Once upon a time there were two merchants, who were friends. Both of them were getting ready for business trips to sell their merchandise, so they had to decide whether to travel together. They agreed that, since each hat about 500 carts, and they were going to the same place along the same road, it would be too crowded to go at the same time.
One decided that it would be much better to go first. He thought, "The road will not be rutted by the carts, the bullocks will be able to choose the best of all the grass, we will find the best fruits and vegetables to eat, my people will appreciate my leadership and, in the end, I will be able to bargain for the best prices."

The other merchant considered carefully and realized there were advantages to going second. He thought, "My friend's carts will level the ground so we won't have to do any road work, his bullocks will eat the old rough grass and new tender shoots will spring up for mine to eat. In the same way, they will pick the old fruits and vegetables and fresh ones will grow for us to enjoy. I won't have to waste my time bargaining when I can take the price already set and make my profit." So he agreed to let his friend go first. This friend was sure he'd fooled him and gotten the best of him -- so he set out first on the journey.
The merchant who went first had a troublesome time of it. They came to a wilderness called the 'Waterless Desert', which the local people said was haunted by demons. When the caravan reached the middle of it, they met a large group coming from the opposite direction. They had carts that were mud smeared and dripping with water. They had lotuses and water lilies in their hands and in the carts. The head man, who had a know-it-all attitude, said to the merchant, "Why are you carrying these heavy loads of water? In a short time you will reach that oasis on the horizon with plenty of water to drink and dates to eat. Your bullocks are tired from pulling those heavy carts filled with extra water -- so throw away the water and be kind to your overworked animals!"
商人甲的路程艰难重重。他们来到了一片被称为“极旱之地”的荒漠，据当地人传说这里经常有恶魔出没。当商队行至荒漠中心时，迎面走来了一大群人。他们的车上溅满泥点，湿淋淋地滴着水。他们手上拿着，车上装着很多的荷花和睡莲。队伍中的首领用一种无所不知的语气说道：“还带着这些笨重的水干什么？你们前方不远的地平线处就有一个绿洲，那里有喝不完的清水和吃不尽的椰枣。你们的牛群拉着这些装满水的车子多累啊 – 善待你们这些疲劳的动物吧，把那些多余的水扔掉好了。”
Even though the local people had warned them, the merchant did not realize that these were not real people, but demons in disguise. The 阅读全文>>