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	<title>javadis.com &#187; teaching stories</title>
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	<description>Javadi Present Some More Controversial Ideas</description>
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		<title>The camel and the eye of the needle</title>
		<link>http://javadis.com/the-camel-and-the-eye-of-the-needle/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:16:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Javadi</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Perhaps, you, like me, have been puzzled by many of the parables (teaching stories) of Jesus. One such parable is a single sentence statement:
&#34;It is more difficult for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.&#34;
This makes no sense if taken literally [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Perhaps, you, like me, have been puzzled by many of the parables (teaching stories) of Jesus. One such parable is a single sentence statement:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>&quot;It is more difficult for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.&quot;</strong></p>
<p>This makes no sense if taken literally for surely some rich people could be enlightened (enter the kingdom of heaven) and yet it is impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.</p>
<p>Many years ago I had heard the explanation that the eye of the needle was a small gate in Jerusalem and it was very difficult for a camel to pass through this gate (but not impossible). I was reading a book by Neville called <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875160786?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=drj-vre1-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0875160786" >Your Faith Is Your Fortune</a> <img style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=drj-vre1-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0875160786" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> and it starts from this point but has a much better explanation.</p>
<p>Neville writes that in order for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle all the baggage had to be removed first. In the same way I was thinking that in order to learn something new, in order to be enlightened you have to empty yourself of all your preconceptions and as Jesus said be like a child.</p>
<p>I wrote about this need to rid yourself of prejudice (prejudgments and preconceptions) in my <a href="http://www.nasrudin-stories.com/" >teaching story blog: Nasrudin Stories</a> &#8211; it is called<a href="http://www.nasrudin-stories.com/zen-tea-ceremony/" >A Zen tea ceremony</a>.
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