EN ESPANOL CLICAR AQUI >> La partida de ajedrez
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Illustration by Ken Crane
A young man said to the abbot of a monastery:
‘I would really like to become a monk, but I have learned nothing of importance in my life. My father only taught me how to play chess, and I was told that all games are sinful.’
The abbot called for a chessboard and summoned a monk to play with the young man. However, before the game began, he added:
‘We also need diversion, but we will have only the best players here. If our monk loses, he will leave the monastery, thus creating an opening for you.’
The abbot was deadly serious.
The young man played an aggressive game, but then he noticed the saintly look in the monk’s eyes, and from then on, he began to play deliberately badly.
He decided that he would rather lose because he felt that the monk could prove far more useful to the world than him.
Suddenly, the abbot overturned the chessboard onto the floor.
‘You learned far more than you were taught,’ he said. ‘You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause.
‘ You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!’
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another example of one of the basic human qualities we so easily forget while chasing the unimportant shadows of our desires,
…Paulo, thaks for having patience to remind us over and over again,
Nx
I think it´s time for you to go and stay there for some time.
Just superb.
Stara prawda… Nie za wszelką cenę zdobywać…
Też uważam, że “wyścig szczurów”, który jest obecnie lansowany (przynajmniej w moim kraju, a myślę, że i na całym świecie) – nie daje satysfakcji.
W życiu nie wszystko jest tylko czarne i białe… Jest, również, dużo odcieni szarości. Osiągnąć sukces -tak; jednak nie kosztem innych…:))))
Pozdrawiam, Halina
Thank you.
wow i can relate to it… this is what i’m going through now….
Me too, its good battery to keep going thanks Yeth, good look with you, its always good when we are down soemtimes to get a reminder of our qualities and what we stand for.cheers
yep, a moving inspirational one…
Welcome to the monastery and here is the wine to help you forget where you came from, who you are and where you are going; from now on, you would not think or question and you will do what I (the abbot) tell you 24/7. Your life is not yours it belongs to me (the abbot).
I like the 20 SEC READING, please could you make a french translation, because when i read it in english it takes more than 20sec,
Va voir quelques réponses avant pour voir ce que Marie-Christine a traduit… :)Bonne lecture!
Moi aussi j’adore lire (the 20 sec reading), presque chaque fois j’en ai les frisons. Merci pour ta demande.
Wonderful 20 seconds! Thank you again Paulo Coelho!
Ability with compassion the asset of a monk clearly described by Paulo. This the life I seek for. Thank you very much for the sight Paulo. Heartily regards Paulo.
wow! nice story…winning is not everything but its how u play the game… :)every aspect of life needs compassion…:)
I loved the comments more than the story !
Thank you!!!
This is what I really needed to hear! Now I can suffer my “loss” -and gain of freedom- in peace…
Am I welcome too Sir you your Monastery, this wonderful BLOG for me, that is! :) Thank you.
I am looking forward to hearing from you,
Gabriela
its rigt to say reading makes ur mind a garden full of roses
wow.what a story to teach one about living a honourable life
you have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause.
love
Dr Pooja
I never thought about it that way, always looked at compassion as weakness when fighting to get what I want. Thank you
I love this story. She has a wonderful moral. In such a case, you lose by winning more than you win. But one should not make a habit of it. When I play I lose usually not on purpose. Who likes to lose? But my daughter hates it when I let her win on purpose. Such a victory annoys she excessively, but she is pleased indefinitely if she wins fairly. I think in any situation one must try to make the right decision, fairly difficult thing. The quest for a victory and the show of mercy to keep in balance is very difficult.
I wish you a wonderful evening
and what a wonderful feeling when someone you taught beats you!!
What a nice story!
Strength and compassion.
Thanks to my friend who gave the link to this post in FB.
Hi,
The feeling of compassion is important in understanding the world and it’s people. Many people get confused between the feelings of pity and compassion. Only when one understands him/herself completely and what exactly are they inside, they can be compassionate to others.
Looking forward to a world where people understand themselves and others equally!
Meenu
What a lovely viewpoint! Very few people know the difference between compassion and pity. Pity is for a specific cause and normally for someone in a less fortunate position, whereas compassion is more in general and not measured in terms of fortune, but linked to emotions.
