Tumushido, A Beautiful Folk Tale From The Orient
This beautiful folk tale from the East is divided into two parts. Each delivers its own teaching, but there is only one protagonist: the master Tumushido. A very wise old man who lived thousands of years ago and whose lessons are etched in collective memory.
The first part of the story says that an imposing samurai lived in a distant village. He was an extremely fierce warrior, known for his irascibility. He did not tolerate being contradicted and had an exaggerated pride.
The samurai reacted with such ferocity and agility that everyone feared him. If anyone upset him, he immediately pulled out his sword and the person in front got scared. This warrior went on a journey. He passed through a small village in which all the inhabitants seemed in a hurry. They were all heading to the same place.
Master Tumushido
Puzzled by the situation, the samurai stopped one of the running men. He asked her what was going on. The man told him that they were all headed for Master Tumushido’s house. The samurai was puzzled.
“Who is Master Tumushido?” He then asked. The man was surprised at the question. He couldn’t believe the samurai knew nothing about the master. “He is the wisest of masters. Every evening, at this hour, he gives us his teachings. And all the people of the village will listen to it ”.
The samurai was wondering. He had never heard of Master Tumushido. But he was obviously a person everyone respected. His pride and pride were stung to the quick. He didn’t tolerate the fact that someone could be superior to him.
The meeting with the master
The samurai could no longer hold out. He had to listen to Master Tumushido to see if he deserved that reputation. So he went to the place where the villagers had gone. When he arrived, the master was saying that the word was the most powerful force on Earth.
The samurai shouted at him angrily: “You are a complete idiot! The greatest strength in the world is that of the sword, ignorant man! ”. Master Tumushido then rose from his chair and shouted in his turn: “How can you say such a thing! You are just a stupid man! You can see for miles around all the ignorance you drag behind you! ”.
Hearing this, the samurai got angry. He jumped up from where he was, sword in hand, grabbed the master and threatened to cut his throat. So Tumushido started begging him to spare her. “Do not kill me, valiant samurai. Forgive my offense. I have discovered that your sword is the most powerful thing there is ”. The warrior therefore calmed down. “I’ll spare you. You are a good man, ”he said.
Master Tumushido then stood up and said: “The word is the most powerful force there is. Did you see how I was able to dominate you thanks to him? I wanted you to attack me and you did. Then I wanted you to calm down and you also obeyed me ”.
The second samurai
When a second samurai heard this story, he was overcome with curiosity. He wanted to know this wise man and show him that he could not be dominated by the force of words. So he left in the direction of the village. He was convinced he could prove that Tumushido was just an impostor.
When he arrived at the village, Master Tumushido was in the middle of the square. He was talking to a group of people who were listening to him. The second samurai mingled with the crowd. When no one expected it, he screamed and scared everyone. “ I challenge you, old impostor! If you are as wise and powerful as you say you are, you will be able to fight against me and triumph! ”. The master looked at him for a moment. He then nodded to say he accepted the challenge.
All the villagers stood in a circle and surrounded the second samurai as well as master Tumushido. The latter closed his eyes and sat down, with a submissive attitude. The warrior thought he had succeeded in intimidating him and wanted to provoke him. He started shouting at her the worst insults he knew. But the master did not react. This went on for hours, until the samurai gave up. He ends up leaving, saying the old man was just an impostor.
When the second samurai left, the villagers were taken aback. “How could you let yourself be insulted like that, without reacting?” They asked the old man. “ If someone gives you a gift and you refuse it, who owns the gift?” Asked Master Tumushido. “To him who wanted to offer it,” replied a young man. “The same goes for anger, insults and hatred. When they are not accepted, they continue to belong to the one who carries them in his heart ”, replied the master.
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