“At one time, monks, a certain monk lived in a forest grove on the slopes of the Himalayas. Not far from that grove was a large, low-lying marsh. A great flock of birds fed in the marsh during the day and entered the grove to roost at night. The monk was disturbed by the noise of the flocking birds, and so he came to see me. He bowed, sat down, and I said to him, ‘I hope you’re keeping well, monk, I hope you’re getting by? I hope you’re not tired from traveling? And where have you come from?’ ‘I’m keeping well, sir, I’m getting by. I’m not tired from traveling.’ He then explained where he had come from, adding, ‘That’s where I’ve come from, sir. I left because I was disturbed by the noise of that flock of birds.’ ‘Do you want that flock of birds to stay away?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Well then, go back to that forest grove. In the first part of the night, call out three times and say, “Listen to me, good birds. I want a feather from anyone roosting in this forest grove. Each one of you must give me a feather.” And in the middle and last part of the night do the same thing.’ The monk returned to that forest grove and did as instructed. That flock of birds thought, ‘The monk is asking for a feather; he wants a feather,’ and they left that grove and never returned. One will be disliked even by animals, monks, for begging and asking, let alone by human beings.