The king provides Buddha with shade under a golden umbrella.

The gift of the relic indicates that what the king saw was not the Buddha but his spiritual appearance.  The physical Buddha had already died and entered Nirvana, but his powerful and divine spirit, his bodhisattva, carried the relic to Thailand.  According to some, the relic was the Buddha’s skull.  Naturally, such a powerful object would continue to send out spiritual vibrations and would cause people to see apparitions and hear voices.  For that reason, no one ventured to the mountain and, consequently, the temple fell into ruins.  Only one man ever lived near there.  He was a criminal and a drunkard who hid from authorities in a nearby cave.  One night, the Buddha appeared to him.  The criminal was so terrified that he converted to Buddhism.  He never again touched alcohol and lived as a hermit in his cave.  He died long ago, but his horrifying corpse still walks there.

The king and his jester

There once lived a king whose name was Moonsun.  Many men of distinction served at his court; there was no doubt that the most clever among them was the jester, Doublewit.  His intelligence had won him the king’s favor, for he always knew an answer to the many questions that people asked.  These answers were usually wise as well as entertaining.  Doublewit’s high standing in the king’s esteem had, unfortunately, also made him enemies, especially the king’s hairdresser, Mr. Scissors.

One day, at a ceremony commemorating his parents, King Moonsun reflected, “I wonder how my parents are doing in their abode in the otherworld.  I wish I knew someone I could send there to find out.”

Scissors immediately spotted his chance.  With feigned casualness he remarked: “Your Majesty would obviously be best served if you sent the most intelligent from among us to the Otherworld.  He would no doubt easily discover where your revered parents are and whether they are happy.”

“What do you mean?” asked the king, smiling.  “Do you mean I should send you, for instance?”