Long ago, a large tribe of eighty thousand monkeys lived in a forest, led by a very wise King. He was huge, and he was famous for his large heart and immense wisdom. It was known that he was the Enlightened Being.
He instructed his subjects on all matters which he thought would be of help to them and would protect them. One day he said, “My friends, not all the fruits in the forest are healthy. Some could be poisonous and dangerous. Please check carefully and before you eat or drink anything new, ask me.” The monkeys, understanding the King’s concern for them, agreed.
One day, while searching for their food, the monkeys came across a calm and beautiful pond, surrounded by tall bamboos. They were thirsty, so they decided to stop for a drink. Then one monkey shouted, “Stop! Don’t you remember what the King said?”
So all the monkeys sat down and waited patiently for the King. When the King reached there, he walked up to the pond. He went close and walked around it, staring intently at the ground.
After a little while, he returned to where the monkeys sat waiting. He said, “Friends, I find that there are footsteps going in, but there are no footsteps coming away from the pond. Do not go near it. I think there is a Water-demon who grabs all who go to drink. That is why there are no footsteps coming away from it.” The monkeys were too tired for more travel, so they sat down quietly.
In a little while, they saw a horrible monster rising out of the pond. It was the demon, with a white face, a huge blue belly, green eyes, red claws and teeth. It was the Water-demon! “Why are you not drinking the water?” he thundered, adding, “You are thirsty and must drink the water. Then I’ll get you!” and he returned into the pond to wait.
The thirsty monkeys looked at their King who looked at the bamboos. A bamboo has knots on it and, therefore, it is not hollow all through. The King, being Bodhisatta (Enlightened Being), took one bamboo and inserted a stick into it. It lost its knots and became hollow, so he used it to drink water from the pond, standing far away. As he drank, a miracle happened. All the bamboos lost their knots and the monkeys could drink water using them! Their great King had taught them the wisdom of testing the waters before jumping into them.
