One student sat all day long at the feet of a Sufi master and wrote down on paper everything his teacher said.
He was completely absorbed in his occupation, so he had absolutely no time to earn money for food.
One day, when he came home for dinner, his mother placed a pot covered with a scarf in front of him. He picked up the handkerchief, tied it around his neck and saw that the pot was full of paper and feathers for writing.
“Since this is what you do all day,” said the mother, “try to eat this.”
So the student had to go to bed on an empty stomach. The student’s mother’s words upset the student. He decided to quit teaching and find a job. But the next morning, having changed his mind about doing this, he went to his teacher as usual. After a few minutes of work, he discovered that the pen did not write well.
“Don’t be upset,” said the teacher, “go to that corner over there, find a box of feathers there, bring it here and put it in front of you.”
When the student sat down and opened the box, he saw not feathers... but tasty and hot food.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru