Master Bao Solves Two Puzzles

Cognitive reflections help two citizens

The sun was low in the West, and the sky was a blaze of reds and golds when Master Bao and his student Ping came to the River Wei. At this point in its flow to the sea, the River Wei was gentle and wide.

A man was sitting on the bank of the river with his head held in his hands, the very picture of dejection. A small boat was moored to a tree, and two goats were nibbling grass nearby. A large wolf lay beside the man, quietly panting.

Ping helped his master dismount from Xi, the water buffalo Master Bao had ridden for many years. As Ping stood by, Master Bao approached the melancholy man.

“Excuse me, my good fellow,” Master Bao exclaimed. “You seem to have a problem.”

The man looked up and recognized the great Daoist Monk, known throughout the land for his kindness and wisdom. The man jumped to his feet and brought his wide sleeves together as he bowed deeply.

“I am the unworthy Lo Pi, a small farmer who lives in the Pao-Yang village. Today, I need to take my two goats to the market across the River Wei, but I have a small boat that holds only one at a time. With me is my wolf, and if I take one goat over, the wolf will eat the other. I didn’t think of this difficulty before I left my home this morning, hours ago. But here I sit with two goats and one wolf, unable to decide what to do.”

Master Bao chuckled. “I can see your problem. If you take one goat over, you will need to leave the other with the wolf, who will devour it. If you take the wolf over first, then a goat, the wolf will be alone with the goat on the other side of the river when you return for the second goat.”

“That is exactly right,” the man moaned. “There is no way to solve to this vexing problem.”

“The solution is not difficult,” Master Bao said. “Take the wolf over first and leave him there alone. Return to take the first goat over, then bring the wolf back with you. Leave him on this shore while you take the second goat over. After you place the second goat on the far shore, return and pick up the wolf.”

The man struck his forehead with his open palm. “Of course. The answer to the problem is so simple, I would have thought of it myself eventually.”

“As you say, my good farmer, you would have solved it yourself in a short time,” Master Bao replied, with a smile.

He then turned to his student, “Ping, we must be on our way. We will spend the night at the Inn of the River Goddess, in the village of Pao-Yang, not more than a mile down the road.”

A short time later, Master Bao and Ping approached Pao-Yang Village and saw a young man sitting on the side of the road near a stream. The fresh water of the fast-flowing stream emptied into the River Wei. Near the man was a large vessel and two smaller jars. The young man sat with his head in his hands, the very picture of dejection.

Master Bao dismounted from his ox and approached the youth while Ping stood by, watching and listening.

“Excuse me, young man. You seem to have a problem.”

When the man saw Master Bao, he jumped to his feet and bowed deeply, his hands held together in his wide sleeves.

“Master, I have a problem no one can solve. I am Hui Gong, apprenticed to a master apothecary in the village. He sent me to bring back exactly six gallons of fresh water in this large vessel. But I have no way to measure exactly six gallons and I’m afraid he will beat me if I bring back any more or less.”

Master Bao looked at the other two jars sitting near the man, one nearly twice as large as the other. “Are these vessels made to hold exact amounts of water?” he asked.

“Yes, Master, but one is exactly nine gallons and the other exactly four gallons. There is no way I can use them to get exactly six gallons into the large container.”

Master Bao chuckled. “I believe I see a way it can be done,” he said. First, fill the nine gallon jar with fresh water, then pour four gallons into the smaller vessel. What will that leave you?”

The apothecary apprentice looked at Master Bao. “Why exactly five gallons in the larger jar, and four in the smaller. But I don’t see how that helps, for I need exactly six gallons.”

Master Bao smiled. “Now pour the five gallons into the large pail, and you can empty the smaller, four gallon jar into the river.” The youth did as he was directed by the monk.

“Now, what do you have?”

“I have five gallons in the large pail, and two empty jars.”

“Again, fill the nine gallon jar, and again pour four gallons into the smaller jar. As before, empty the four gallon jar into the river.” The man did as told.

“From the nine gallon jar, which now contains five gallons, pour four more gallons into the smaller jar, leaving exactly one gallon in the larger jar. Empty the one gallon into the large pail that holds the five gallons, and you now have exactly six gallons in it, which you can return to your master at the apothecary shop.”

The man struck his forehead with his hand. “Of course. Such a simple answer. I would have figured it out myself, if given enough time.”

Master Bao smiled. “Yes, quite a simple answer. And I’m sure you would have worked out the solution.”

Later, at the Inn of the River Goddess, Ping approached his master with a deep bow.

“Master, please enlighten this most ignorant pupil. You solved problems for both men today, yet neither was grateful, and, once the answer was given, both said it was a simple problem they could have solved. Yet you showed no anger toward their arrogance and ungrateful behavior.”

Master Bao smiled. “If you seek gratitude from outside yourself, you will seldom find it. Wasn’t it enough the will of Heaven gave me the solution and thus I was able to help two dejected men?

“It was I who was grateful for the chance to be of assistance to my fellow travelers on this Earth-walk. The difficulties the two men faced caused dejection, which is mental imbalance. Therefore, helping them helped the Universe regain a small amount of harmony. That, Ping, is enough, for as Daoist adepts, we seek no other reward than to move in the flow of the Dao.”