Volume Two.
This book by Paulo Coelho contains joyful, amazing and dramatic stories for readers of all ages.
Excerpt:
The three books
The monk Tetsugen had a dream: to publish a book in Japanese, containing all the sacred verses. Determined to transform this dream into reality, he began to travel the country in order to raise the necessary money. However, just as he had managed to get together enough money to begin work on the project, the river Uji flooded, provoking a catastrophe of gigantic proportions. When he saw the victims of the flood, Tetsugen resolved to spend all the money he had collected on relieving the sufferings of the people. Afterwards, he resumed his struggle to make his dream come true: he went from door to door, he visited the various islands of Japan, and once more he managed to raise the money he needed. When he returned, exultant, to Edo, a cholera epidemic was sweeping the country.
Again, the monk used the money to treat the sick and to help the families of the dead. Undeterred, he returned to his original project. He set off again and, nearly twenty years later, he published seven thousand copies of the sacred verses. They say that Tetsugen actually published three separate editions of the sacred texts, but the first two are invisible.
Another name
A man said to a friend:
'You talk about God as if you knew him personally, down to the colour of his eyes. Why do you need to create something to believe in? Can't you live without that?'
His friend replied:
'Do you have any idea how the Universe was created? Can you explain the miracle of life?'
'Everything around us is the result of chance. Things just happen.'
'Exactly. Well, "Things just happen" is merely another name for God.'
