In the life of everyone there come moments when you want to reflect on the meaning of your existence, the importance of relationships with people and the main human values. Then short allegorical stories come to the aid, in which a certain moralizing is concluded. They are very close to fables. According to V. Dahl, such an example teaching is a special literary genre of the epos - a parable. On the topic of "conscience" there are a huge number of stories, but in this article we will talk about the most common and significant of them.
Vedic parable
The most ancient is the Indo-Aryan (Vedic) civilization, which left the Vedas as a legacy, which in Sanskrit translates as "wisdom." If we consider this culture as the fundamental basis for the existence of society, it is logical to start with a short story, "Voice of conscience." The parable refers to the Vedic and lays the understanding of the term "conscience."
Content
Once, in search of Truth, a traveler reached a hermit who, according to the majority, knew God. He asked to reveal a secret to him. The hermit replied quite simply: "In all of us there is a higher" I ". If it is awakened, then we show mercy to everything." The traveler was perplexed, wondering, why then on earth so much hatred and violence? How can God allow this? “A man and the Lord are interconnected by inner consciousness, ” said the sage, “if you hear the voice of Conscience, then you live like a god, and if you cut it off, then you go against his will. Disrupt order and harmony in the world.”
The Seeker of Truth pondered: “It turns out that the one who took another life does not have a message communicated by God? Is this message a Conscience?” The sage confirmed the idea of a traveler who continued to search for an answer to the question that tormented him: "But how did people manage to lose their Conscience?"
The hermit’s response was not long in coming: the Higher Self is easily drowned out of contact with God. Alcohol, tobacco and dead food contribute to this. But repentance, fasting and prayer, communion with the saints will help return the voice of Conscience. Unfortunately, another no way."
Buddhist parable
You can often find parables about conscience and remorse that go together hand in hand. If a person violates God's message, this does not mean that he does not experience moral torment. In religious and philosophical doctrine, which arose in India long before the new era, both concepts are key. The Buddhist parable of conscience is based on the theory that every living being has more than one life. Each time it degenerates into a new one, depending on how, for example, a person behaved in the previous one.
Allegory Content
Somehow a wolf and a deer met on a forest path. And they began to argue. The deer tried to convince the predator that it spoils its karma by eating living beings. The deer itself eats grass, and such a virtuous life will lead him to the pinnacle of bliss. At the same time, the artiodactyl animal did not realize that, together with the grass, it absorbs small insects and does not feel remorse. After death, a bad rebirth awaited him.
The wolf acted out of natural necessity and at the same time always worried about what he had done. It was he who found himself at the pinnacle of bliss.
Parable of conscience for children
Allegorical stories carry an important educational aspect, so you need to choose the one that is suitable for children. It will be not only interesting and informative, but also make you think, commit deliberate actions. The proposed parable of conscience fully complies with these requirements.
The teacher once addressed his students: "I am poor, old and weak. I have been teaching you for many years, so you must find the means by which I can live."
The students were puzzled, because they understood that it was impossible to wait for help from the residents of the city, those were too stingy. But the teacher continued: "I do not urge to ask, you just need to go and get it!" - "How? Steal, become thieves?" “Is it really a sin? And doesn't your teacher deserve a better life?” - "But they will catch us!" - "And you make sure that no one sees."
Everyone began to dazzle and began to discuss the possibilities of raising money. And then a young man, standing on the sidelines and not taking part in the conversation, suddenly said loudly: "Forgive me, teacher! But what you ask cannot be fulfilled!" “Why?” “There is no place on Earth where no one sees us. Even if no one is around, I myself am the one who sees everything. And it’s better to walk the world with a beggarly bag than watch me steal from people.”.
From the words spoken, the teacher's face shone. He walked over and hugged his student tightly.
An example of a short and very wise parable
Everyone knows that conscience eats a person. She does not give him rest if he committed an unrighteous act. Is she really needed?
The man was advised to look inside himself. Following the advice, he was horrified. Inside was a pile of rubbish. “Rake it!” A voice said. The man was surprised: "For what?" - "What if conscience is found?" - answered him. "And what do you command me to do with her?" - the man exclaimed in surprise.
How was conscience born?
It is curious that there is allegory in this regard. It is fully published in the book of A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala." And we will give a brief summary of it.
