Stories of Contentment

[John Simon]

Can anyone suggest stories that have to do with contentment and being easily satisfied? Or even those that deal with the opposites like craving and perpetual dissatisfaction...

[Serena]

Hi John

A story which fits your second request is "The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle" which you'll find retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. It is a British folktale where an old woman wishes to live in bigger home. A fairy, whom the old woman never thanks, grants these wishes and each time moves her to a greater and granded house, but the old woman is constantly dissatisfied.

Another story which has a similar theme is "The Fisher and His Wife". I found a version in an Eric Carle book which I think is from Brothers Grimm.

I hope these are useful.

Serena

[John Simon]

These two stories were excellent! ( I googled them) They were essentially the same story, but told in two different ways. I liked the ending of the Vinegar bottle version a bit better, it wrapped up with the fairy's thoughts. The Grimm's version just plopped her back into the old shack quite abruptly. Still a good lesson and a fun story.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll post some here if I find any.

[Serena]

Glad those stories were helpful for you. I'll let you know if I come across any others too. Can I ask what you need them for?

Serena

[John Simon]

I'm not sure if i need them for anything in particular at this point, I'm just new to this storytelling idea and am looking for stories that might fit the topics i'm interested in. I sometimes have the opportunity to give short talks to small spiritual communities and love the idea of having illustrative stories to share rather than just a dry fact telling. I guess if I needed them for something at this moment, it would be for learning. I'm not at 'Teller' status right now, i'm at 'Sponge' status just soaking up wonderful stories.

Thanks for the refreshing water on this hot day!

[Brother Wolf]

I have been thinking all day of the Buddhist story of the farming family that asked the enlightened monk to write a blessing over their door. He wrote - Grandparents die, Parents die, Children die...
The family was upset until he smiled at them and said "You want it the other way?"

Went to the funeral of the son of a friend this morning - mothers shouldn't bury their sons.

Peace

Eric Wolf
http://www.ericwolf.org

[John Simon]

I couldn't even imagine it...

When death occurred to the child of Marpa, he cried so bitterly that his disciples flocked around him and asked, "Master, didn't you say that the world is only an illusion? Why are you crying so brokenheartedly just because your son has died?" Marpa answered them, "Yes, everything is an illusion, but the death of a child is the greatest illusion of them all!"

[Nathalie Jendly]

Hello John,
here is story I propose to you. You certainly will find different versions.
This is a yiddish folk tale:"It could be worse"
Sinopsis:
One day Gimpel, a man, goes to talk to the rabbin, saying: "My wife is arguing all the time. My children are fighting all the time and it is so small in our house that I finally come today to you. Would you have a wise advice for me?" The rabbin after a thought asks him if he has some animals. Yes:-), Gimpel has many animals he will under the rabbin's advice bring in his house, one by one, day after day. Days and nights in this overcrowded house are becoming too chaotic until one day, as Gimpel is talking to the rabbin like every morning, he says: " oh Rabbin, Rabbin, it is terrible, my wife is going to go away, my children are going to kill eachother, what could I do, oh, what could I do?" the rabbin then advices to bring out all the animals, one by one. So he does. And, the next day he tells the rabbin "oh, Rabbin, Rabbin, you saved our lives. We are so happy, now that we are again in the intimacy, my wife, my children and I, in this great house!". He then happily returns to his home.

[John Simon]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing it.