Room in the heart
July 2011
A poor woodcutter and his wife lived in the forest in a small hut, so small that there was space only for him and his wife to stretch out and sleep.
One dark stormy night, somebody knocked on the door. The woodcutter asked his wife to open the door and let the stranded stranger in.
She said, “But there is no space.” The man laughed and said, ‘This is not a palace of a king, where you will always find a shortage of space. This is a poor man's hut. Two can sleep well; three can sit. We will create space. Just open the door.”
And the door was opened. The man came in gratefully, and they all sat telling stories to each other. Then came another knock. The owner of the hut told the stranger, “Friend, open the door. Somebody else is lost.” And the man said, “But there is no space.”
The woodcutter said, “If three persons can sit comfortably, four persons can sit a little closer, with a little less comfort. But we will create the space.”
The stranger reluctantly opened the door. And a man entered gratefully. And then suddenly came a strange knock, which did not seem to be a man's! The woodcutter said, “Open the door. I know who is knocking. It is my donkey. In this wide world he is my only friend.”
Everyone protested, “Where is the donkey going to stand?” The man said, “A poor man's hut is always spacious. Right now we are sitting; when the donkey comes in we will all stand.”
And so it was.
- Adapted from a Sufi tale by Osho
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