Listening To Hearsay
(Originally In Chinese)
Once a man bought a big birthday cake as
an offering to a monk. Of course, the cake
was cut into pieces and everyone ate it together.
As a result, from that day on, many people
came by, saying that they were the friends of
the friends of that person who had offered
the cake. So they said.
When that monk heard about it, he allowed the
people to eat and stay there, et ceteria. That was
what they had longed for - for food and lodging on
the pretext of the cake. It was all right, and the
monk served them. Just for this present, many
people kept coming. One day that monk couldn't bear
it anymore. The one hundred and first person came,
also saying he was the friend of a friend of the person
who presented the cake. He got a cup of water, put it
by his side, took out some flour, and said to the one
hundred and first one who came, "These are the
ingredients of the ingredients of that cake."
