The Duckling

A page from The Song of the Bird, a collection of stories that are Buddhist, Christian, Zen, Hasidic, Russian, Chinese, Hindu, Sufi; both ancient and contemporary; compiled by the late Father Anthony de Mello, S.J. The book was a parting gift from my first GP teacher.


The Sufi saint, Shams-e Tabrizi tells the following story about himself:

I have been considered a misfit since my childhood days. No one seemed to understand me. My own father once said to me, "You are not crazy enough to be put in a madhouse, and not withdrawn enough to be put in a monastery. What shall I do with you?"

I replied, "A duck's egg was put under a hen. When the egg hatched the duckling walked with the hen to the edge of a pool and went straight into the water. The poor hen stayed anxiously clucking on land. Now, dear father, I have walked into the Ocean and find in it my home. Am I to blame if you choose to stay on shore?"