Lost Coin	Oct.16.09	Teaching Stories

When we hear a story, everybody understands it at different levels.  Joseph Campbell studied a lot of stories.  A person can remember a story for thirty years.  They are good teaching tools.  For many years people remember Bible stories or Koran stories.  In therapy, stories are also used to help healing.  
Daniel told us this story as an example:  It was a story about his trip to San Francisco for a book signing session.  The session was organized in a pet shop.  At first impression Daniel thought there must have been a mistake, but as the evening developed he realized it was the perfect place because a lot of people interested in Zen gathered there.  Daniel reminded us that we can judge things by first impressions without realizing that it was just perfect.  That's the way we go through our lives sometimes.  We can live in a very superficial way thinking that everything is not right, without taking the time to go deeper.  The same happens with people.

Dave Daniels loved telling the "Rats" story.  In the desert in Persia, a traveler comes upon a settlement and asks for hospitality.  As he is welcomed, he tells them of this wonderful city- Baghdad- is nearby, and asks if they have ever visited.  They reply that they have no need to travel there, for they have good food and great water.  The traveler had the opportunity to dine with these people, and they were eating dried rats and salty water.  Daniel hopes that we don't live life like that because we lower the bar without realizing it.  Unconsciously we might have a bar that is stopping us from reaching places we might consider out of reach.  One thing that makes us lower the bar is fear.
Fear is the oldest emotion in humanity and is designed to shift power.  Unlike other animals, man is unable to let go of fear after the threat is gone.  

Daniel read us a Sufi Story about a teacher.  This teacher asked his followers, "why did you come to see me?" As they all explain the reasons the teacher explains that the reasons they appreciated him were based on the different personal needs they had.  It was hard for the students to discern the difference between sentimental needs and spiritual needs.  Daniel said our discussion helped reach deeper consciousness of this story.  

There was another story about three dervishes that had traveled the longest journeys- and the students asked them what had helped them the most.  One of them said it was the contrast between stillness and activity, another said to endure and be understanding, and the other said it was the need to be active in a unifying manner.  The deeper help on the longest journey was knowing how to meet the secret and the ordinary things- that's what a teacher can help us with.  A teacher can see who is semi-devoted versus truly devoted.  He teaches us how to separate internal from external.  External considering helps dismiss appearances from reality.  In certain environments we can feel safe and simply be- that's the teaching.  Practice starts where thoughts end.  
