Maktub
Paulo Coelho
Dedicated to Nha Chica
PART 9
Catagory:Fiction
Author:
Posted Date:08/27/2024
Posted By:utopia online
the primitive civilizations practiced the custom of burying their dead in a fetal position. 'He is being born again, in another life, and we must place him in the same position he was in when he came into this world,' they said. For those civilizations, death was only another step along the way of the universe. Little by little, the world has lost its calm acceptance of death. But it's not important what we think, or what we do or what we believe in: each of us will die one day. Better to do as the old Yaqui indians did: regard death as an advisor. Always ask: 'Since I'm going to die, what should I be doing now?'” Life is not about giving or receiving advice. If we need assistance, it is better to see how others solve — or fail to solve -their problems. Our angel is always present, and often uses someone else's lips to tell us something. But it usually reaches us in a casual way, generally at a moment in which -although we are attentive -our preoccupations prevent us from seeing the miracle of life. We must allow our angel to speak to us in the way he knows best -when he thinks it is needed. The master says: “Advice is a theory about life -and the practice of life is generally quite different.” A padre in the Charismatic Renewal movement inRio de Janeiro was riding on a bus when he suddenly heard a voice saying that he should stand up and preach the word of Christ right there. The padre began to converse with the voice: “They'll think I'm ridiculous! This is no place for a sermon.” But the voice insisted that he had to speak out. “I'm a timid man, please don't ask this of me,” he implored. The internal impulse persisted. Then he remembered his promise -to accept all of Christ's designs. He stood up -consumed with embarrassment -and began to speak of the Evangelist. The riders listened to him in silence. He looked at each of the passengers, and all were staring directly at him. He said everything that he was feeling, completed his sermon and sat down. Even today, he has no idea what task he was performing there on the bus. But that he was performing a mission, he has no doubt whatsoever. An African witch doctor is leading his novice through the jungle. Although he is quite elderly, he makes his way with agility, while his young novice slips a falls many times. The novice picks himself up, swears, spits on the traitorous ground and continues to follow his master. After a long hike, they reach a sacred place. Without pausing, the witch doctor turns around and begins to walk back to where they had started. “You have taught me nothing today,” says the novice, after falling again. “I have been teaching you something, but you have failed to learn it,” says the witch doctor. “I'm trying to teach you how to deal with life's mistakes.” “And how should I deal with them?” “The same way as you should deal with the falls you have taken,” answers the witch doctor. “Instead of cursing the place where you fall, you should try to find out what made you slip in the first place.” The father superior of the monastery at Sceta was visited one afternoon by a hermit. “My spiritual advisor does not know how to direct me,” the hermit said. “Should I leave him?” The father superior said not a word, and the hermit returned to the desert. A week later, he returned to visit the father superior. “My spiritual advisor does not know how to direct me,” he said. “I have decided to leave him.” “That is wise,” said the father superior. “When a man perceives that his soul is discontented, he cannot ask for advice. Make the decisions needed to preserve your passage through this life.” A young woman comes to see the wanderer. “I want to tell you something,” she says. “I have always believed that I had the gift of curing. But I never had the courage to try it with anyone. Until one day, my husband was having great pain in his left leg, and there was no one available to help him. I decided -with some embarrassment -to place my hands on his leg and ask that the pain disappear. “I did this without really believing I would be able to help him, and as I did so, I heard him praying. 'Please, Lord, make my wife capable of being the Messenger of Your light and your strength,' he said. My hand began to become hot, and the pain disappeared. “Afterwards, I ask him why he had prayed that way. He answered that it was in order to give me confidence. Today, I am able to cure, thanks to those words.” The philosopher, Aristipus, was enjoying his power at the court of Dionysus, the tyrant of Syracuse . One afternoon, he came upon Diogenes preparing a meal of lentils for himself. “If you were willing to be courteous to Dionysus, you would not have to eat lentils,” Aristipus said. “If you knew how to enjoy lentils, you would not have to be courteous to Dionysus,” Diogenes answered. The master says: “It is true that everything has its price, but the price is always relative. When we follow our dreams, we may give the impression to others that we are miserable and unhappy. But what others think is not important. What is important is the joy in our heart.” A man who lived in Turkey was told of a great master who lived inPersia . Without hesitation, he sold all of his belongings, said good-bye to his family and went off in search of wisdom. After several years of wandering, he found the hut where the great master lived. With fear and respect, he knocked on his door. The great master appeared. “I am fromTurkey ,” the man said. “I have come all this way to ask you just one question.” The old man was surprised, but said, “Fine. You may ask me one question.” “I want to be clear about what it is that I am asking. May I say it in Turkish?” “Yes,” said the wise man. “And I have already answered your only question. If there is anything else you want to know, ask your heart. It will provide you with the answer.” And he closed the door. The master says: “The word is power. Words transform the world, and man as well. “We have all heard it said: 'We should not talk about the good things that have happened to us, because the envy of others will ruin our happiness. ' Nothing of the sort. Those who are winners speak with pride of the miracles in their lives. If you release positive energy into the air, it attracts more positive energy, and makes those who really wish you well happy. As for the envious and defeated, they can only do damage to you if you give them this power. Have no fear. Speak out about the good things in your life to whoever will listen. The Soul of the World has a great need for your happiness.” There was a Spanish king who was very proud of his lineage. He was also know to be cruel to those who were weak. He was walking one day with his senior people through a field inAragon , where, years before, his father had fallen in battle. They came upon a holy man there, picking through an enormous pile of bones. “What are you doing there?” asked the king. “All honor to Your Majesty,” said the holy man. “When I learned that the king ofSpain was coming here, I decided to recover the bones of your father to give them to you. But no matter how hard I look, I cannot find them. They are the same as the bones of the farmers, the poor, the beggars and the slaves.” “Who is the best swordsman?” asked a warrior of his master. “Go to the field near the monastery,” his master answered. “There is a rock there. I want you to insult the rock.” “But why would I do that?” the disciple asked. “The rock will not respond.” “Well, then attack it with your sword,” the master said. “I won't do that, either,” the disciple answered. “My sword would break. And if I attack the rock with my hands, I'll injure my fingers and have no impact on it. That wasn't what I asked. Who is the best swordsman?” “The best is the one who is like the rock,” said his master. “Without unsheathing a sword, it demonstrates that no one can conquer it.” The wanderer arrives at the village of San Martin de Unx, in Navarra, and is able to find the woman who keeps the key to the Roman church in the ruined place. With great kindness, she climbs the narrow stairs and opens the door. The darkness and the silence of the medieval temple have an emotional impact on the wanderer. He falls into conversation with the woman, and as they talk, mentions that, although it is mid-day, little can be seen of the beautiful works of art there in the church. “The detail can be seen only at
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