“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

Christians follow the teachings of, and about, Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as Jesus Christ. (Jesus is the Greek form of Yeshua which is normally translated as Joshua; Christ  is Greek for “the Messiah” or the “anointed one.” Jesus was a Jewish itinerant preacher who was born probably between 4 and 7 B.C. He was executed by the Roman occupying authorities in Palestine in the spring of the year 30 A.D. 

Most Christians regard Jesus as the Son of God. They further believe that he is God, the second person in the Trinity. (The Trinity within Christianity consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three separate persons, all eternal, all omnipresent, all omnipotent, all omnibeneficient, who form a single, unified deity.)

Most Christians also believe that the Old and New Testament Bible is the inspired Word of God.  Most Christians believe that Jesus co-existed with God before the creation of the world, was born of a virgin, was put to death for the sins of the world, was bodily resurrected about a day and a half after his death, and later ascended to Heaven. 

After Jesus’ death, his followers formed the Jewish Christian movement, centered in Jerusalem. They regarded themselves as a reform movement within Judaism.  Saul of Tarsus, originally a persecutor of Jewish Christians, reported having a vision of the risen Christ, circa 34 A.D. while on the road to Damascus. Adopting the new name of Paul, he became the greatest theologian of the early Christian movement. Paul’s ministry, which started circ 37 A.D., was directed mainly to Gentiles. 

The Roman Empire recognized Christianity as a valid religion in 313 A.D. Circa 387 A.D. it became the official religion of the Empire. Church authority became concentrated among the five bishops or patriarchs located in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople , Jerusalem, and Rome.

With the expansion of Islam throughout the Middle East during the seventh century A.D., power became concentrated between Constantinople and Rome. These two Christian centers gradually grew apart in belief and practice. In 1054 A.D., a split was formalized between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches; their leadership excommunicated each other. The split remains in effect today. Efforts are being made to heal the division. 

Various schisms including the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century led to a fragmentation within the western church and to a series of religious wars that caused the death of up to 30% of the population of some European countries. The Protestant movement has splintered into what is now many groups of denominations, and tens of thousands of individual denominations. 

Today, about 33% of the world’s population – in excess of 2 billion people – regard themselves as Christian. This percentage has not changed significantly in many decades. About half are Roman Catholic.

Thursday, a story told by Jesus. See you then!

Confucius and his students went on a hike out in the countryside. He was thinking of using the opportunity to engage the students in a discussion about the Tao when one of them approached and asked: “Master, have you ever been to Liu Liang? It is not far from here.” Confucius said: “I have heard about it but never actually seen it with my own eyes. It is said to be a place of much natural beauty.” “It is indeed,” the student said. “Liu Liang is known for its majestic waterfalls. It is only about two hours’ trek from here, and the day is still young. Master, if you would like to go there, I would be honored to serve as your guide.” Confucius thought this was a splendid idea, so the group set off toward Liu Liang. As they were walking and chatting, another student said: “I grew up near a waterfall myself. In summertime, I would always go swimming with the other children from the village.” 

The first student explained: “These waterfalls we will see aren’t quite like that. The water comes down from such a great height that it carries tremendous force when it hits the bottom. You definitely would not want to go swimming there.”

 Confucius said: “When the water is sufficiently powerful, not even fish and turtles can get near it. This is interesting to ponder, because we are used to thinking of water as their native element.”  After a while, they could see the waterfall coming into view in the hazy distance. Although it was still far away, they could see that it was indeed as majestic as the first student described. Another hour of walking brought them even closer, and now they could clearly hear the deep, vibrating sound it made. They topped a rise and were able to see the entire waterfall. Then they gasped collectively, because at the bottom of it, they saw a man in the ferociously churning water, being spun around and whipped this way and that by the terrifying currents. 

“Quickly, to the waterfall!” Confucius commanded. “He must have fallen in by accident, or perhaps he is a suicide. Either way, we must save him if we can.”

They ran as fast as they could. “It’s useless, Master,” one the students said. “By the time we get down there, he’ll be too far gone for us to do him any good.”

 “You may well be right,” Confucius replied. “Nevertheless, when a man’s life is at stake, we owe it to him to make every effort possible.” 

They lost sight of the man as they descended the hillside. Moments later, they broke through the forest to arrive at the river, a short distance downstream from the waterfall.

They expected to see the man’s lifeless body in the river. Instead, they saw him swimming casually away from the waterfall, spreading his long hair out and singing loudly, evidently having a great time. They were dumbfounded.

