Master Tells Joke

The River Is Not Deep

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Orlando Center, Florida

October 2, 1999 (Originally in Chinese)

Once a motorcyclist wanted to cross a river, but found that the bridge was out. He consulted a little boy nearby, asking, "Is the river deep?" The child replied, "No, it's not very deep. You can cross it on your motorcycle without any problem." The man rode into the river. But halfway across, he found that the water had risen up to his throat. He was almost drowning. He yelled at the boy, "Is this a joke? You are trying to kill me. Why did you say that it is not deep? It is at least a hundred meters deep. If I go further, I will surely drown!" The little boy scratched his head and said innocently, "Strange! Yesterday, I saw the ducks swimming in the river, and the water was only up to their shoulders!"