The book of Zhuagzi, the great Daoist philosopher, begins with a mind-blowing allegory about a fish named “Kun” which is thousands of miles in width and length. Yes, you heard me right. He said that the body of the Kun…
My grandma told me many puzzling Taoist stories when I was young; some of them took me a lifetime to understand. Here’s one of them. A man from a small village took his handicrafts to sell in a distant town,…
There’s a couple living in Phoenix, AZ. The husband calls his son in New York City the day before Thanksgiving and says, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are…
When I was in college in Mandalay, I gathered with a group of friends for tea and breakfast every Saturday morning. One of them had a motorcycle, and one day, he was hit by a car when riding his bike.…
Do you know what Christians were called before the term Christian existed? The word “Christian” was a derogative term, meaning little Christ. It was a way to make fun of those who follow Christ. But, later, they felt proud to…
Zhuangzi’s friend complained about a useless tree on the roadside that every carpenter ignored. Despite its humongous size, its trunk and limbs are gnarled, making it unsuitable to build furniture. People can’t use its wood to build boats because it…
Confucius was hiking with his disciples to visit a majestic waterfall. Even before they arrived at the waterfall, they could sense the power of it from the distance, first the rumbling sound and then the breathtaking sight of a tall…
I’m sure you have heard the saying, “If Satan cannot make you bad, he will make you busy!” I used to take it lightly because I thought it was just a cute little joke. After years of observing busy people…
Legend has it that the vast battleship, USS Montana, was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean at night. The captain suddenly saw a blinking light on its path. Assuming it was another ship, he sent out a Morse code with the…
A less retold story about Jesus is when he cursed a fig tree for not bearing fruit. Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem riding a donkey. He visited the temple and drove off the merchants and money changers, accusing them of…