Once upon a time, there was an academy led by a wise sage named Pabhassara. His academy was renowned for imparting a wide and diverse range of knowledge. It was said that almost every student who graduated from this place achieved great success and fame, unlike other academies where teachers usually specialized in only one specific field.
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His academy was nestled in a remote forest. The surrounding area was filled with various fruit orchards and agricultural plots containing plants used for both food and medicine, all planted by current and former disciples. A crystal-clear stream flowed past, providing water for daily use; one only had to walk over and carry it back in shoulder poles to fill the storage jars.
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Today, however, was the interview day for new student admissions, which opened every three months for those who had reached the age of fifteen. This day felt more extraordinary than usual because a delegation of ministers from the city of Korapura had traveled there, bringing along a young prince who had just reached the eligible age to enlist as a disciple. The front of the academy was bustling with crowds, including a troop of soldiers sent for protection, royal ministers overseeing the journey, and servants managing the royal carriage and supply wagons.
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Even though the front of Sage Pabhassara’s academy looked chaotic today due to the large crowd camping out to wait for the admissions, when the time came for the applicants to enter, only two students were allowed inside. The master strictly forbade any followers from accompanying them. The first was Prince Suriya of Korapura, and the second was Akina, a peasant’s son from the countryside who had traveled entirely alone.
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When the large wooden doors opened, the two slowly stepped inside, carrying only the personal belongings they could manage by themselves. If the master did not accept them as disciples, they would have to walk right back out; thus, their followers had to wait for the results outside the gate. As the two passed through the entrance, they found a spacious courtyard. Both sides were filled with tools and equipment for learning, with current disciples working diligently on their tasks. In front of them stood a small pavilion with a single low stool, raised only about knee-high from the ground. Seated upon it was a slender elderly man—neither tall nor short, thin but strong-looking. His white hair was tied into a bun, and he had a long beard of the exact same color, sitting with one leg draped down.
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Upon coming before the master, both sat on the ground and paid their respects according to the good manners expected of new students. The very first words the master spoke to his potential disciples were, “I accept only those who come to study with a ‘treasure’ in their possession. Anyone without a treasure has no right to study with me. What treasures did you both bring with you? Let me see them.”
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Prince Suriya smiled inwardly with smug confidence, glad that he had brought a full pouch of two hundred gold coins along with the royal seal of the Korapura dynasty—a seal that commanded absolute respect and care from anyone who saw it, by royal decree, under penalty of immediate punishment. As soon as the master finished speaking, the prince opened his bag, placed both items before him, and said, “I have two hundred gold coins and a royal seal from the Korapura dynasty, Master.”
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Meanwhile, Akina sat quietly with his head bowed, saying nothing and taking nothing out of his bag.
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“What about you, young man? What treasure do you possess?” the master asked, fixing his gaze upon him.
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Hearing the master’s inquiry only deepened Akina’s awareness of his own poverty. He decided to speak the plain truth.
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“I… I am just a poor soul from a distant countryside. My grandfather was a farmer, my father was a farmer, and I am a farmer myself. I have no worldly treasures. Forget gold coins, I do not even have a single copper penny of the lowest value on me. The only thing I possess is this bamboo flute, given to me by my grandfather before he passed away. To me, this flute is my most precious treasure. Whenever I pick it up and play, it reminds me of my grandfather’s melodies after dinner and before bed. It brings me happiness, especially now that I am far from home. It cures my homesickness for my parents and siblings sitting together, sharing a meal happily,” Akina said in a soft, gentle voice, gently pulling the flute from his bag and placing it on the ground before him.
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“Very well… Now I will have you both prove just how valuable your treasures truly are. You must go to the kitchen and exchange your treasures for lunch. If you can use them to trade for a meal to eat, you may study at my academy. But if you cannot, you have no right, because you will have nothing to eat until graduation,” Sage Pabhassara declared.
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Afterward, the pair walked in the direction the master pointed. Prince Suriya strode ahead with absolute confidence, while Akina followed slowly behind, realizing he might not get the chance to study here. When they reached the dining hall, everyone seated there turned to look at the new students as one. Beyond those at the dining tables, about five or six cooks were busy scooping food onto plates for the students and preparing ingredients for the next meal. The two walked straight toward the group.
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“Hey, you there… I will buy the food you have prepared with my gold,” Prince Suriya spoke up, holding out a gold coin to a cook.

“Is this all the treasure you have? Do you have more?” one of the cooks asked.

“Of course… if one coin isn’t enough, I have a whole bag,” the prince replied, raising his pouch of gold.

“Your gold coins have no value here. To get these taro roots and sweet potatoes, everyone must plant them, water them, tend the soil, and dig them up with their own hands. What can you do? Do you know how to dig soil? Can you carry water to water the vegetables?” a cook questioned.

“I have no need to do such things myself, for I hold the royal seal. Anyone who sees this seal must serve according to my command,” the prince said, raising the seal high.

“Haha… your little plaque is completely worthless here. It is far too small to be used for digging soil, and it would provide very little heat if we used it as firewood,” the cook replied.

“Insolent! Do you know who I am? I am the royal prince of the King of Korapura, the sovereign ruler of this entire realm!” the prince snapped.

“I don’t care who you are out there, but in here, a person who can be of use to others is what is truly precious. If you have no other treasure than this, step aside for the next person. What about you over there, what treasure do you have?” the same cook said dismissively, turning to ask Akina.

“I can dig soil. I used to farm. I can do any kind of work,” Akina told the cook, after evaluating the prince’s conversation.

“If you have no other treasure, and if you want to eat my food, you must go do that work first. But what I am asking is, do you have any treasure beyond that?” the cook asked.

“Um… I only have this bamboo flute. Whatever song you wish to hear, I can play it for you,” Akina replied.
“Let us hear you play it then,” another cook from behind chimed in.

Then, Akina began to play his flute. He chose a melody that felt like a gentle breeze blowing softly. The long, soulful notes of the flute brought to mind vast fields stretching as far as the eye could see. Everyone in the dining hall went completely still, fixing their eyes on Akina as if under a magic spell.

“You may eat at my kitchen every day, three meals a day, as long as you come and play your flute for me while we eat,” the first cook, who seemed to be the head, said after Akina finished his song of the wind.

“Could you teach me that flute melody? In exchange, I will fetch water to fill your bathing jar every day,” a senior male student chimed in.

“Can you teach me how to make a flute like that? If you can, you won’t have to go dig soil; I will do it in your place,” another student offered.

“Alright, alright… I have witnessed that you possess a truly precious treasure. From now on, you may stay at Sage Pabhassara’s academy. As for you,” the head cook concluded, turning to the prince, “if you have no treasure greater than this, and if you still wish to study here and have food to eat, go dig soil and carry water. If you cannot do that, then go back where you came from.”
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Areeya Metaya