A Flock of Fools

One hundred stories from the most humorous sutra in Buddhist literature offer numerous lessons for students, teachers, and spiritual seekers, each poking fun at basic human appetites, delusions, and foibles. Original.

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One hundred illuminating tales of the foibles and follies of everyday fools, this elegant, humorous, and masterful little book of wisdom is a welcome addition to the Buddhist canon "The One Hundred Parable Sutra" is known as the most humorous sutra in all of Buddhist literature. Here, Kazuaki Tanahashi, the celebrated translator, calligrapher, and Dogen scholar, and Peter Levitt, an award-winning poet, storyteller, and Zen practitioner, have translated and retold these jewel-like parables with storytelling panache for students, teachers, and seekers everywhere. With appropriate commentary, each tale becomes a simple lesson for everyday living. From the potter who seeks fame to the woman who possesses great lust, these tales are told with a gentle clarity that magnifies our appetites and delusions. In doing so, they become an accurate mirror of the human condition. A Flock of Fools is a perfect little book of wisdom, laughter, and compassion. Beautifully designed for gift giving, this handsome volume is illustrated with seventeen original brushwork drawings by Tanahashi, one of the world's most renowned calligraphers.