THE LAND OF A MILLION ELEPHANTS

Long, long ago when the world was young, there were many kingdoms in the land 
we now call Laos.  The kings of these little countries were very peaceful men 
who followed the path of the Enlightened One and shunned violent pursuits 
such as war and aggression. In those enlightened times of those magic 
kingdoms, all the people were happy and peaceful, not knowing hunger or 
desire.  Not having to maintain the vast cost of supporting armies, the 
kingdoms used their wealth for more practical purposes such as the 
development of art, music, and the building of beautiful buildings and 
temples. The kings all had a deep sense of duty to their peoples. So much of 
their countries' wealth was used to improve the lives of their subjects.

Sadly, nothing is permanent nor nothing lasts forever. All things must 
change. All that is beautiful will attract the attention of small minded 
jealous men who believe that they and they alone may possess the beautiful. 
Across the mighty river that bordered the kingdoms of Laos was the empire of 
Siam. A nation that supported a huge army of violent soldiers who lived only 
to serve their king. For years the kings of Siam had fought wars against 
smaller nations, which they defeated with ease. The small defeated countries 
were then absorbed into the mighty empire. Soon there were no small nations 
to conquer except for the little kingdoms of Laos but here the king of Siam 
had a problem.

The Kings of Siam always had many wives and many children. A king always 
needs sons to carry out the many duties of royalty but daughters can be a 
problem. Husbands must be found for them, suitable husbands whose rank is 
equal to that of the princess.  The kings of Siam had solved this problem by 
marrying their daughters to the kings of the little kingdoms of Laos. So if 
he were to invade the Lao kingdoms, the King of Siam would be attacking his 
own families. 

The king sent for the royal council and said to them, "I am the natural ruler 
of all the kingdoms of Laos yet they will not yield to me. If I were to 
attack them I would be attacking my own family and would be condemned by all 
the gods. I command you to find an excuse so that I may conquer Laos without 
offending the gods."

The royal council considered the problem from all angles; they consulted the 
sacred scrolls and the sayings of the Enlightened One. They examined the Law 
and all the empire's treaties but still could not find a reasonable excuse. 
All of this effort took weeks and the king was getting angry at the delay. 
This made the council nervous because in Siam, angry kings often killed their 
councillors.

Finally when the council had exhausted all avenues of research and knew that 
they could delay no longer, they went to the king and apologized for their 
failure to carry out his royal command.

The king was very angry and killed the councillor closest to him with the 
royal sword. All the other councillors gasped in horror thinking they were 
next but instead of killing another councillor the king warned, "Each day I 
will kill the councillor closes to me until you bring me the answer to my 
problem, now go." 

Each day after, the councillors returned without an answer and the king 
killed the one closest to him. After seven days and seven executions the 
councillors were getting desperate so they asked the king for permission to 
consult a sage who lived in a cave high atop a mountain. This sage was 
reputed to be the wisest man in all the land and would answer any question 
put to him. Fearing that his councillors were trying to escape, the king sent 
a troop of soldiers with them under the command of his most trusted general. 
The king told the general to kill any man who tried to escape.

The journey was not far but the country was difficult so it took two days for 
the councillors to reach the cave. There they found an ancient man seated on 
a stone bench in the sun beside the entrance of a deep, dark cave. The old 
man was fat and bald; he sported a long white moustache and a big pleasant 
smile. 

"Good morning pilgrims," the old man called as the grim group approached him.

"We are the royal council of King Rama, His Majesty has sent us to demand 
answers to a question of great importance." The senior councillor called with 
great arrogance.

"Is your mission so urgent that you have no time for good manners?" The old 
man asked.

"His Majesty commands us to make all speed in gaining an answer from you to 
one question. How may his majesty conquer the kingdoms of Laos that are ruled 
by his kin without offending the gods?"   

The old man sat in the sun with his eyes closed and a cheerful smile upon
his face. The councillors and the soldiers waited impatiently believing that 
the old man was pondering the king's question. The sun rose high into the sky 
then began to sink towards the mountains. Finally the old man opened his eyes 
and looked surprised.

"Why are you still here?" he asked.

------------
To be continued...