 When he got out of the river, Confucius went to speak with him: “Sir, I thought you must be some sort of supernatural being, but on closer inspection I see you are an ordinary person, no different from us. We sought to save you, but now I see it is not necessary.” 

The man bowed to Confucius: “I am sorry if I have caused you any grave concerns on my behalf. This is merely a trivial recreational activity I enjoy once in a while.”

Confucius bowed back: “You say it is trivial, but to me it is incredible. How can it be that you were not harmed by the waterfall? Are there some special skills that you possess?” “No, I have no special skills whatsoever,” the man replied. “I simply follow the nature of the water. That’s how I started with it, developed a habit out of it, and derived lifelong enjoyment from it.” “This ‘follow the nature of the water’ - can you describe it in greater detail? How exactly does one follow the nature of water?” “Well… I don’t really think about it very much. If I had to describe it, I would say that when the powerful torrents twist around me, I turn with them. If a strong current drives me down, I dive alongside it. As I do so, I am fully aware that when we get to the riverbed, the current will reverse course and provide a strong lift upward. When this occurs, I am already anticipating it, so I rise together with it.”  “So you are working with the water and not just letting it have its way with you?” “That’s right. Although the water is extremely forceful, it is also a friend that I have gotten to know over the years, so I can sense what it wants to do, and I leverage its flow without trying to manipulate it or impose my will on it.” “How long did it take for you to make all this an integrated part of your life?”  “I really can’t say. I was born in this area, so the waterfalls have always been a familiar sight to me. I grew up playing with these powerful currents, so I have always felt comfortable with them. Whatever success I have with water is simply a natural result of my lifelong habit. To be quite frank, I have no idea why this approach works so well. To me, it’s just the way life is.” Confucius thanked him and turned back to his students. He smiled, because he suddenly knew exactly what they could talk about on their trip home. See you on Monday for a brief look at Christianity.

It was a cool evening in ancient

To provide some background for the Taoist stories to come, here’s a brief look at Taoism. 

Tao (pronounced “Dow”) can be roughly translated into English as path, or the way. It is basically indefinable. It has to be experienced. It “refers to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)”

The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius. (Alternative spellings: Lao Tze, Lao Tsu, Lao Tzu, Laozi, Laotze, etc.). He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching (a.k.a. Daodejing). Others believe that he is a mythical character.  

Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three great religions of China.  Taoism currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily centered in Taiwan. About 30,000 Taoists live in North America; 1,720 in Canada (1991 census). Taoism has had a significant impact on North American culture in areas of “acupuncture, herbalism, holistic medicine, meditation and martial arts…”  

Come back Thursday for the story of “The Butterfly.”

The Fox in the Vineyard is a story from Jewish Midrash.  Jewish midrash is a large collection of writings that examine the Hebrew Bible in the light of oral tradition. Midrashic activity reached its height in the 2nd century AD with the schools of Ishmael ben Elisha and Akiba ben Joseph. The Midrashim are divided into two groups: Halakhah, which clarify legal issues; and Haggadah, nonlegal writings intended simply to enlighten. The Midrashim are extensively quoted in the Talmud.

Here’s the story. 

A sly fox passed a lovely vineyard. A tall, thick fence surrounded the vineyard on all sides. As the fox circled around the fence, he found a small hole in the fence, barely large enough for him to push his head through. The fox could see what luscious grapes grew in the vineyard, and his mouth began to water. But the hole was too small for him. So what did the sly fox do? He fasted for three days until he became so thin that he managed to slip through the hole. 

Inside the vineyard the fox began to eat to his heart’s content. He grew bigger and fatter than ever before. Then he wanted to get out of the vineyard. But alas! The hole was too small again. So what did he do? He fasted for three days again, and then just about managed to slip through the hole and out again.  Turning his head towards the vineyard, the poor fox said: “Vineyard, O’ vineyard! How lovely you look, and how lovely are your fruits and vines. But what good are you to me? just as I came to you, so I leave you…” 

And so, our Sages say, it is also with this world. It is a beautiful world, but–in the words of King Solomon, the wisest of all men–just as man comes into this world empty-handed, so he leaves it. Only the Torah he studied, the mitzvot he performed, and the good deeds he practiced are the real fruits which he can take with him.

Monday, we will take a brief look at Taoism to provide some background to the Taoist stories we will be posting.

This Jewish story is from the Hassidic Jewish tradition.  Hassdic Jews are called Hassidimin Hebrew. This word derived from the Hebrew word for loving-kindness (chesed). The Hasidic movement is unique in its focus on the joyful observance of God’s commandments (mitzvot), heartfelt prayer and boundless love for God and the world he created. The movement originated in Eastern Europe in the 18th century with its founder Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov which means “Master of the Good Name.” Our story for today is called “The Ladder,” and it goes like this.

