parable.school
A collection of parables from many wisdom traditions, each presented as a single page.
Taoist
Maybe
A Taoist parable of an old man and his horse — sometimes called “Maybe yes, maybe no” or Sai Weng’s horse (塞翁失馬). On the wisdom of suspended judgment.
The Empty Boat
A Taoist parable from the Zhuangzi: a man’s anger at a colliding boat dissolves the moment he sees the boat is empty. On the projection of self onto others.
The Butterfly Dream
Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly. He woke and could not tell — was he a man dreaming a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming a man?
Cook Ting
A cook butchers an ox before his lord with the grace of a dance. After nineteen years, his blade is still sharp — because he no longer cuts, he follows.
The Useless Tree
A carpenter walks past a vast oak without a second look. That night the tree visits him in a dream and explains why it has lived so long.
The Frog in the Well
A frog who lives in an old well invites a sea turtle in to admire his small water. The turtle, who has seen the sea, can barely fit one foot through.
The Three Vinegar Tasters
Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Tzu each taste from the same jar of vinegar. Each gives a different answer. None of them is wrong.
Zen
Japanese
Buddhist
The Mustard Seed
A mother whose child has died asks the Buddha for medicine. He sends her in search of a mustard seed from a house where no one has died.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
A king has men born blind brought to his courtyard. Each is given one part of an elephant to touch. Each describes a different animal. Each is certain.
Sufi
Hindu
The Saint and the Scorpion
A saint by the river lifts a drowning scorpion. It stings him. He drops it. He lifts it again. A fisherman watches and asks why.
The Cracked Pot
A water bearer carries two pots to the master’s house. One is perfect; the other has a crack and arrives half empty. After two years, the cracked pot apologizes.