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for you. This one you give to me; it will be a present, the most precious to me in the whole world. And I have made a begging bowl which you cannot reject, you have to accept it."
He said, "I have not seen it either."
She said, "Seeing or not seeing is not the question. First, give me the promise that you will not reject it."
So he said, "Okay, I will not reject it."
She brought out the bowl, and it was made of solid gold, studded with diamonds. Nagarjuna said, "You don't understand the situation. Whether I reject it or not, I will not be able to keep it even for a few hours. A naked man carrying a begging bowl made of solid gold, studded with great diamonds -- do you think I will be able to keep it? But I have promised, so I will accept it."
A thief was watching the whole transaction. He followed Nagarjuna. He knew that this fellow lives outside the city in a dilapidated temple, and every afternoon after he has taken his food, he goes to sleep. This is a very good time to take this begging bowl away. Anyway, somebody is going to take it away....
So he went and he was hiding behind a wall by the side of a window watching that somebody else does not enter inside. Nagarjuna made his place to sleep and he had complete awareness that somebody had been following him.
"Why keep him unnecessarily waiting? Anyway I am going to sleep and he will take the begging bowl. It is better to give it him. Why make him a thief?" So he threw the begging bowl outside the window where the thief was sitting.
The thief could not believe it. This is really a strange man. A strange desire arose in the thief that it would be good to have a little time to sit at this man's feet, so he asked from the window, "Can I come in?"
Nagarjuna said, "What do you think I have thrown the begging bowl for? -- to bring you in. Come in. That was just an invitation."
The thief could not understand, but was very much impressed by the man.
Nagarjuna said, "I did not want to make you a thief, that's why I have thrown the begging bowl. Now you can have it."
The thief said, "It is so precious; you are a man of great mastery over
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