The great Hasidic master Rabi Israel Baal Shem Tov would pray for many hours every day. His disciples, who had long concluded their own prayers, would form a circle around him to listen to the melody of his prayers and feast their eyes on the spectacle of a soul soaring in meditative attachment to its Maker. It was an unspoken rule amongst them that no one abandoned his post until their master had concluded his prayers.

One day, a great fatigue and hunger befell them. One by one, they slipped home for a bite and a few moments of rest, certain that their master’s prayers would continue for several hours more. But when they returned, they found that he had finished praying while they were gone.

“Tell us, Rebbe,” they asked him, “why did you conclude your prayers so early today?”

The Baal Shem Tov answered them with a parable: Once, a group of people were journeying through a forest. Their leader, who was blessed with a keen eyesight, spotted a beautiful bird perched atop a a tall tree.

“Come,” he said to his companions, “I wish to capture this beautiful bird, so that we may delight in her song and gaze upon her wondrous hues.”

“But how can you reach this bird you see,” asked they, “the tree being so high and ourselves held captive to the ground?”

“If you each climb up onto the shoulders of your fellow,” their leader explained, “I will climb on to the shoulders of the topmost man and reach for the treasure that beckons to us from the heights.”

And so they did. Together they formed a chain reaching from the earth toward the heavens, to raise their leader to his aspired goal. But they son wearied of the exercise and went off to eat and rest, and the man who had sighted the bird tumbled to the ground.

Monday, the story of “The Fox in the Vineyard” from Jewish midrash.

To put the Jewish stories I will be posting in context, here is a brief look at Judaism. 

Judaism is a monotheistic religion. Jews believe there is one God who created and rules the world. This God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (in all places at all times). God is also just and merciful.

It is believed that each person is created int he image of God. Therefore, all people are created equal.

Furthermore, our likeness to God is in our intellectual ability to understand. Judaism believes that people have free will and are responsible for the choices made.

Judaism is an ethical religion. When the Israelites accepted the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, they committed themselves to following a code of law which regulates both how they worship God and how they treat other people.

The Torah is the primary document of Judaism. Torah, which means, “teaching,” is God’s revealed instructions to the Jewish people.

Jews learn from the Torah how to act, think, and eve feel about life and death. The stories in the Torah teach about God’s relationship with the Jewish People. In addition, the Torah contains 613 commandments from God (mitzvot). The Ten Commandments are considered the most important commandments of the Torah.

The Ten Commandments

I am the Lord your God You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence

You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain

Remember the day of shabbat to keep it holy

Honor your father and your mother

You shall not murder You shall not commit adultery

You shall not steal

Do not give false testimony against your neighbor

You shall not covet your fellow’s possessions

Judaism believes the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) was part of the covenant made between God and the Jewish People at Mount Sinai. Since the time of Abraham, there has beena  continual Jewish presence in the Land of Israel.

Jews believe the Messiah (Mashiach) will be a person (not a god), from the family of King David, who will lead the world to unity and peace. Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith is the most widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs.

God exists.

God is one and unique.

God is incorporeal.

God is eternal.

Prayer is to be directed to God alone.

The words of the prophets are true.

Moses was the greatest prophet, and his prophecies are true.

The Torah was given to Moses.

There will be no other Torah.

God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.

God will reward the good and punish the wicked.

The Messiah will come.

The dead will be resurrected.

The following famous story from the Talmud best summarizes the essence of Judaism. A non-Jew asked Rabbi Hillel to teach him all about the Torah while standing on one foot. Rabbi Hillel said: “What is hateful to you, don’t do unto your neighbor. The rest is commentary. Now, go and study.”

—

Our next post will be a tale about the great Hassidic Rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov. See you on Monday!

Source: About.com: Judaism

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

Next time: A Brief Look at Judaism to introduce Jewish stories.

There was once a king named Suddhodana and a queen named Mahamaya who lived in the city of Kapilavastu in the sixth century B.C.  

One day, as the queen was resting in her palace, she dreamt that a white elephant carrying a white lotus in its trunk entered her right side. Some time later, a baby was born to the queen. He was named Siddhartha Gautama.  

A group of astrologers predicted that the young prince would grow up to be either a great emperor, or that he would turn his back on privilege and power to become a great spiritual leader. 

