Teaching Story: Every Which Way the Wind Blows

Nasruddin Backwards

Mullah Nasruddin was a digging a grave in the cemetery when from afar he saw the sand blowing in the distant desert. His imagination got the better of him and he thought it was a band of brigands. In fear for his life he jumped into the half dug grave site.

In the distance a group of honest merchants were returning home from a profitable business. They saw the strange site of a Mullah in his long flowing robe jumping into a grave. So they went to the cemetery to find out what was going on.

They got to the grave and saw Nasruddin shivering in fright. They asked him, “Mullah, what are you doing there?”

By now the Mullah understood his mistake and was relieved that these were not the thieves he had imagined. The Mullah got out of the grave and said, “It all depends on the way you look at it. I’m here because you’re here and you’re here because I’m here.”

Source: Nasrudin-stories blog

(When I first presented this tale on Transformative Tools I titled it Downward Causation.

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