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| The Story Of The Artists |
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A small group of Chinese and Greek
artists quarreled before a certain Sultan Shoeb, as to which group has
superior artistic abilities. The Chinese insisted that their skills
were greater, and the Greeks claimed that they had mastered art.
To settle the dispute, the Sultan decided to put them both to the
test. On the top of a hill near the palace, stood two empty houses.
The Sultan assigned each group a house to paint. The Chinese asked the
Sultan for a hundred colors, while the Greeks, said they did not need
any colors.
After the Chinese finished their work, they beat drums and danced in
celebration. They invited the Sultan to judge their house. He was
extremely impressed, as they had colored their house elaborately with
every color imaginable.The Greeks used no colors at all. They
cleaned the walls of their house till they were clear and bright. The
Sultan was amazed to see the colors of the Chinese house reflected on
the walls of the Greek house covering a wide variety of shades and
hues.
Note: The Greek artists refer to people with polished hearts;
without greed and hatred. The polished walls refer to a pure heart;
like a mirror. A mirror absorbs infinite images, as it did the
colorful Chinese house. This story was originally told by the sufi,
Rumi.
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