Nasruddin and the Horseman

As Nasruddin was walking past the cemetery, he saw a horseman coming towards him. "He'll rob me! He'll sell me into slavery!" Terrified, Nasruddin ran into the cemetery. As he heard the horseman following him, he jumped into an open grave and lay there motionless.
The horseman had followed Nasruddin wondering about his strange behavior. "Hey there, you in the grave," he shouted. "What are you doing down there?"
Nasruddin realized he had acted foolishly, but did not want to admit it. "Well," he said, "you could say I'm here because of you. Meanwhile, you are here because of me."

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Inspired by: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation, p. 2.
Notes: The story also appears in The Sufis by Idries Shah.