"Learning is superior to beauty....
Learning is better than hidden treasure....
Learning is a companion on a journey to a strange country....
Learning is strength inexhaustible"
.....from The Hitopadesa, c. 500... a collection of Sanskrit fables... one of the most widely read Sanskrit books in India... containing short stories that have the priceless treasure of morality and knowledge... the stories feature animals and birds as main characters... It has been translated into many languages and spread around the world...
The Hitopadesa... hita and upadesa... mean to counsel or advise with benevolence...
12 comments:
Strength inexhaustible.... what a beautiful and quieting phrase!
A little scary to think that we continue tracing and retracing the ground of our ancestors....learning and relearning things that they knew a thousand or more years ago...evolution is so slow but it is a beautiful thing that we keep trying, even if it means learning what we should already know. Thanks for the lesson. I wasn't familiar with the Hitopadesa before....
This is great.... I've just started reading this book; The New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. All I can say so far is "WOW!" Through blogging and some other things going on... things are changing in me. All for the good. I love "learning is better than a hidden treasure..." Thanks Gwen for helping me along on my journey! All of you!!!!
Sharon, I think that each eras' popular culture always takes us off in a different direction.. so we end up losing good things from the past generation just because they aren't in "Fashion" any more... then it has to cycle back to us again... who knows when...
Thanks Anet.. I'm glad you are feeling good in your life... that is exactly what we are all aiming for...
I'm learning lots too, ... and you are teaching me that cities can be good places too.. thanks
That is a great quote. I love to "learn" more and more the older I get. There is not enough hours in the day for "learning" as far as I am concerned... and I love learning about different cultures.
Thank you so much for sharing some ancient wisdom with your posts. They are thought provoking and something to pursue. As always great history and art history.
Hey Sandy... You must be a whirlwind... how do you ever keep all your websites going... I can hardly manage one... I have some learning to do...
Bill that last quandary you had on your site about the fellow holding onto a branch with his teeth.. was really a great problem to pose and the photo that went with it pulled the reader in to see what it was all about.. great concept..... and tough decision..
Do you have this book, Gwen? If you did, I'm guessing you would have shown a photo of it, so maybe not. I hadn't heard of it either.
No I don't have this book, Ruth... I have a book that has a collection of "Great Thoughts" and it has a section on it... Then I went around digging up info on it wherever I could find it... I like the whole concept...
I think Aseobs fables may have been derived or evolved from these writings.
Iris will like this one, I think. Thanks!
Don teaches Aesop's fables in his class. I like old tales that last through the ages. Children seem to receive them well too when they're in the context of a world of animal characters. I like the words in what you've quoted, because they don't imply what some of the more religious type tales leave you with, which is usually about being "good." I mean, you can't argue with learning as a concept, can you? And yeah, we have to keep learning. Sometimes I think I'm learning the same thing over and over, like a life lesson, only the hope is I am learning some nuanced aspect of it each time 'round.
Very beautiful pieces, and quite the production line you have set up!
Have you thought about selling them on a website?
Thanks J,
I sell mostly in shops and often people contact me directly,I sell directly to them... Thought about a website but haven't decided how I want to go about it yet... thanks for asking..
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