The prince grew up within the palace walls, having no contact with the outside world. He learnt the skills and engaged in the pastimes of princes.  

Prince Siddhartha married a beautiful princess named Yashodhara and they had a son. The little boy was named Rahula. They all lived happily together within the world of wealth and power.  

Until one day, when Prince Siddhartha finally persuaded his father to let him go outside the palace walls to see the city. What Siddhartha did not know was that his father had ordered the city streets cleared of anyone who was old or sick.

So when Siddhartha and his groom set out for their tour of the city in chariots they saw many young and happy people. 

However, they also happened upon a feeble old man who was lying at the side of the road.

As this was different from anything Siddhartha had ever seen before, he asked someone to explain what was wrong with the man. It was only then that Siddhartha learned about how people get old.  

Siddhartha was very moved by the suffering of the old man. He journeyed out into the city three more times and saw a sick man, a dead man and a sage. These visits led to his realizing the fundamental truths of life.  

Siddhartha left his wife and son at the palace and set out to learn the way of finding salvation and understanding.  At the edge of the city, he took off his princely robes, cut his hair and sent his groom back to the palace with his horse. 

Siddhartha wandered through the forests seeking understanding from wise men and ascetics. However, this did not bring him satisfaction or greater understanding.  

Finally, Siddhartha settled under a tree to meditate. While he sat under the tree, demons came to tempt him. However, he resisted them. After many days of meditating, Siddhartha achieved Enlightenment. From that point, he was known as the Buddha.   For the rest of his life, the Buddha traveled around sharing his teachings with many people.  The Buddha died in 483 B.C. at the age of 80. After his body was cremated, his ashes were divided up and taken to eight different sites. At each of these sites, a mound-like structure called a stupa was built to contain the ashes. Over time, many stupas were built and rebuilt, serving as centers of worship for the Buddha’s followers.  

A brief look at Buddhism will help us understand stories from this rich tradition. 

Buddhism was founded by an Indian prince named Siddharta Gautama around the year 500 BCE. According to tradition, the young prince lived an affluent and sheltered life until a journey during which he saw an old man, a sick man, a poor man, and a corpse. Shocked and distressed at the suffering in the world, Gautama left his family to seek enlightenment through asceticism. But even the most extreme asceticism failed to bring enlightenment. Finally, Gautama sat beneath a tree and vowed not to move until he had attained enlightenment. Days later, he arose as the Buddha - the “enlightened one.” He spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching the path to liberation from suffering (the dharma) and establishing a community of monks (the sangha).

Today, there are over 360 million followers of Buddhism. Although virtually extinct in its birthplace of India, it is prevalent throughout China, Japan and Southeast Asia. In the 20th century, Buddhism expanded its influence to the West and even to western religions. There are now over one million American Buddhists and even a significant number of “Jewish Buddhists.” Buddhist concepts have also been influential on western society in general, primarily in the areas of meditation and nonviolence.

Buddhist beliefs vary significantly across various sects and schools, but all share an admiration for the figure of the Buddha and the goal of ending suffering and the cycle of rebirth. Theravada Buddhism, prominent in Southeast Asia, is atheistic and philosophical in nature and focuses on the monastic life and meditation as means to liberation. Mahayana Buddhism, prominent in China and Japan, incorporates several deities, celestial beings, and other traditional religious elements. In Mahayana, the path to liberation may include religious ritual, devotion, meditation, or a combination of these elements. Zen, Nichiren, Tendai, and Pure Land are the major forms of Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhist teaching includes the four noble truths: There is suffering. There is a cause for suffering. There is cessation of suffering. There is a path leading to the cessation of suffering. The goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment by following the Noble eight-fold path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Next time: the story of the founder of Buddhism!

Once upon a time there was a man who strayed, from his own country, into the world known as The Land of Fools. He soon saw a number of people flying in terror from a field where they had been trying to reap wheat. ‘There is a monster in that field’ they told him. He looked, and saw that it was a water-melon.  He offered to kill the ‘monster’ for them. When he had cut the melon from its stalk, he took a slice and began to eat it. The people became even more terrified of him than they had been of the melon. They drove him away with pitchforks, crying: ‘He will kill us next, unless we get rid of him’. 

It so happened that at another man also strayed in the Land of Fools, and the same thing started to happen to him. But, instead of offering to help them with the ‘monster’, he agreed with them that it must be dangerous, and by tiptoeing away from it with them he gained their confidence. He spent a long time with them in their houses until he could teach them, little by little, the basic facts which would enable them not only to lose their fear of melons, but even to cultivate them themselves.