10 SEC READ: Insults (EN, PT, ES, FR)
by Paulo Coelho on February 9, 2012
Illustration by Ken Crane
Changing attitude
“Over the course of one year, give a coin to each person who offends or upsets you,” instructed the abbot of a young man who wanted people to follow a spiritual path.
For the next twelve months, the boy gave a coin to each person who offended or upset him, as he was instructed. At the end of the year, he returned to the abbot to find out what the next steps were.
“Go into town and buy food for me,” the abbot responded.
Once the boy left, the abbot changed his clothes, disguised himself as a beggar and went to the gate. When the boy approached, he began to insult him.
“Good!” said the boy, “for a whole year I had to pay the people who upset or offended me, and now I can be offended for free, without spending anything!”
Hearing this, the abbot removed his disguise. “He who does not take insults seriously, is on the path to wisdom.”
——————
Mudando a atitude
- Pelo período de um ano, pague uma moeda quem lhe agredir – disse o abade a um jovem que queria seguir o caminho espiritual.
Nos doze meses seguintes, o rapaz pagava uma moeda sempre que era agredido. No final do ano, voltou ao abade, para saber o próximo passo.
- Vá até a cidade comprar comida para mim.
Assim que o rapaz saiu, o abade disfarçou-se de mendigo e foi até a porta da cidade. Quando o rapaz se aproximou, começou a insultá-lo.
- Que bom! – comentou o rapaz. – Durante um ano inteiro tive que pagar, e agora posso ser agredido de graça, sem gastar nada!
Ouvindo isto, o abade retirou seu disfarce.
- Quem não leva os insultos a sério, está no caminho da sabedoria.
———————
Cambiando de actitud
-Durante el periodo de un año, paga una moneda al que te ofenda – le dijo el abad a un joven que quería seguir el camino espiritual.
A lo largo de los doce meses siguientes, el muchacho pagaba una moneda siempre que alguien lo ofendía. Cuando el año terminó, regresó junto al abad para preguntarle cuál debería ser el próximo paso.
-Ve a la ciudad a comprarme comida.
Nada más salir el muchacho, el abad se disfrazó de mendigo y se situó en la puerta de la ciudad. Cuando el muchacho se aproximó, empezó a insultarlo.
-¡Qué bien! – comentó el joven -. Durante todo un año tuve que pagar, ¡y ahora me pueden ofender gratis, sin gastar nada!
Al oír esto, el abad se quitó el disfraz.
-El que no se toma los insultos en serio, está en el camino de la sabiduría.
———————–
Changer d’attitude
« Pendant une période d’un an, paie une pièce à celui qui t’agressera », dit l’abbé à un jeune qui voulait suivre le chemin de la spiritualité.
Les douze mois suivants, le garçon payait une pièce chaque fois qu’il était agressé. À la fin de l’année, il retourna vers l’abbé pour connaître l’étape suivante.
« Va jusqu’à la ville acheter de la nourriture pour moi. »
Aussitôt le garçon parti, l’abbé se déguisa en mendiant et se rendit à la porte de la ville. Quand le garçon s’approcha, il commença à l’insulter.
« C’est bien ! déclara le garçon. Pendant toute une année, j’ai dû payer, et maintenant je peux être agressé gratuitement, sans dépenser un sou ! »
Entendant cela, l’abbé retira son déguisement.
« Celui qui ne prend pas les insultes au sérieux est sur la voie de la sagesse.
{ 170 comments }
Kagemu Paris 2011
by Paulo Coelho on February 8, 2012
^
^
CLICK ON THE THUMBNAIL ABOVE
{ 29 comments }
To my Russian friends
by Paulo Coelho on February 7, 2012
Normally it is the publishing house that decides on the cover of a book.
But on this occasion, they decided to send it to my agent, as the two ideas are totally opposite.
Could my Russian friends help us (the publishing house, the agent and myself) to choose? please post your opinions in “Comments” below
ALEPH will be released in Russia late March 2012
{ 183 comments }
20 SEC READING: the boy and the devil
06.02.2012The boy was walking to buy bread when the mayor of the city crossed the street. ‘The reason he is so powerful, is because, he’s made a pact with the devil,’ a very devout woman in the street told the boy. Some time later, when travelling to another town, the boy saw a beautiful corn [...]
Writing the new book
04.02.2012the video takes 20 sec to load AND does not play in Apple devices (not my fault!) Of course this may be very boring to watch. But I decided to record 20 minutes of me writing my new book. The feed was transmitted live on Twitter Admin Note : You can also watch it at [...]
The Law of Jante
03.02.2012It is hard to find anyone in any of the Scandinavian countries who does not know this law. Although the law exists since the beginning of civilization, it was only officially declared in 1933 by writer Aksel Sandemose in the novel “A refugee goes beyond limits.” The sad truth is that the Law of Jante [...]
Finding the signs
02.02.2012EN ESPANOL: Las señales We may think at times that the only thing life offers us tomorrow, is to repeat everything we did today. But if we pay close attention, we will see that no two days are alike. Each morning brings a hidden blessing; a blessing which is unique to that day, and which [...]
3.000.000 Twitter
01.02.2012(scroll down the page for the text in English / abajo el texto en Espanol) Como tuitei antes, assim que chegasse a 3.000.000 de seguidores, convidaria dez de voces para jantar no dia 20 de abril, em Barcelona, Espanha. Entretanto, é muitod difícil selecionar apenas dez entre tanta gente interessante. Portanto, eis o que decidi [...]
The dawn of time
31.01.2012Looking back toward the dawn of civilization: we could not survive alone. So we were obliged to come together. We lived in a symbolic world in the classic (holistic) sense. Not because it was politically correct or because it was imposed by society or because it was good for our health – rather, it was [...]
The cultural puzzle
29.01.2012← Previous Entries