Holy Hikers

Harry and Radha Krishna were a young, healthy and very good looking couple. They loved the outdoors and often went on long difficult hikes. Their good friends Eva and Harry Gabor would join them a lot of times. On one such occasion, they were joined by Jesus and Maria Christ, who were friends of the Gabors. The Gabors' 1975 VW bus was perfect for the ride. Harry had been working on restoring it for over a year and now it was finally finished - complete with hippy flower designs. They got to North Elba at dusk and spent the night at a motel just outside town. At dawn they were at the start of their chosen trail getting their assorted gear out of the minivan. Everyone was properly prepped for the adventure sporting good hiking attire and boots, except Jesus who was very fond of his robe and sandals. He did not even carry a rucksack like the others, his only concession to hiking being a very sturdy walking stick. When Radha asked him, he replied that God will provide.

They started at a very brisk pace, slowing down a bit as the day went on. Quite early in their hike, while negotiating a very treacherous looking trail, they ran into Buddha. The trail was just a narrow strip on the side of a mountain with a vertiginous drop on the other side. Buddha was sitting in the middle of the trail meditating. He looked just the way his statue always does and he seemed to be in a very deep trance, so the hikers decided to wait. After about 10 minutes, Eva, who was in the front at the time, went up to him and rubbed his huge belly.

"Is it waking him up?" asked Harry Gabor.
"Not likely, but it's supposed to bring good luck" said Harry Krishna.
"I'm, getting bored" added Radha.
"I read somewhere that 'if you meet Buddha on the road, kill him'" offered Maria.
"Come on," said Jesus "you know I'm a pacifist. Besides, that is just a Zen koan that is supposed to teach you a lesson of sorts."