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but never ask a question."
The disciple said, "This is not difficult." But from the very beginning he started feeling very uneasy -- because the Master was carrying a bucket with no bottom! to the well, to fetch water. But he kept quiet. It was difficult, it was REALLY hard, but he kept quiet. He avoided looking at the bucket... with no bottom? and, you are going to fetch water?
A thousand and one times in those few moments that passed between the house and the well, the idea arose in him to ask, "What are you doing? Have you gone mad?" But the question was not allowed. But how long can you go on this way?
The Master started drawing water from the well. And, of course, the bucket had no bottom so when it would go into the well, it would fill; and when he would start pulling it up, all the water would fall out -- and only the empty bucket cam up. Just think about the disciple... and he is standing there and seeing this whole nonsense. He became suspicious of this man: "Either he is mad or a fool. And what am I getting into with this man? My old Masters were at least better."
But questions were not allowed, so he somehow repressed the temptation. Once it happened, the bucket came up empty, and the second time and the third time -- and the fourth time he forgot all about it and he said, "What are you doing?! This is no way to draw water from a well. Your bucket has no bottom."
And the Master said, "You have broken the rule. You were not supposed to ask anything -- you were only supposed to watch. Get lost! I have nothing to do with you."
The disciple thought, meditated over it the whole night, and felt, "There must have been something mysterious in it -- I missed. I should have waited."
He went back the next day, and asked to be forgiven. The Master said, "I can forgive, but you will not be able. You could not resist a small thing. You could not control yourself for such a small thing. If it was absurd that was my problem, not your problem. How were you concerned with it? It was only a device. If in such a small thing you cannot remain non-argumentative... there are greater things which I am going to reveal to you, it
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