Short story about Tibetan monks who want to know the name of God?

Question

I can't remember the title or the author of the following story:

Some Tibetan monks want to know the name of God. They buy a supercomputer in order to calculate the name. Then...

...they find the name, and in the end of the story, all stars stop shining.

I edited your title and removed the second question about an unrelated story. Please remember your questions on this site must: a- have a specific title, and b- ask one and only one thing. Feel free to ask about the other story in a separate question :) — Andres F., May 8, 2013 at 11:54
Now I'm interested in the second story as well - was it reposted as a different question? — SqlRyan, May 8, 2013 at 15:38
@SqlRyan if Martin doesn't, you're always free to repost 2nd the question yourself. — Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight, May 8, 2013 at 17:30
@DanNeely I did post it, and I'm hopeful I'll get the name! scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/35419 — SqlRyan, May 13, 2013 at 4:16

Andres F. · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-08 11:53:55Z

53

The story about the Tibetan monks who want to find the name of god is "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur Clarke.

answered May 8, 2013 at 11:53

Andres F.

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2

And there's an homage to this story in Futurama's "Godfellas" episode.
– Quinn Culver
May 8, 2013 at 22:22
1

It was published, conveniently, in an anthology titled "The Nine Billion Names of God" :)
– Ben Brammer
May 9, 2013 at 23:46

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