Once upon a time, a man dropped a silver bowl into the sea while crossing it.
He pondered, "I'll make a mark on the water here. I must continue my journey now, but I'll return for it later."
After two months of travel, during which he visited Ceylon and other lands, he came upon a river. Seeing the water, he immediately jumped in to search for his lost bowl.
"What are you doing?" people asked.
"I lost my bowl," he replied. "I wish to retrieve it."
"Where did you lose it?"
"While crossing the sea," he answered.
"How long ago?"
"Two months ago."
"If you lost it in the sea two months ago," they questioned, "why are you looking for it here in this river?"
The man explained, "I made a mark on the water where I dropped it. This water looks identical. There's no difference, so I'm searching here."
The people responded, "Though all water may look identical, you lost it in a different place. How can you hope to find it here?" Everyone jeered at his foolishness.