Listening To Hearsay       Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, March 27,                1996 Cambodia (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." Similarly most             people of this world only listen to hearsay.             They think they have religious beliefs, and             that they are enlightened.