Wise Tales From the East: The Essential Collection

by Uri Kaplan

Overview

This little book of insights contains forty-nine parables and fables that will amuse, teach, and inspire you to reflect on your life and actions. Some of the stories are funny, others are enigmatic and philosophical, but they all convey remarkable life lessons and morals. The tales were carefully selected from the Buddhist, Hindu, Daoist (Taoist), and Confucian traditions, as well as from Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore. If you let them, they just might blow your mind!

Yoga and meditation instructors and practitioners may find these wise tales valuable for contemplating their training. College professors and high school teachers may find them handy for preparing lectures and stimulating class debates. Psychologists and bibliotherapists may find them useful for therapy sessions. And anyone else in search of wisdom would surely benefit from perusing through these enchanting tales of sages, monks, Zen masters, scorpions, centipedes, and horses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789655992960
Publisher:	Prapanca Press
Publication date:	08/27/2020
Series:	Wise Tales , #1
Pages:	116
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Uri Kaplan is a writer, translator, and scholar of Asian religions. He holds a PhD from Duke University and lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Haifa University. He published a number of academic journal articles on Buddhism and Confucianism, and is author of Buddhist Apologetics in East Asia (Brill, 2019) and Monastic Education in Korea (University of Hawai'i Press, 2020).

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword

This Will Change

One Taste

The Poisoned Arrow

Forgetting

A Piggyback Ride

The Three Princesses

The Happy Fish

Blowing in the Wind

The Acrobats

Hemp

The Zen Master Who Killed a Cat

The Runaway Horse

Beautiful Flaws

A Handful of Mustard Seeds

Help the Grain

The Nature of Scorpions

The Benefits of Uselessness

Mountains Are Mountains

The Blind Men and the Elephant

Empty Your Cup

A Feast for a Bird

Ask the Horse

The Opposite Direction

The Rivalry of the Faculties

Learning Swordsmanship

Where is the Mind?

Cook Ding

The Tiger's Tail

The Chariot

Happy Dogs

The Jewel in the Pocket

Fart

The Centipede

A Line of Candles

Five-Hundred Maidens

Why We Shout

Empty Boat

Four Wives

Can't Get No Satisfaction

A Skull for a Pillow

The Wooden Idol

Hanging From a Cliff

The Servant's Dream

The Mouse King

The Hawk and the Clam

The Gates of Heaven

The Magic Stick

The Lazy Parrot

Butterfly

List of Sources

Editorial Reviews

"Stories have the power to change us--to help us learn and grow, and to help us help others do the same. In this inspiring collection of tales from the East, Uri Kaplan provides us a precious treasure that can help us find more fulfillment, more joy, in our lives. This book is ideal for teachers, parents, or anyone who simply wants to be happier."

Tal Ben-Shahar, cofounder of Happiness Studies Academy and author of Happier.

"In this illuminating anthology, Kaplan (Buddhist Apologetics in East Asia), lecturer at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, brings together 49 parables from East Asia and India. Though many of these stories, like "A Piggyback Ride" (a lesson in letting go of the past), will be familiar to readers interested in Buddhism, Kaplan's articulations of them flow well and move briskly to key points."

Publishers Weekly review.

"One of the joys of these wise tales is that they can easily be shared, and I expect that the stories Kaplan has collected here will illuminate many future conversations with friends. A few of the stories I loved; some of them are touching (like The Mouse King), some are nuggets of wisdom, and some are downright funny. Ultimately, what you get from Wise Tales From the East will depend mostly on your own reflection. The stories in Kaplan's book will provide fodder for years."

Readers' Favorite review

"This insightful book takes you on a journey, beautifully demonstrating some of the simple truths of our human existence. I look forward to using the stories in therapy and in teaching."

Michal Kahn PhD, Clinical Psychologist.

From the Publisher