In honor of the Cordoba project.

[johnaries]

Tolerance

The Daoist Master Zhungzi (aka Chuang-tsu) once told a parable that went something like this:

You cannot put a big load in a small bag.
You cannot draw water from a deep well with
a short rope.

There once was a Seabird whose plumage rivaled that of the Phoenix
that was seen in the village of Lu.

The Marquis of Lu had the Seabird brought to the palace to honor it.

He provided the best wine for the Seabird to drink.
He provided the finest cooked meat delicacies for the Seabird to eat.
He had the best musicians in the land perform for the Seabird.

The Seabird's eyes glazed over, for he did not drink wine,
he did not eat human food,
and the human music was an affront to his ears.

Within three days, the Seabird died.

Should not a bird flock with other birds,
eat eels, minnows, and it's own foods
and rest in the reeds and marshes?

There is nothing a bird hates to hear more than human voices,
would it not be torture for a Seabird to be surround by
constant conversation?

When the most beautiful human music is played in the wild,
birds fly away, beasts run off, fish plunge deep,
and humans gather to listen.

A fish, by staying in the water, lives.
A man who stays in the water, dies.

A man, by staying in the air, lives.
A fish who stays in the air, dies.

Because their needs are inherently
different.

The message here should be clear. Everyone has different needs. Don't judge the needs of others by your own needs.

Jesus once told a parable to his disciples that King James' interpreters translated thusly:


Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred.


Again, not everyone would benefit from his seeds - his teachings.

There is no "one size fits all" spirituality. As the Buddhists say, "There are many paths to the top of the mountain."

[aquart]

1. And $100 million can build a super highway of propaganda.

[johnaries]

2. ?