All people need compassion’ but all people do not justify to be pitied.
Great story. We have to not only believe in ourselves but also carry a compassion with us towards everyone and everything that comes in our path.
Thank you Mr.Coelho,
Love
Barbara
oh and chess invovles a winner and a losser, give me a game where both can win and i will give life, inspiration, creativity and admiration, partnership and reproduction of those qualities. People have diffulculty and want to be proud of their own country and then find it difficult to do that and indeed tolerate newcommers. If you are proud of this world then what is there to tolerate. A world with no kings or queens to defeat.
‘You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause.
‘ You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy’.
Alas, sometimes it not that we do not love or want something in our life, or because we do not have the ability or the power to fight for it! Most of the times it is the ‘balanced discipline’, mercy and …. looking into the eyes of other souls, that make us … lose the GAME! Only He knows how much it hurts and a river of tears is hiding behind our eye-lids.., still we smile.
Blessings.
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
…it IS not… !! Sorry the IS is missing!!!
T. xxx
Strangly i always end up in the monestary without the eyes looking at me. Or do i just play a bad game of chess!?
I’m a carpenter, who makes doors. The enlightened dont want doormakers sometimes, even in a monestary without doors. and even if they are trebble at chess player ;)
Thanks P it helped…
G
Chess is the name of the game.
“Deep Blue” is not what it used to be.:)
There are 6 characters/of the week left.
Just ,”en passant”, the pawns have all disappeared.
The King is moving forward towards his Kingdom , tinged with powdery nebulosity.
Behind is Robin Hood, the Minstrel from the Middle Age, with his Archery set, keeping an eye on the Knight who is holding firmly onto the Sword.
The sky brings the image into focus – wool clouds and a change in weather on the left handside with a pink, yellow and blue rainbow -that seems to be streaming out from the angel’s wings. The angel is smiling on the left of the screen, standing up with her heart in the open.
Meantime, the raven and the black cats both wearing black hats are oblivious to the scene.
May the best one win!
Compassion! The meaning of that word is lost for the present generation, I and MINE possess with many, and to become “I” is the final aim, and no place for any compassion to anyone. Unless self purified, compassion is a word you will not understand, keep on search for its meaning.
Self purification by sharing,
Self purification by respecting,
Self purification by sacrificing,
Self purification by loving and being loved,
Gratitude
Mathews
by loving & being loved… mmmmmm…….
Very nice story. And I always think that Ken Crane’s paintings fit perfectly to your texts :)
“‘You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause. You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!’”
If he has all these qualities already, what would he do in the monastery. He is already a monk or makes him different from normal human being.
For ready this story is good but it does not have any message.
Haha Annie and Kealand…monasteries? not for us…wine or no wine…Although that party in Melk monastery was worth a game of chess.. Bottom line;
THE WINNER STANDS ALONE
written in stone
Hmmmm. I’m not such a saint. I played billiards with a woman the other night. I played an aggressive game to win, and then I deliberately threw the game to get what I wanted.
This is not chess game, this is dating game. You got them mixed up. I bet she too was playing girly at the beginning and then kicked your behind at the end to get what she wants. Did that ever occured to you ;-)
Oh and I forgot to mention that the queen is the strongest and most important stone on the chess board just the king thinks he is LOL
Cheers!
hahahah..nice..losing for a purpose of winning
This story reminds me of my visit to a large monastery;I saw tiny child & teen ager lamas chanting hymns being red robbed which is traditional attire of Buddhist monks;I also saw them learning Tibet cultures;but I was astonished very adventitiously when I saw them playing football or roaming with beautiful gadgets like cell phones,head phones ,mouth organs;then in a nearby vegetarian cafe I came across a monk who introduced himself as teacher of those young lamas fixed own eyes in personal ipad!
So,life has changed,even for the lamas,today monasteries have no boundery.Monasteries r truly d land of learning,culture,music,dance & colors.
Le jeu d’ echecs
Un jeune homme dit a l’abbe du monastere :
“Je voudrais bien devenir moine, mais je n’ai rien appris d’important dans ma vie. Mon pere m’a seulement appris a jouer aux echecs et l’on m’a dit que tous les jeux etaient honteux.”
