The Monk Who Left His Body Behind

King Fine-Chariot welcomed scholars, travellers and holy people to his court. He enjoyed hearing about distant places, but he did not believe every marvellous tale.

One day, a wandering monk arrived. “Each night,” the monk announced, “I leave my body resting in a locked room while my spirit visits heaven. At dawn I return with messages for the king.”

The courtiers gasped. The monk’s stories were grand and flattering. Soon he was given rich meals, soft cushions and gifts.

Only the king’s counsellor, Strong, remained uncertain. “A remarkable claim should be tested with care,” he said. “If it is true, a fair test will not harm it.”

The monk agreed to prove his power. He entered a small garden room and closed the door. Strong placed a soft clay seal across the door latch and stretched a fine cotton thread around the windows. The king’s guards watched from a distance. No one touched the room.

All night the court waited. No spirit appeared with a message. No sound came from inside.

At dawn, the monk called, “Open the door! I have returned from heaven.”

Strong examined the seal. It had not moved. The thread around the windows was unbroken.

“If your spirit left while your body remained behind,” Strong asked, “why must the door be opened for you to come out?”

The monk had no answer. At last, hunger and discomfort overcame his pride. He pushed the door, breaking the clay seal, and stepped into the morning light.

The king did not shout. “Wisdom does not need a false miracle,” he said. “Tell us what truly happened.”

The monk admitted that he had invented the journeys so people would admire and reward him.

King Fine-Chariot took back the costly gifts, but he gave the monk food for his road. “Go honestly,” he said. “If you have real knowledge, share it without pretending.”

The monk bowed and left, ashamed but unharmed. The courtiers remembered Strong’s quiet test. From then on, when someone made an astonishing claim, they listened respectfully, asked sensible questions and looked for clear evidence.