Wisdom Tales From Around The World

ContContaining simple truths, common sense, and the promise that people can benefit from past generations' experience, this book is a collection of 50 metaphorical folk tales and parables selected with a global perspective and retold by a professional storyteller. Includes traditional stories reflecting the cumulative wisdom of Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American cultures. Tales from ancient India. Jataka tales. The talkative turtle ; The wise master ; A flock of birds -- Tales from the Panchatantra. The lion makers ; The blue jackal who showed his true colors ; The lion and the rabbit -- The blind men and the elephant. Tales from China : Taoist parables. Blinded by greed ; The stolen ax / based on a tale by Lieh Tzu -- The best fit / based on a tale by Han Fei -- The powerful fighting cock ; Whose dream is this? ; The useless tree / based on a tale by Chuang Tzu -- A farmer's horse ran off / based on a tale by Lui An. Zen stories from Japan. A monk with heavy thoughts -- The wild strawberry -- Empty-cup mind -- A dispute in sign language -- Giving the moon. Tales from ancient Greece. Aesop's fables. Antlers ; Everyone agrees to peace ; Mice in council -- Tales of Mount Olympus. Baucis and Philemon ; Echo and Narcissus. Tales from the Middle East : Sufi stories of Mulla Nasrudin. The boatman -- The smuggler -- Feeding his clothes -- Looking for the key. Tales from the Jewish tradition. Feathers (Eastern European, Hasidic) -- This too shall pass (Ancient Israel, a King Solomon legend) -- The wooden sword (Afghanistan). Tales from the Christian tradition. The legend of St. Genesius -- Amazing grace : the story of John Newton (1725-1807) -- The prodigal son : a parable from the New Testament. Tales from Africa. Fire, water, truth, and falsehood (Northeast Africa, Ethiopia) -- The red and blue coat (Central Africa, Congo) -- Tongue meat (East-Central Africa, Swahili) -- Why wisdom is everywhere (West Africa, Ashanti). Tales from Asia and Southeast Asia. The parts of the house argue (Philippines) -- The tiger's whisker (Korea) -- Little Lizard's sorrow (Vietnam). Tales from Europe. The three wishes (England) -- The wooden bowl (Germany) -- The happy man's shirt (Italy) -- The dancing lass of Anglesey (Scotland). Tales from the Americas. How war was ended (North American Arctic, Central Yup'ik Eskimo) -- How the quetzal got its red breast (Central America, Maya) -- Old Dog and Coyote (Mexico, Otomi) -- Paca and Beetle (South America, Brazil) -- Gluscabi and the magic game bag (North American eastern woodlands, Abenaki).