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."

如 是 我闻

　有一个人他拿一个大的生日蛋糕送给一个和尚，供养

他，然后蛋糕被分成好几块，大家一起吃完了。结果从

那天以后，很多人一直来说他就是送蛋糕的那个人的

朋友的朋友的朋友，和尚听说这样子，当然就会给他吃、

住，因为那个人等待吃、住的东西，为了这个蛋糕的关系，

那和尚也是招待他。

　好多人都这样一直来，一天到晚都来，大概一百零一个

来的，也讲是那个蛋糕的朋友的朋友的朋友的，和尚

受不了了，他就拿一杯水放在旁边，然后拿面粉放在那里，

他说：「这个就是蛋糕的有关的材料的材料的材料。」