This book was the result of enormous work on the study of one of the most wonderful traditions of humanity - the tradition of transmitting spiritual knowledge in parables. Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and many other religious teachings and philosophies over the centuries of their existence have accumulated wonderful figurative comparisons, teachings, allegorical stories that made up the content of this book. This publication is supplemented by introductory articles to sections and a thematic index. The book is addressed to everyone interested in issues of world culture, philosophy, ethics and pedagogy, as well as to a wide range of readers. Introductory articles to the sections “Hindu tradition”, “Buddhist tradition”, “Taoist tradition” ", "Zen Buddhist Tradition", "Judaic Tradition", "Christian Tradition", "Sufi Tradition" prepared by V. V. Lavsky; preface, thematic index, introductory articles to the sections “Stories about Mulla Nasreddin”, “Parables from the Teaching of Living Ethics” - S. V. Makhotina.