L’abbe demanda qu’on lui amene un echiquier et fit venir un moine pour jouer avec le jeune homme. Cependant, avant que le jeu commence, il ajouta :
“Nous avons aussi besoin de diversion mais nous ne voulons que les meilleurs joueurs ici. Si notre moine perd, il quittera le monastere, ainsi creant une occasion pour toi.”
L’abbe etait tout a fait serieux.
Le jeune homme joua un jeu agressif, mais apres avoir remarque le regard de saintete dans les yeux du moine, et, a partir de ce moment la, il commenca a tres mal jouer.
Il decida qu’il preferait perdre parce qu’il s’etait rendu compte que le moine etait plus utile au monde que lui.
Tout d’un coup, l’abbe renversa l’echiquier sur le sol.
“Tu as appris plus que ce que l’on t’a enseigne” dit-il. “Tu as le pouvoir de concentration necessaire et tu es capable de lutter pour ce que tu veux, tu as aussi la compassion et l’aptitude pour te sacrifier pour une cause noble.
“Tu as demontre que tu es capable de balancer discipline et misericorde; bienvenu dans notre monastere.”
this is such an ingenious illustration, it is wonderful dear Ken!
Yes, this life is like that chess game, where one has to take a decision of a combination of rigour and mercy..and ultimately this is how we treat ourselves.. with rigour or mercy.. but I don’t think it’s only the one or the other..
As this story beautifully points out, it’s both together!
I love the world discipline along with others D’s (decision, dedication)..however i believe if they don’t have a hint of love, (and so of compassion) they are not of much value…
It turns out to be that “balancing discipline and mercy” is a difficult task.. and when you do , then you are the master of the game………………….
Love and Gratitude
Annie
Thank you Annie!
La partida era contra el mismo ,no contra el monje,el monje solo lo ayudo,¿encontró el camino de su futuro?.
“You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause.
You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy”
Thanks for the reminder. I have to admit sometimes my balance swing to either extreme. But I always figure my way back. It is simple, less compassion equals less happiness.
On the other hand, I love playing life game of chess. It makes me feel alive to be a in the game not just an audience.
No hay respuesta para tanto Amor.
Vert true! when someone is pure from the heart and wanted to achieve any goal but not sure about the success ,God make others to judge that person right, others could find out that true potential or honesty in that person but the obligation is purity of soul ,and the purity of soul could not be achieved in a day or so it is the outcome of continuous reinforcement of pure and honest thoughts and practical implementation of those thoughts
A beautiful story, might be a lesson. I love the picture, as usual Ken Crane did good job. I started to play chess but with computer, I learnt slowly the rules, but still computer beats me each time…I think maybe thers no chance with a computer to win? Frustrating.My ex used to play with me poker, he taught me…he was much older than me, but we was well. I mean he had time to play, I just started. But, more of times I won. When he wrote the results, he used to draw a duck( my nickname from him) as winner, adding winner as always…ha ha ha. Because I used bluff, no because I had good carts. So, one day he made a bet with me ( we used to play not for money) and he bet on a great sum of money. I won…He was so sad while he handed me the money. I knew was his birthday soon, so I said I give that as present. His face get bright fast. And more, I knew he was champion on chess, so asked him to play chess. He won( of course…) and so he was happy happy…thats a story
Much love
I always have liked this story ….
but unfortunately … it has now to compete with ken’s great picture LoL….
it is so cute …
love the humor <3 :o)
the horse with the sword ….
the raven, cat
lol …
could not resist :o)
http://twitpic.com/5eoip2
qualidades que se perdem ao longo dos anos em meio ao egoismo, ganancia,etc
em algumas pessoas isso e tão natural, que elas não saberiam agir de outra forma porque faria mal a elas, já pra outras seria um prazer, mal sabem que ganhar dessa forma e perder.
‘You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!’ ‘Great, where is the wine cellar?’
Abbot: “my dear young man, all this about our monastery having the greatest cellar was ust a silly story a friend monk invented so that more people would come to see our great monastery!!!!! (ooooopsss)
:oppp. In the past, indeed this monastery had the greatest cellar, with the most wonderful wines in the world! we still have one,and it’s endless.. and we are drunk with Love every minute of our life!
