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Short Stories By
Paulo Coelho
Nine spiritual stories from this beloved author
that will make you reflect on what is important
in life.

SpiritualGrowthEvents.com
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Table of Contents

1. Life Story And Biography

2. Paying Double For Camels

3. Beggar And The Guru

4. Trying To Cheat Destiny

5. The Older Sister's Question

6. Too Shy To Dance

7. The Best Warrior

8. Which Way Is Best

9. Forgiving Your Stories

10. Get Free Spiritual Events In Your Email Inbox

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Life Story And Biography

​Paulo Coelho, Best-Selling Author And Spiritual Teacher

Paulo Coelho Life Story Overview

Paulo Coelho is amongst the most well-known and successful authors
today, having sold more than 100 million books in more than 150 nations
all over the world. His books are some of the most translated in the field
with his work being available in numerous languages. He has won a
Guinness World Record for having the most translated books.

Coelho's Early Life

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. When he was 38 years, he
traveled to Spain where he had a spiritual awakening that led him to author
his first book called the Pilgrimage. However, he did not become famous
until he wrote his second book the Alchemist. The book sold about 35
million copies and became one of the most sold books in the recent times.

He attended Jesuit School and his dreams to become a writer began then.
He was an introvert and had an artistic side. His parents reacted to this by
sending him to the asylum and agreeing to shock therapy for the author.

Although he started studying law, he dropped out to travel. He acted in

theater, worked as a journalist and even founded a magazine in 2001. He
has also written the lyrics to a rock song and created a comic strip.

Personal Life
Paulo Coelho got married Christina Oiticica, a fellow artist in 1980. They
now live in Geneva. He started the Paulo Coelho Institute in 1996 to support
the elderly and children. He still writes books each two years. He is a
Catholic and goes to Mass often. He has gone to prison three times and
been tortured for his political activism.

Most Famous Work

Pilgrimage

It was his first book after he changed his life. He visited Spain and had a
spiritual awakening that led him to write the book. It is an account of the
journey in his mother tongue. He stopped working after writing this book
and dedicated his time to writing.

The Alchemist

It is his most famous book. He wrote the book in 1987 and is about a
shepherd boy who follows a mystical journey in a bid to gain the desires of
his heart.
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Paying Double For Camels

A camel dealer reached a village to sell fine animals at a very good price.
Everyone bought one, except Mr. Hoosep.

Some time later, the village received a visit from another dealer, with
excellent camels, but they were much more expensive. This time, Hoosep
bought some animals.

"You did not buy the camels when they were almost for free, and now you
pay almost double," criticized his friends.

"Those cheap ones were very expensive for me, because at that time I had
very little money," answered Hoosep, "these animals might seem more
expensive, but for me they are cheap, because I have more than enough to
buy them."
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Beggar And The Guru

A baker wanted to get to know a great guru in his town a little better, so he
invited him to dinner. The day before, the guru went to the bakery disguised
as a beggar, picked a bread roll off the display and began to eat it. The
baker saw this and tossed him out into the street.

The following day, the guru and a disciple went to the baker's house and
were treated to a splendid banquet.

In the middle of the meal, the disciple asked, How does one tell a good man
from a bad man?

Just look at this baker. He is capable of spending ten gold pieces on a

banquet because I am famous, but is incapable of giving a piece of bread
to feed a hungry beggar.
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Trying To Cheat Destiny

On his way to Galicia during the religious wars that ended with the Spanish
expelling the Arabs from the Iberian peninsula, the Emperor Charlemagne's
troops face a traitor.

Before the battle, he prayed to Santiago, who revealed to him the names of
140 soldiers who would die in the fight.

Charlemagne left these men in the camp, and went to fight.

Later that afternoon, victorious and without a single casualty in his army, he
returned to discover that the camp had been set on fire and 140 men were
dead.
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The Older Sister's Question

When her brother was born, Sa-chi Gabriel begged her parents to leave her
alone with the baby. They refused, fearing that, as with many four-year-
olds, she was jealous and wanted to mistreat him.

But Sa-chi showed no signs of jealousy. And since she was always extremely
affectionate towards her little brother, her parents decided to carry out an
experiment.

They left Sa-chi alone with their new-born baby, but kept the bedroom door
ajar so that they could watch what she did.

Delighted to have her wish granted, little Sa-chi tiptoed over to the cradle,
leaned over the baby and said:

"Little brother, tell me what God is like. I'm beginning to forget."

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Too Shy To Dance

When I was an adolescent I envied the great ballerinos among the kids on
the block, and pretended I had other things to do at parties -- like having a
conversation. But in fact I was terrified of looking ridiculous, and because of
that I would not risk a single step.

Until one day a girl called Marcia called out to me in front of everybody:
Come on!

I said I did not like to dance, but she insisted.

Everyone in the group was looking, and because I was in love (love is
capable of so many things!), I could refuse no further.

I did not know how to follow the steps, but Marcia did not stop; she went on
dancing as if I were a Rudolf Nureyev.

Forget the others and pay attention to the bass, she whispered in my ear.
Try to follow its rhythm.

At that moment I understood that we do not always have to learn the most
important things; they are already part of our nature.

When we become adults, and when we grow old, we need to go on dancing.

The rhythm changes, but music is part of life, and dancing is the
consequence of letting this rhythm come inside us.

I still dance whenever I can. With dancing, the spiritual world and the real
world manage to co-exist without any conflicts.

As somebody once said, the classic ballerinas are always on tiptoe because
they are at the same time touching the earth and reaching the sky.
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The Best Warrior

The Ninja warriors go to the field where some wheat has just been planted.
Obeying the trainer's command, they jump over the places where the seeds
were sown.

Every day the Ninja warriors return to the field. The seeds turn into buds,
and the warriors jump over them. The buds turn into small plants, and the
warriors jump over them.

They do not become bored. They do not feel it is a waste of time.

The wheat grows, and the jumps become higher and higher. In this way,
when the plant is ripe, the Ninja warriors still manage to jump over it.

Why? As a result of their jumping over what many may have seen as
insignificant, has allowed them to be keenly aware of their obstacles.
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Which Way Is Best

When they asked Abbot Antonio if the path of sacrifice led to Heaven, he
answered:

- There are two paths of sacrifice. The first is taken by the man who
mortifies the flesh and pays penance because he believes that we are
condemned. The man who follows this path feels guilty and judges himself
unworthy of living happily.

- The second path is taken by the man who, even though he knows that the
world is not as perfect as we would like, prays, does penance and offers up
his time and toil to improve the world around him. So he understands that
the word sacrifice comes from sacro ofício, holy work. In this case the Divine
Presence helps him all the time and he obtains results in Heaven.
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Forgiving Your Stories

The abbot asked his favorite pupil how his spiritual progress was coming
along. The pupil answered that he was managing to dedicate to God each
and every moment of the day.

"Then all that's left now is to forgive your enemies."

The young man was shocked:

"But I'm not angry at my enemies!"

"Do you think God is angry at you?"

"Of course not!"

"And even so you ask Him to forgive you, don't you? Do the same with your
enemies, even though you don't feel hatred for them. Those who practice
forgiveness wash and perfume their own hearts."
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