Issue nº 15

Castaneda and the warrior's spirit |  Three stories of Iranian mysticism

Nasrudin's turban
      Nasrudin appeared at court wearing a magnificent turban and asking for money for charity.
      - you come here asking for money, but wear such an expensive ornament upon your head. How much was that extraordinary piece? - asked the sovereign.
      - Five hundred gold coins - replied the wise Sufi.
      The minister whispered: "That is a lie. No turban costs such a fortune."
      Nasrudin insisted:
      - I have not come here only to ask for money, I am also here to negotiate. I paid that much money for the turban, for I knew that in the whole world only one king would be capable of buying it for six hundred coins, so that I can give the profit to the poor.
      This sultan was flattered and paid the sum Nasrudin ask. On his way out, the wise man said to the minister:
      - You may know the value of turbans, but I know how far vanity can lead a man.

Just like marriage
      Nasrudin spent the entire autumn working his garden. The flowers had blossomed in the spring - and Nasrudin noticed a few dandelions appearing, which he hadn't planted.
      Nasrudin tore them up. But the pollen had already spread and others began to grow. He tried to find a weed killer which only killed dandelions. A specialist told him any type of poison would end up killing all the other flowers. In despair, he went to ask a gardener for help.
      - It is like a marriage - said the gardener. - Along with the good things, a few little inconveniences always appear.
      - What can I do? - insisted Nasrudin.
      - Nothing. Although they are flowers you did not count on, they are still part of the garden.

Accepting compassion
      - How do we purify the world?- asked a disciple.
      Ibn al-Husayn replied:
      - There was once a sheik in Damascus called Abu Musa al-Qumasi. Everyone honored him for his great wisdom, but no one knew whether he was a good man.
      "One afternoon, a construction fault caused the house where the sheik lived with his wife, to collapse. The desperate neighbors began to dig the ruins; eventually, they managed to locate the sheik's wife.
      "She said: "Don't worry about me. First save my husband, who was sitting somewhere over there."
      "The neighbors removed the rubble from the area she indicated, and found the sheik. He said: "Don't worry about me. First save my wife, who was lying somewhere over there."
      "When someone acts as this couple did, he is purifying the whole world."