alexb
Member
A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes
to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you
think I could stay the night?" The monks graciously accept him, feed him
dinner,and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a
strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but
they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."
The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry
way.
Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery.
The monks accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the
same strange noise that he had heard years earlier. The next morning, he
asks what it is, but the monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a
monk." The man says, "All right, all right. I'm *dying* to know. If the
only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I
become a monk?"
The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of
grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these
numbers, you will become a monk."
The man sets about his task. Forty-five years later, he returns and
knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, "I have travelled the earth
and have found what you have asked for. There are 145,236,284,232 blades
of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth."
The monks reply, "Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show
you the way to the sound."
The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says,
"The sound is right behind that door." The man reaches for the knob, but
the door is locked. He says, "Real funny. May I have the key?" The monks
give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another
door made of stone. The man demands the key to the stone door. The monks
give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He
demands another key from the monks, who provide it.
Behind that door is *another* door, this one made of sapphire. So it went
until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz,
amethyst...
Finally, the monks say, "This is the last key to the last door."The man is
relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that
door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
But can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.
to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you
think I could stay the night?" The monks graciously accept him, feed him
dinner,and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a
strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but
they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."
The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry
way.
Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery.
The monks accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the
same strange noise that he had heard years earlier. The next morning, he
asks what it is, but the monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a
monk." The man says, "All right, all right. I'm *dying* to know. If the
only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I
become a monk?"
The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of
grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these
numbers, you will become a monk."
The man sets about his task. Forty-five years later, he returns and
knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, "I have travelled the earth
and have found what you have asked for. There are 145,236,284,232 blades
of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth."
The monks reply, "Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show
you the way to the sound."
The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says,
"The sound is right behind that door." The man reaches for the knob, but
the door is locked. He says, "Real funny. May I have the key?" The monks
give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another
door made of stone. The man demands the key to the stone door. The monks
give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He
demands another key from the monks, who provide it.
Behind that door is *another* door, this one made of sapphire. So it went
until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz,
amethyst...
Finally, the monks say, "This is the last key to the last door."The man is
relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that
door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
But can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.
