re: #302 Cato the Elder

Random Buddhist monk joke (or story, or parable, as you like it):

Two young Buddhist monks are walking back to their monastery after visiting a distant temple.

They come to a ford on a river, but the river is in spate and the water level is four times higher than normal.

Beside the ford sits a woman with her basket of produce for the market town on the other side. She begs the monks to help her cross.

The first monk shakes his head and wades in. The second takes the woman on his shoulders and carries her across.

The two monks proceed in silence until they come in sight of the monastery. Then the first one can no longer contain himself, and, breaking his vow of silence, expostulates:

“That was not right, what you did at the ford, brother.”

The second monk replies, “Why?”

“Because of our vow of celibacy, brother. We must not have contact with women.”

The second monk says, “Brother, I left her at the ford. Do you carry her still?”

That is brilliant.