r left not at all certain about what to do, one
of The Wise One's disciples, who had been deeply affected by this
exchange, rose and said, "Excuse me, O Wise One, but I must go and
reconcile myself to a man I have wrongly ceased to love."

"Yes, my daughter," is all The Wise One said.

* * *

Another time a young couple came to The Wise One to settle a great
argument. The old man listened seemingly more politely than
attentively as each gave a lengthy explanation of the dispute.
Finally the two looked to The Wise One for his decision, both of
them more confident than ever of being right. The Wise One reached
over to a vase sitting nearby and pulled out a rose. "Shall I hit
you with the bloom or with the stem?" he asked the couple.

"What are you talking about?" asked the young woman.

"It is written in the Book of Worn Out Sayings that 'in the rose
garden of life he who plucks thorns for his partner's bed is a fool.'"

"I don't understand," said the young man.

"Those who sell flowers put them in a pan of colored water and the
flowers take on the color of the water," concluded The Wise One. The
couple left confused and without resolving their dispute, but they
did seem to agree that their trip to The Wise One was worthless.

* * *

On one occasion two men came to The Wise One on the same day. The
first was a young man unsure about which road to take as he stepped
out into the world. "I have considered my career choices," he said,
"and I don't know whether to become a poet or a merchant."

The second man had just married a wife and was about to buy a house
for them to live in. "I have investigated many houses carefully,"
he said, "and have found two that would be suitable. The first
house is nearly new and well designed but damp inside, while the
second is light and airy but older and not so well designed. I
don't know which to choose."

"Your problems are one," said The Wise One, as he picked up a honey
comb and squeezed it until the honey was drained out into a bowl.
"You both must choose between the wax and the honey."

"My gosh," said one of The Wise One's disciples, leaping to his
feet, "I'm about to marry the wrong girl." And with that, he ran
off into the distance.

The two men looked at each other, searching each other's face for a
glimmer of understanding, which neither found.

* * *

One spring a richly dressed young man came to The Wise One and spoke
these words: