Zen Stories
Zen Stories or Koans are short tales designed to provoke the mind into enlightenment.
Amongst the oldest stories told by man, Zen Stories are used as tools to open the mind into new ways of thinking. Ways of thinking that often do not follow what we would call rational thought. This goes to the heart of Zen. By moving yourself outside of what you would call normal or rational, you can see the world and yourself from a new perspective, thereby acheiving satori, or enlightenment, in the process.
While Zen Stories often seem surreal and absurd at first glance, give them more thought and you'll find meaning relevant to much of your everyday life, even if you don't find enlightenment straight away.