Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on the 27th of January 1756, Salzburg, now in present-day Austria and passed away on the 5th of December 1791. Do you know that Mozart was a child prodigy? At the age of 5 he was composing his own music, and at the age of 8 years, he wrote his […]
George Washington was born on the 22nd of February 1732 in Virginia, U.S.A., and passed away on the 14th of December 1799. Do you know that George Washington was made an honorary citizen of France, and that before he fought against the British, he actually fought for them? One of the Founding Fathers of the
Once, a thief entered the home of Zen Master Shichiri Kojunw, while he was meditating. When the thief demanded money, the Zen master said, “Don’t disturb me. The money is in the drawer. You can take it.” The thief was surprised, but quickly emptied the drawer. The Zen master then said, “Leave me some money
Fasil Ghebbi was a fortress city built in Ethiopia in the 17th and the 18th century. Fasil Ghebbi, literally meaning ‘Royal Enclosure’, was home to the Ethiopian emperors. Built across 70,000 square metres, the fortress was enclosed by a curtain wall with twelve gates. The architectural style displayed is a diverse blend of influences including
Once, the Buddha’s disciples asked, “Why do the scholars and the hermits in Savatthi always argue about the eternal nature of the world, the soul and so on?” The Buddha explained, “Imagine what would happen if we gathered a group of blind men and tried to show them an elephant. Each one would be able
The people in King Brahmadatta’s kingdom were very superstitious. When they prayed to God, they always offered animal sacrifice, along with flowers and perfumes. They believed that God would not hear their prayers without the sacrifice. The king’s eldest son was very wise. He was a Bodhisattva in previous birth. He thought, ‘I must stop
Once, a farmer and a soldier became friends. The soldier asked the farmer, “What do you do all day?” The farmer replied, “I plough the fields and grow crops. When the time is ripe, I get busy with harvesting.” The soldier said, “That does not seem to be so challenging. Look at me. I go
Long ago, there lived a woman called Sujata. She was married to Ananda, the Blissful. The villagers had decided to build an inn for the travellers under Ananda’s directions. Sujata wanted to help the people, too. Since she was a woman, the villagers didn’t seek her help. One day, Sujata thought, ‘I must do whatever
The Valley of the Queens is the burial site for the wives of Pharaohs, built in Egypt between 1543 BC and 1077 BC. The Valley of the Queens included many members of nobility, including the princesses, heads of stables and viziers in the early years. However, from the 19th dynasty, the tombs were exclusively used
A monk took care of a garden in a famous monastery. Just next to the monastery was another smaller monastery. An old master lived there. One day, some special guests were supposed to visit the big monastery. So, the monk spent a lot of time pulling out the weeds, trimming the shrubs, and arranging the
Once, there was a cruel and miserly king. One day, a monk came to his court and narrated a parable. He said, “Once, a wicked king ruled the Earth. Thus, Lord Indra came to the Earth in the form of a hunter with the Naraka Matali who appeared as a fierce dog. When the hunter
An old farmer worked on his field for many years. One day, the farmer’s horse named ‘Kanthaka’ ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours said, “Bad luck!” “We’ll see,” the farmer replied. The next morning, Kanthaka returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful!” the neighbours said. “We’ll see,” replied the farmer.
The Bodhisattva took many births as an ascetic. But this time, he came as the most powerful ascetic in the world. He had many followers. During the same time, there was another ascetic who was envious of the Bodhisattva. He thought of a plan to remove the Bodhisattva from his path. He told one of
Deir el-Medina is a village built in Egypt between 1550-1080 BC. Deir el-Medina was a village comprising only of the artisans who were working on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The culture of the village and accounts of community life, spanning 400 years, are perfectly recorded. There is a rich variety of
It was forbidden to talk in a monastery. The monks had to keep a vow of silence. However, every ten years, the monks were permitted to utter just two words. Thus, after ten years, the head monk allowed all the monks to say the two words. One monk said, “Bed hard.” “I see,” said the