let go and see it break since one’s ability to love is in question already here. If you are not able to love then there is no point in holding on. :))
:) I agree, purple. Love does not know suffering and pain, it is something else that keeps you in a relationship full of pain and suffering. Let go for the sake of both, for there is no time to pass on negativity to the other and vice versa. First love yourself, then you are capable of loving anyone else :)
Wow….Paulo once more…..I highly appreciate your insights and sharing the same with us all…..thanks for reminding me once more that I should carry on and not let go no matter what may come…..hugs….. :)
muy verdadero´, que tiene más valor, un camino con sufrimientos, y la capacidad de amor nos hace más fuertes para enfrentarlo, y es tan cierto porque la vida nos va mostrando distintos caminos, y en todos encontramos una cuota de sufrimiento, como el que estoy padeciendo hoy…que hay que saber sobrellevar……PAULO, ERES MÁGICO….<3
Then what should have the prince done? let the vase fall ? was seeing it being broken the sacrifice? Or letting go the trivial things is way to move towards the important ones.
The Message….Why Suffer?…Why shun Joy?…Why get Bored ?
If you are convinced that the sacrifice was worth it then you no longer feel it is sacrifice, it transforms into joy… Love you Paulo
Thank you!
Our path is chosen by our ability of letting go of the results or the outcome of any given situation in life. Not wanting to control> Just BE.
Living in the moment :) Accept and trust the way things turn out in life.
I understand that, but what if you sacrafice alot for the ones you love? What if suffering for the ones you love meant you did it with knowing what you were sacraficing?
I know I have sacraficed so much for the one I love and he turned around and sacraficed me. What path was that to? Hell?
El verdadero camino nos lo dicta nuestro corazón, solo cuando dejamos de hacer las cosas que nos hacen sufrir y que nos orientamos a hacer lo que nos gusta tenemos felicidad e inundado el corazón de amor y todo nos parece hermoso y somos capaces de escuchar musica para nuestra alma.
I beleive that whatever path we’ll choose it has it’s own difficulties. The point is to love it and be ready to face them!
Thank you Paulo! You’re always helping me whith your words. God bless you!
what if neither of the choices are his likes or love??
what would he do then??..
create his own option..
…you have to sacrifice….am choosing a path where i know i can’t hurt someone else….I’ve been into confusion 2 years ago…Why God allowed us to meet when he knows we have our own respective families…i opted to sacrifice by hurting myself or hurting him in order not hurt those innocents…only 2 people will get hurt compared to those who will be abandoned….thank you Paulo Coelho for all your blogs or writings it lessen the burden now…
nadie esta dispuesto a dejar todo, solo aquellos de corazon dispuesto y puro lo logran. sacrificarse es un acto de amor y humildad.¿cuantos de nosotros lo podran lograr?
Como siempre enriquecedor y acertado!!
Thus when we love something or someone why then do we try to save and break it too. As if our aura us divided into several parts. Yet isn’t it as we die and leave behind the body.
We never leave our body or our mind. At times we can become confused and misguided. It is the strength and determination that brings us back to where we started.
You have to believe in yourself and never lose sight of your goals; whether they be family, career driven, or love. True happiness lies within us, but the courage to rise above all odds is up to us.
Stay true to your values and never give in to temptation, “The Devil of Mrs. Pyrm” life throws us curve balls, we have to deal with those and rise above.
I could write so much about this………truly love our blogs……
Señor Coelho yo pienso q si elegimos con verdadeo amor, la accion de amar no es sacrificio entonces no hay dolor, un saludo Gloria.
Muy buen mensaje del señor Paulo, pero buen punto también el tuyo; nombrado masoquismo placer encontrado en el dolor!! Que igual no creo q sea sano pero existe:)
The question remains, How those a man chose his path? My answer, got to love what lays ahead, and suffering may come but still it will be my path… Smile while you clime, swim, walk or even crawl as long as it is our path, I am alive! with a terrible back pain, but alive, cheers!
IF THERE IS LOVE, YOU CAN’T FEEL SUFFERING.
great words and greater spirit!!!we become better with pain.
man forges his own destiny.
Oui mais il n’en reste pas le seul maître !
La dialéctica, contradicción, paradoja o hasta el silogismo, necesita de los contrarios como su objeto de existencia.
No podemos conocer el bien sin saber que existe un mal.
Y muchas veces llegamos a conseguir algo a través de lo que se opone a él.
No existen resultados, el plaer de dar se consigue dando y ese momento es único.
Si lo hago por amor, todo sufrimiento forma parte de él.
Estoy de acuerdo contigo,mas nuestro destino es salir de ese ciclo. Elevandonos mas alla del bien y del mal. Mas alla de los contrarios y es asi como vemos que efectivamente todo forma parte de todo y a la vez forma parte de nada.
YES, only masochists take the path of suffering for love as love.
tus caminos no son tus caminos.siento dulzura a l escuchar esta expresión.un antiguo y amado maestro me dijo un día esta expresión yo no tenia la menor idea a que se referia.hoy puedo mirar ese instante y comprenderlo
.a veces dejamos que la vida nos lleve y no elegimos un destino
I tryed to translate the text into german (deutsch) http://www.ring2.de/archives/der-richtige-pfad/
Os livros escritos pelo Paulo ,nos ensina que;A pessoa nao pode se deixar maus pensamentos elevar pelos problemas,mais sim saber levar a vida de acordo com a situacao e bons pensamentos!Para quem ja leu os livros do Paulo,sabe que o Leitor lê para aprender atravessar obstaculos da vida!Na minha opniao nada melhor que mergulhar nos Poemas nas historias e nos prazeres da vida. Pois sem os livros ,eu hoje estaria desnortiada,pra encerrar qualquer problema que tenho,nao conto a ninguem. simplesmente mergulho nos livros e termino meditando naquilo que acabei de ler!Te amo Paulo Coelho.
The arm will heal, but the vase is broken forever. I’m missing the point, aren’t I.
Dear Trea!
Eventually if he would told that he liked that vase and that why it he saved it, it was worth to do what he did.
Kind Regards
János
Me too, missing the point on that one…….
Dear Trea,
I don’t think you are missing THE POINT. The beauty of his work is that everyone finds their own lesson from his books, and there are many. Each time you read, and discuss with others you may discover new lessons, new perspectives.
“The true path is chosen by our ability to love it, not to suffer for it.”
To me, it means that one must follow what is right for them- what their heart knows is true and the right way for them. If they must suffer to “save” something, was it really worthy of the suffering and pain to be endured? Was it for the person’s (or humanity’s) highest and best benefit?
In this example, a vase is “precious”, but to whom? in what way? Monetarily? To the Master? He broke it. Was the suffering of a broken arm really worth a broken object?
It is a value judgement of a personal nature…a personal path.
Keep reading, I like the way you think.
Try replacing your arm !
The true path is chosen by our ability to love it, not to suffer for it.
Since a long time I used to say if you like to do something then you will enjoy it no matter how difficult it is or whatever difficult you will face to get into doing it.
thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this. <3
wow. it’s 4am in where i am now and i haven’t slept a wink. i am at this stage of my life where i have to choose a certain path.
somehow this article makes the road clearer. thanks again paulo.
sleep well now god bless
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