The Inspiring Parable Of The Odorless Flowers

The parable of the odorless flowers tells the story of an old samurai, a very wise man who was respected by all. The old man always held meetings in his house to pass on his teachings to the younger generations, who listened to him with great interest and attention. This time they would learn a great lesson about anger.

Its fame spread through all the nearby regions and people began to arrive from far and wide. The elder samurai spoke mainly about the importance of detachment and the importance of knowing how to eradicate the selfish emotions in us.

His most faithful disciple was a young man named Alino. He wanted to learn everything there was to learn from the teacher, so he went to the meetings every day at all costs. He also made tea for everyone and they all considered him very helpful. The samurai liked him because he was so humble and so interested in other people. He would be the main character who would learn the important lesson of the parable of the odorless flowers .

Anger and the Parable of the Fragrant Flowers

One day, during one of the meetings, one of the attendees spilled his tea on another participant’s clothes. The latter did not hesitate for a moment. He reacted immediately and aggressively pushed the one who had spilled the tea. “What’s wrong with you? You are so clumsy!” he said. He told him that his clothes were made of Chinese silk and that they were now completely ruined.

The old samurai remained unmoved. He went on as if nothing had happened. Some in attendance whispered softly. It seemed unheard of for the teacher to allow such an argument in his own home. Most of them felt that he should intervene and reprimand the man for his arrogance.

Alino was confused. When the meeting was over, he couldn’t stand it any longer, and he asked his teacher. “Why do you allow this injustice, knowing that only one word from you would have put that proud man in his place? Why didn’t you evict him from your house?”

The teacher just laughed. “There are flowers that have no scent and that don’t belong in our garden,” he replied to Alino. This answer greatly confused Alino. He did not understand the teacher’s message. The old samurai added: “Anger is an odorless flower that grows only in gardens where there is no freedom.” This was the first lesson of the parable of the odorless flowers.

The aggressive man returns

A few weeks after the incident, something that no one could have expected happened. The aggressive man returned to the master’s house, but from the moment he entered he was very hostile to everyone. He pushed through the crowd. He almost screamed, ignoring the fact that the teacher was speaking.

Suddenly he did something that surprised everyone. He got up, went to the teacher and spat in his face without saying a word. The teacher was silent. Everyone was shocked. At first no one responded, but soon several angry voices were heard.

Alino kept watch. He picked up one of the sabers that were in the house. He said to the old samurai, “Allow me, master, to teach this man the lesson he deserves!” The teacher remained unmoved and simply raised his hand to signal that he should do nothing. It seemed that Alino still hadn’t understood the parable of the odorless flowers.

An unexpected ending

The teacher asked for calm. He remained perfectly calm. The aggressive man was ready to attack. The thought of defying the most famous man in the entire region brought a contented grin on his face. Suddenly the old samurai broke the silence. He looked straight at the man who had spat at him and said, “Thank you.”

No one could believe his ears. Alino didn’t know what to think. He said to the wise man, “What the hell are you saying, teacher? How can you thank this villain? He has come to your house twice now to insult and disgrace you!”

The teacher calmly addressed the aggressive man and said, “Thanks to your gesture, I have been able to confirm that the anger has disappeared from my heart. I don’t have to pay you back for this. I don’t let the odorless flowers grow in my garden.” Alino was ashamed.

The teacher had spent months teaching him to put aside his ego and avoid passions like anger. People who offend, who are aggressive, negative and critical are like flowers without fragrance. The only sensible answer is to ignore them and not allow them to destroy our indoor garden. That is the inspiring teaching of the parable of the odorless flowers, and now it is up to us to apply it to our lives.