The Rock

[Mystique Enigma]

Once upon a time, a young disciple posed the following question to a wise sage: "Master, what is the value of the Tao?"

The sage gave an explanation, but the disciple didn’t understand.
The sage knew that explanations conveyed by words weren't always adequate. The best way to cultivate the Tao was learning by direct experience.

He took a rock from his desk and wrote down an address on a piece of paper: "Take this rock and go to this address. When you get there, I want you to ask people how much they would pay for the rock. Don't sell it. Just find out how much people are willing to pay."

The disciple went to the address and found himself in an outdoor market. There were many merchants hawking their wares and many shoppers browsing and haggling.

Beginning with the person nearest to him, the disciple held up the rock and asked: "Excuse me, how much would you pay for this rock?"

Most people ignored him and kept walking. Some glared at him. Some looked at him and sneered. Some laughed out loud. The few who did speak said things like "nothing" or "no thanks" or "go away".

After about an hour of this, a lady took pity in him: "Maybe I can use it as a paperweight. Here, I'll give you a dollar." She held out the money, but he shook his head and thanked her.

He returned and reported his experience to the sage: "Master, most people were not interested in the rock at all. The most I could get for it was a dollar."

"Good," the sage handed over another piece of paper. "Now go to this address with the rock and do the same thing. Ask the people there how much they would pay."

The address was in another part of town. When the disciple got there he saw that it was a jewelry shop. He entered and saw display cases full of glittering gems. Serious-looking clerks stood behind the counter. Everyone was dressed formally.

"What do you want, kid?" One of the clerks closed in on him.

"Uh... I want to find out how much you would pay for this." The disciple took out the rock. The clerk looked surprised, and then irritated.

"Where are your parents? This shop is no place for children. Out you go. Scat. Shoo."

Okay, I guess we're done, thought the disciple. The result here was no different than what he got at the market. He turned to leave.

The store manager took notice of the situation. He glanced at the rock just as the disciple reached the door. "Wait," he said. "Let me take a look, son."

The manager examined the rock. He looked puzzled, and then his eyes widened. He ordered one of the clerks to fetch the senior jeweler from the workshop in the back.

The old jeweler came out, grumbling about the interruption, but when he saw the rock, his eyes widened too. He examined it under magnifying glass for a long while, turning it this way and that. Then he handed it back to the disciple and whispered in the manager's ear.

Suddenly the manager was all smiles: "Son, I like you, so I'll exchange this candy here for your rock. Okay?"

The disciple shook his head: "I need to know how much you're willing to pay for it, sir."

"I see," the manager considered this. "How about if I give you ten bucks? Is it a deal?"

"No sir. I can't sell it. And now I have to go." He got the answer he wanted, so it was time to report back.

"Wait. I'll give you a hundred dollars. That's a lot of money. Come on, what do you say?"

Again the disciple refused to sell and tried to leave. Again the manager increased his offer. They went back and forth like this until the sum of ten thousand dollars was offered and turned down.

"I'll tell you what, son," the store manager maintained the smile, but he was starting to sweat. "You tell me how much you want for it. Name your price."

"I can't sell it for any amount, sir. That's what I've been trying to tell you."
The manager had no choice but to let him go.

The disciple made his way back to the sage. He was puzzled: "Master, the highest offer I got from the market was a dollar. Now it went to ten thousand and beyond. Why such a big difference?"

"In general, people focus on external appearance," the sage explained. "The rock looks quite plain and ordinary, so everyone at the market assume it is worthless.

"However, there's more to the rock than meets the eyes. It is in actuality a diamond of extraordinary size and quality. Only a few people have the ability to recognize it for what it truly is. The people at the market do not possess that ability."

"But Master, the clerk who wanted me to leave, he didn't recognize it either, and yet he works at a jewelry store."

"Being at the store is no guarantee of real knowledge. He probably knows the value of all the gems on display quite well, because they are all carefully packaged and clearly labeled. But when it comes to recognizing a real diamond in its most natural, unrefined state... well, he is obviously no better at it than the average person."

"How about the manager and the jeweler, Master? What makes them different from the clerk and everyone at the market?"

"The manager suspected the rock might be valuable, because he had years of experience with all kinds of precious stones. The jeweler had even more experience. He had devoted decades of his life to become an expert practitioner of gemology. That’s why he didn’t just suspect – he knew the real value of the rock."

[peteyzen]

Another `Gem` ME, you are wonderful at these

great story

[Smiler]

I love that story MYST

Thanks for sharing it

Debs