A person wanted very much to pursue spiritual practice. He read many stories and scriptures, and all of them said: Humility is the prime quality showing that someone has attained sainthood. Therefore, he longed to learn to be humble.

He followed a master to study. He told his master that he longed to see God, but he didn't know how he could learn to be humble. He felt himself to be unclean, impure and not humble; so he could not see God.

His master said, "Good! Now you go and find someone or something filthier, lower and humbler than you. Bring them to me, or just tell me; then I can teach you how to learn from them, how to become humbler."

He went from Taipei to Kaohsiung but failed to find anyone, not even in Miaoli. Though we are so lousy, he couldn't find anyone lousier than he. He felt frustrated.

Once, when in the toilet, he suddenly thought that the feces must be filthier and lower than he, since no one would want them and would run away covering their noses upon seeing them. He wanted to take a heap of feces to his master, because he could not find anything lower than that.

Just as he reached out his hand, and before he touched "them" he suddenly heard a voice say, "Don't touch me! Don't move! Don't touch me!" The man was amazed and wondered who was talking. Then the voice was heard again, "Don't you touch me!" It seemed that the feces was talking to him. Totally bewildered, he asked, "Why not? Why can't I touch you?"

It said, "Don't you see? I was a perfect piece of cake yesterday. (Audience laughs.) I was so pretty, so valuable and precious, that I was fit to be consumed by a king, or to be offered to a great saint. Now, just because of having associated with you once, today I have been transformed into this state. No one wants to see me now, not even get close. When they see me, they close their eyes, block their noses, and run away quickly. Everyone despises me. I turned into this state just because I associated with you just once! If you touch me once more, oh terrible, (audience laughs) who knows what I will become? I don't know what more terrible things will happen to me. So, please don't touch me anymore." Then, the man really understood and felt humble.

We all think we are very good, but the truth is that we might not be! We think we are better than the feces, but the truth is that they turn into that state because of us. We spiritual practitioners know very well whether we have the quality of humility within or not. Don't think that we are anything great.

Once when a thief tried to steal something in the palace, he overheard a conversation between two eunuches: "Our king wants to marry the princess to a monk practicing on the bank of the Ganges River. What do you think?"

The other eunuch said, "Good! It is good! The princess is the most precious person in the country, and the monks practicing by the Ganges River are also the most rare, most virtuous and most noble persons in the world. Naturally, I am delighted and agree with the idea!" Hearing these words, the thief halted his stealing business, and stealthily went back to become a monk instead. (Laughter)

Hastily, he shaved his head, put on a monk's robe and then mixed among the monks to meditate, while hoping the princess would become his wife.

Several days later, the king really sent a eunuch to the bank of the Ganges River, to ask the monks whether they would marry the princess. He asked one by one. Upon receiving a negative answer, he would ask the next one, and the next one.

The monks were good practitioners and didn't care about the princess, so all of them declined. Only the thief remained unasked, sitting there with his heart throbbing like mad. His mind screamed: I am here! Come over quickly. (Laughter) Finally, the eunuch went to ask him. When the eunuch asked him, he remained silent, (laughter) and didn't say a word. All the others said they didn't want to, but he didn't say anything. It was already a great difference.

The eunuch was very happy, and reported to the king, "A monk practicing by the Ganges seems to have the intention of marrying the princess. We asked him, he didn't decline, which means he has consented 90 percent, only that he didn't decisively say he really agrees. Among those whom we asked, he was the only one who didn't say no."

Delighted by the good news, the king thought that he should go personally and take lots of presents, then the monk would definitely agree to marry the princess.

The king took along all his councillors, generals and the eunuch, and went to the Ganges where the thief was meditating. With great respect, he asked the "monk" to marry the princess. As the king also practiced spiritually, he didn't want to marry the princess to an ordinary person. He preferred his daughter to marry a spiritual practitioner, so she could also practice in the company of a good husband, a good teacher. The king would only be satisfied having a son-in-law who could teach the princess how to meditate and to be a virtuous person. Therefore, upon hearing that a practitioner meditating by the Ganges would marry the princess, he was very happy. He showed him great respect, bowed to him, and asked him to marry his daughter.

The thief was complacent, but then he thought: I have just shaved and put on a monk's robe impersonating a monk, a spiritual practitioner, yet the king and all his councillors treat me with so much respect, and offer me wealth and precious things. I can't imagine what it would be like if I were to become a real monk, a real spiritual practitioner!"

After consideration, he didn't want to marry the princess anymore! (Laughter) Instead, he started to practice seriously. Pretending in the first place, he now became a real monk because he perceived the benefits of spiritual practice. Since then, the thief meditated and practiced very sincerely. Eventually he was enlightened and became a great saint, a very famous spiritual practitioner.