Once, when returning from a pilgrimage, a man bought a solid gold statue of Buddha from a merchant in a Bazaar. Even as he was handing over the money for it, the man suspected – against the vendor’s most passionate assurances to the contrary – that the Buddha was completely hollow. By the time he had returned home from his long journey, the pilgrim was so convinced that he had been swindled that he dared not show any of friends or relatives what he had spent his money on. Instead, one evening, he secretly took a fine-tooth saw to the Buddha and cut it into two halves. Much to his horror, the Buddha was solid gold.
Postscript
The shock and guilt felt by the pilgrim upon discovering what he mistakenly thought that he had hoped for soon manifested itself in sickness. The guilt-ridden man became so ill that all who knew him feared for his life. Even the local doctor recommended that the family finalise the man’s affairs. To this end, they sent for the local priest, Iam. The saint prayed over the man before whispering in his ear the following: ‘Density is a relation of weight and volume. Next time, place the object in a bucket of water and calculate the volume by the amount of water that is displaced. Then weigh the object and, in comparing it to an object that you know is gold, you can more easily quiet your suspicions.’
With these words, Saint Iam made her leave, and soon thereafter the man recovered.
