Banzo's Sword - The Zen Master Who Taught Everything Without Teaching Anything

The Story of Punna - The Answer That Made the Buddha Say Go

A monk named Punna asked the Buddha's permission to go teach in a distant and notoriously violent land. The Buddha had one question. "If the people there insult and ridicule you — what will you think of them?" Punna answered. "And if they hit you?" Punna answered. "And if they use weapons?" Punna answered. The Buddha kept asking. The answers kept coming. Each one more surprising than the last. Until the Buddha asked the final question. "And if they kill you, Punna?" Punna did not hesitate. The Buddha listened to the answer. Then said two words. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

Ryokan and the Thief - The Monk Who Wished He Could Give Away the Moon

Ryokan was a Zen monk who lived alone in a small hut at the foot of a mountain. He owned almost nothing. One evening a thief broke in. He searched every corner. Every shelf. Every possible hiding place. There was nothing to steal. When Ryokan returned and found him there he felt something he didn't expect. He gave the thief his clothes. The thief took them and slunk away into the night. Ryokan sat alone in the dark. Naked. He looked out of the window. "Poor fellow," he said quietly. "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon." Then he picked up his brush and wrote a haiku. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

Arjuna's Bird's Eye - The One Answer That Changed Everything

Dronacharya placed a wooden bird high on a distant branch and assembled all the princes. One by one he asked them to draw their bow and aim. Before letting anyone shoot he asked one question. "What do you see?" Yudhishthira said he saw the bird, the branch, the tree, the forest, the sky. Drona told him to step aside. Each prince gave a similar answer. Each one was told to put down his bow. Then Arjuna stepped forward. He drew his bow. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them Drona asked the same question. "What do you see?" One answer. Three words. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

Never Allow a Cat - The Last Words of a Dying Monk and the Long Story Behind Them

A great monk lay dying. His successor sat beside him waiting for whatever wisdom would come in these final moments. The room was full. Everyone leaning forward. The monk opened his eyes and said these words - "Never allow a cat in your life." And died. The successor was baffled. Why a cat? He had no intention of allowing a cat in his life. An old monk who had been in the monastery for decades came to sit with him. "There is a long story behind those words," he said. "He gave you the punch line. Let me tell you the story." New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.

The Baby Quail - A Jataka Story About the One Thing Stronger Than Fire

One day the Buddha was walking through the forests of Magadha with his monks when a great fire broke out ahead of them. The flames spread rapidly. The monks began to panic. The Buddha simply stopped. And the fire stopped too. Right at the spot where he stood. The monks said — it must be your power, Lord, your attainment, that stopped the fire. The Buddha shook his head. "This spot has not burned since long before I was the Buddha. Sit down. I will tell you why." In a previous life he had been born as a tiny quail — wings too small to fly, legs too weak to walk — alone in a nest as a forest fire advanced toward him. What he did next has kept that spot safe from fire for an entire era. New story every day. Follow so you never miss one.