Parable of the Tavern

 

One night Jesus, Krishna, Buddha and Mohammad went to a pub.

It was quite an evening. When it was very late, the tavern keeper brought them the bill. They began to argue.

Jesus looked at Krishna and said, "You claim that your pot is always full no matter what gets taken out of it. You pay the bill."

Krishna looked at Buddha and said, "You don't cling to anything because you claim its all emptiness. Why don't you empty your pockets."

Buddha looked at Jesus and said, "You say you'd sacrifice anything for your friends. You could at least pay our tab."

Then all three of them turned to the Prophet and stared at him in silence. "Don't look at me," he said. "I don't drink." They kept staring. "Well all right," he said, "I'll admit I tasted the corks, but I didn't swallow."

That ignited a heated argument, until the tavern-keeper, who wanted his money, sidled over to their table.

"Listen," he said. "The wine is Love. The more you drink the more you share, until even your laughter is the Word of creation. Therefore, the drunkest among you should act like it, and pay the bill!"

Hearing that, all four emptied their pockets, insisting on paying the tab, and gratifying the tavern keeper with an enormous tip. Linking arms, they staggered out through the night in perfect friendship, singing a song so crazy that no one has ever understood it, though many try to write it down.


Image: notorious Last Supper scene from Lui Bunuel's 'Viridiana'