One day Yao-shan Wei-yen (750-834), one of the well-known Chinese Ch'an master, was asked by the host of the monastery to give his sermon to the assembly who for a long while was expecting his teaching. Yao-shan said: "Strike the bell."
For thousands of years, stories - inspiring, odd, humorous, off-centered - have awakened people's senses to their surrounding and within themselves. Here are a few for you to ponder.