The Demo Site

A man is driving down the road and breaks down near

a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the

door, and says, My car broke down. Do you think I





could stay the night?











the monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner,





even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep,





he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks





the monks what the sound was, but they say, We





can't tell you. You're not a monk.

















The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and





goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same





man breaks down in front of the same monastery. The





monks again accept him, feed him, even fix his car.





That night, he hears the same strange noise that he





had heard years earlier.

















The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks





reply, We can't tell you. You're not a monk.







The man says, All right, all right. I'm dying to





know. If the only way I can find out what that sound





was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?











The monks reply, You must travel the earth and tell





us how many blades of grass there are and the exact





number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers,





you will become a monk.

















The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years





later, he returns and knocks on the door of the





monastery. He says, I have traveled the earth and





have found what you have asked for. There are





145,236,284,232 blades of grass and





231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth.













The monks reply, Congratulations. You are now a





monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound.

















The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the





head monk says, The sound is right behind that





door.

















The man reaches for the knob, but the door is





locked. He says, Real funny. May I have the key?

















The monks give him the key, and he opens the door.





Behind the wooden door is another door made of





stone. The man demands the key to the stone door.





The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to





find a door made of ruby. He demands another key





from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is





another door, this one made of sapphire. So it went





until the man had gone through doors of emerald,





silver, topaz, and amethyst.

















Finally, the monks say, This is the last key to the





last door.

















The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door,





turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to





find the source of that strange sound.























. . . . But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.