Buddhist Anecdotes

• Everything Changes

  

  During a Q&A session a student said to master Roshi he’d been listening to his lectures for years but couldn't un...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Empty Your Cup

  

  A university professor researching Zen sought master Nan-in, who served him tea. Nan-in poured his visitor’s cup full...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Non-Judgment

  

  A farmer was consoled by his neighbors who claimed it was bad luck his horse ran away. The farmer replied “Maybe.” Th...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Right And Wrong

  

  A meditation pupil was caught stealing. Master Bankei ignored the case. It happened again and Bankei disregarded it. ...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Be The Boss

  

  A man came on a horse galloping down the road. Another man asked him where he was going. The rider answered to ask th...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Watch Yourself

  

  A master acrobat would walk around while balancing in his head a bamboo pole where his pupil stood on. One day, the t...

  6 Awesome Zen Stories That Will Teach You Important Life Lessons

• Cliffhanger

  

  One day a man stumbled upon a tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he ...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• It Will Pass

  

  A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache,...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• Moving Mind

  

  2 men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind. One thought the flag was moving the other thought the wind was ...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• Time to Die

  

  Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever even as a boy. Once, he broke his teacher's teacup. Hearing the footsteps of ...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• The Other Side

  

  A young Buddhist on a journey pondered for hours on how to cross a wide river he came upon. As he was about to give u...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• The Gates of Paradise

  

  A soldier named Nobushige asked Hakuin if heaven and hell were real. Hakuin answered with provocations until th...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• A Cup of Tea

  

  Nan-in, a Japanese master , received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served te...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

  

  Ryokan, a Zen master, lived a simple life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain . One evening a thief visited the...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• Working Very Hard

  

  A martial arts student went to his teacher and asked how long it would take to master his system. The teacher answere...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• A Useless Life

  

  An old farmer that couldn’t work anymore spent days sitting on the porch. His son, still working the farm, got so agg...

  10 Short Zen Stories

• The Power Of Choice

  

  Our thoughts can become our worst enemy if we let them. Think about how you may be “feeding” your negative thoughts b...

  Two Wolves - Virtues For Life

• The Cherokee Indian Legend Of Two Wolves

  

  An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. He tells him a fight between two wolfs rages inside him, and in ...

  Two Wolves - Virtues For Life

• Counteracting Negative Thoughts

  

  If negative thinking becomes incessant, it can lead to depression and self-destructive behavior . At minimum, negativ...

  Two Wolves - Virtues For Life

• The Parable Of The Burning House

  

  A fire broke out in the house of a wealthy man. He tried to warn the children inside the burning house but they were ...

  Burning House Parable - Lotus Sutra

• The meaning behind the parable of the Burning House

  

  The father is the Buddha and sentient beings are the children. The Burning House represents the world burning with t...

  Burning House Parable - Lotus Sutra

• A Story Of Buddha

  

  An old devotee of Lord Rama was close to his death. He heard of Buddha and wanted confirmation on God’s existence. Bu...

  Does God Exist? a story from Buddha's life

• The meaning behind Story of Buddha

  Atheism and theism are equally useless, one has to realize the truth in himself with diligent self-effort. Buddha ha...

  Does God Exist? a story from Buddha's life

• Be A Lion Not A Dog

  

  Dada Vaswani when he was a small boy asked a monk to give him some wisdom. The monk advised "My child, Be a Lion...

  Be a Lion not a dog: a Story told by Dada Vaswani

• Religions and storytelling

  Religions from all over the world have used storytelling as a medium to convey their messages of wisdom. One such r...

  10 Short Zen Stories