A long time ago, in T'ang China, there was an old monk who embarked on a pilgrimage
to Mount Wu-t'ai, the abode of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom.
Aged
and weak, he was treading the long dusty road alone, seeking alms along
the way. After many long months, one morning he gazed upward and saw the
majestic mountain in the distance. By the roadside, there was an old woman
working the field.
"Please tell me," he asked, "how much longer I must
proceed before reaching Mount Wu-t'ai?"
The woman just looked at him, uttered
a guttural sound and returned to her hoeing.
He repeated the question a
second and third time, but still there was no answer.
Thinking that the woman must be deaf, he decided to push on. After he
had taken a few dozen steps, he heard the woman call out to him,
"Two more
days, it will take you two more days."
Somewhat annoyed, the monk responded,
"I thought you were deaf. Why didn't you answer my question earlier?…