147. The Guru's Two Disciples



A wise guru had two disciples.
He gave each of his disciples a small sum of money and said, "Use this to go buy something that can completely fill this hut where I live."
One disciple went and bought a huge load of hay and with that hay he filled the hut.
"You disappoint me," said the guru, and he threw all the hay into the woods.
The other disciple used the money to buy a candle, and the candle filled every corner of the hut with light.
The guru smiled. "That," he said, "is the light of wisdom indeed."

Inspired by: Indian Fables by Ramaswami Raju.
Notes: The word guru means "teacher," and there is a guru tradition in the different religions of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. This story is a variation on the idea of the "guru dakshina" where the guru's students present him with a gift or perform a service at the completion of their studies.


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