~ 126. Nasruddin and the Would-Be Disciple ~


A would-be disciple came to see Nasruddin.
It was a cold day, and the disciple asked Nasruddin why he was blowing on his hands.
"I blow on my hands to warm them," Nasruddin explained.
Later, Nasruddin filled two bowls of soup, taking one for himself and offering the other to his would-be disciple.
Then the disciple asked why Nasruddin was blowing on the soup.
"I blow on the soup to cool it," Nasruddin explained.
"I can't trust a teacher who uses the same technique for opposite purposes!" the disciple exclaimed, and he left.
Smiling, Nasruddin ate both bowls of soup.



Inspired byThe Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is in the chapter about Nasruddin; I added the part about Nasruddin eating both bowls of soup at the end. Compare the Aesop's fable about the satyr: The Satyr and the Traveler.


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