Welcome my dear man! ”
Scenario 1:
Kealan-> (wtf??) so he runs off to the hills again back to where he was:o)
Scenario 2:
Kealan stays there, and realizes it was another Abott-test
There IS a wine cellar after all :o)
And all is good with the world :))
love and Gratitude
Annie
discipline, kealan. lol
Wine, but no women …. in vino veritas, but too much ‘truth’ might get a tad boring for some perhaps ;)
Yes. The will and ambition to do well doesn't make right walking over people to get to where you want.
Compassion is such an important ingredient of love.
Kathleen xx
Pichu,
It reminds me also this movie:
” Five people you meet in heaven”.
with Jon Voight.
love
Agnieszka
Thank you for sharing that Pichu. I agree totally.
Kathleen xx
Aditya
To grow, to evolve spiritually!
love
Agnieszka
he thought Chess wouldnt take him anywhere. haha! Life´s like a “Game Of Chess”.
People usually think that way (negativity), they lack imagination, they lack “Compassion” dont dare to take “Risks”. They Limit their lifes and wont see beyond their fingers. I remember Muhammud Yunnus – awarded nobel Peace prize- once describing how he helped many women living in extreme conditions, Poverty. And when he spoke to each and everyone of those women they all answered they were no good, because they were poor, and none of them had chance to go 2 school. making poverty their excuse for doing nothing and limiting themselves because of their condition.
so he asked “What can you do?” they all answered “nothing” so he asked if they could cook? or do laudry? and they said, “yes i cook for my husband” or “yes i do laudry, my kids cloth, and my husbands”… but of course none of those would take them anywhere just like the chess boy “they knew nothing about the importance of life”
So he said, well, “you all want to live in better conditions” they all answered yes! And they discovered they could cook not only for their husbands but also for their neighbor, and he and his family will not only eat their food but also pay her for cooking. They are all capable of making lots of things. So he compared, if you take a poor kid to live in a palace as a kings son, and a prince into the poor kids home, the prince will be a poor kid and the poor kid will be a prince. Poverty is not in your mind its in what sorrounds you.
I just wanted to share this. Coz this story of the chess game tells much more between lines. and its not only a fun story, its a huge and great lesson.;)
Blessings…
“‘You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause. You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!’”
huh !! one joins a monastry to ‘get there’ where this chap is or one joins a monsatry after alreday being capable of balancing discipline and mercy ??? to do what ???
There is that word again -Diversion !!
Great story ,I loved it and I must admit I play badly when I see that look in someones eyes, compassion it can get you every time…
Blessings Tania
I love this story. Compassion and seeing another as yourself is essential. In fact, those who see enlightenment as anything different than this have some unlearning to do.
Loving Awareness: A Journey to Wholeness
Dear Paulo,
Such a beautiful story!
Sacrifice?
Mercy?
Do they still exist?
I would say with sadness, they’re almost extinct.
Everybody wants to win, to own, more and more, no matter what.
I wander sometimes, why there are no books, manuals, about human values, how we should behave between one another.
About kindness.
Well, there are – Your books Paulo.
Thank You
love
Agnieszka
Dear Mr. Coelho,
After hearing excellent reviews of ‘The Alchemist,’ I finally read it. It took one day and it’s one of my favorites now. In particular, I loved the fact there were only a few names. Much less confusing. Great job!
Thanks,
Sam
Yes. The will and ambition to do well doesn’t make right walking over people to get to where you want.
Compassion is such an important ingredient of love.
Kathleen xx
*edit (got deleted) :we still have one, but it’s of different kind of cellar..it’s endless..this monastery is a cellar and it’s endless, full of love.. and we are drunk with Love every minute of our life!!
:o)) happy memories…then again not all monasteries are the same..
the winners=those who attended that party in Melk monastery were not alone , and probably won in that game of chess in another parallel world ;o)
Absolutely. I think so too. But ask the holy man what he thinks about it. :-)
I wish you a wonderful evening
sacrifice is a substitute for compassion ;)
..and in every story, remember there are two sides of a coin ;)
nice brave soul. i got you.
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