It happened in the distant past. Conscience appeared in the silence of the night. At this time, all living things begin to reflect after daytime life and noise. Conscience was beautiful: her eyes reflected the fire of distant constellations, and her face was decorated with moonlight. She immediately went to the people, but during the day everyone dismissed her, referring to affairs. But at night, Conscience freely entered any house and touched the hand of the sleeping man. He instantly opened his eyes and asked:
“Conscience, what do you need?”
“What day did you do wrong?”
“Nothing like that!”
- And if you think about it?
Conscience did not listen to the answer, but moved on, but the person could no longer fall asleep, tossing and turning from side to side and recalling all his daytime events. Soon, all the people of the province began to suffer from insomnia and turned to the wise Li-Han-Dzu for advice. They considered him such, because he had more than all the land and money. But he himself suffered from the visits of Conscience and was already considering whether to give him all his wealth to the poor?
Then people rushed to A-Pu-O, who lives in Nanjing. Everyone knew that even the Chinese rulers used his wise advice. He listened to people exhausted by insomnia and said:
“Conscience will stop coming when you don’t have to think about what you did wrong during the day.” To do this, write the laws on the scrolls and act strictly in accordance with them. Mandarins will learn the text by heart, and the rest of the people will turn to them with questions about what needs to be done in a particular case. Conscience will ask: "What day have you done wrong?" - and the person’s answer is ready: "Everything is strictly according to the scrolls."
The end of the parable
People began to live by the laws and generously pay tangerines for advice from scrolls. Conscience did not bother them anymore. Only the poor now suffered from insomnia, for there was nothing for them to thank the tangerines.
Then Conscience decided to visit A-Pu-O himself. But he only cried out in the night:
“Why did you come, thief?” The law says: if at night someone enters the house without demand, then he is a thief. And you are a lecher, for she appeared to an outside man.
But Conscience denied that it was for the purpose of theft and is chaste.
“But then you simply do not obey the laws, and this is also punishable by prison.” Hey, servants! Put the pads on her and put her in prison.
So now people live, without Conscience, but according to the laws of A-Pu-O and tangerines. As it was in the distant past. And what is it, everyone decides for himself, as soon as darkness descends to the earth and all living things are left in thought.
On the conscience of the scoundrel and the righteous
Examples of the conscience of a righteous and vile person can also be found in the parable. We will present it in a somewhat abridged version.
Met the conscience of a scoundrel her friend. That was lucky to live with the righteous. Asks her friend:
- How is it going?
- This is not life, just tormented! There is absolutely no shame in my man. Insensitive. And he does not need anyone, except himself, his beloved.
“Have you tried to reach out to his heart?”
- Yes, so many times he put moral books in him and introduced them to good people, and he only develops his vanity. I am ashamed to hear constantly: "I completely lost Conscience!"
“Fine, I came up with something here, ” said a friend.
They whispered to each other, and the next morning the scoundrel woke up, as always, not in the mood and thought: "Well, how am I already tired of my wife for so many years!" “That's how it is!” The wife exclaimed. “And what are you bothering me with?”
“Did I say something out loud?” How did this old woman guess what I was thinking?
- Who is the old woman?
The scoundrel was taken aback, his head ached in earnest, and he decided to take time off from work. I called my boss:
- Good morning! he began in an oil-colored voice, and thought to himself: “Old goat! When they’re already retiring!”
- What do you allow yourself? - shouted the chief on the other end of the wire. “If I'm a goat, then you're … fired!”
How the scoundrel became different
Only at the end of the day, the Scoundrel realized that his thoughts incredibly became known to his interlocutors. Everyone who previously had no idea about his dark side of the soul turned away from him. Now, in response, he heard only one thing: "Where is your conscience?" In complete despair, he realized that he needed to learn how to think differently, but did not know how. And at that very instant there was a quiet voice:
“I am your conscience, I am here.” You have never heard me before, because your heart did not know what real pain is. Knowing her, you became able to hear my voice.
- Tell me, how can I learn to live a new life, in good conscience?
- Wish the people only good! When you feel on yourself what you previously wanted others, you will change yourself.
An outcast scoundrel knew humiliation, human insidiousness and loss. He again had to learn to feel sorry and compassion, to help and give. Unnoticed, he turned into a friendly, patient and righteous person. Thus ends the parable of conscience.
