The Masterpiece
THE MASTER Kosen drew the words “The First Principle” which are
carved over the gate of the Oaku Temple in Kyoto. He drew them
with his brush on a sheet of paper later they were carved in wood.
A pupil of the master had mixed the ink for him, and stood by,
watching the master’s calligraphy. This pupil said, “Not so good!”
Kosen tried again. The pupil said: “That’s worse than the first
one!” and Kosen tried again.
After the sixty-fourth try, the ink was running low, and the pupil
went out to mix some more. Left alone, undistracted by any
critical eye watching him, Kosen made one more quick drawing with
the last of the ink. When the pupil returned, he took a good look
at this latest effort.
“A masterpiece!” he said.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:58 pm
The first time I wrote this it was better, but I didn’t pass math so here it goes again: Even though Kosen was a master, he was still intimidated by his pupil watching him work. When the pupil left to mix ink, it only took Master Kosen one quick attempt to make a masterpiece. We all want to impress others, whether they are superiors, peers, or subordinates. We are all just flesh & bone. If we hold ourselves to high standards and work with passion & with everyone’s best interest in mind, we will always do our best work and in turn we will please ourselves and others.
March 8th, 2009 at 4:13 am
And yet it was that need to impress that was holding the Master back.If the first attempt was really the Masters best effort then the other 63 times were just a cover up for his pride.When left alone he achieved perfection but was that only perfection in the pupils eyes?The judgment by others is always a matter of choosing their opinion over yours.The Master should have realized that it was only His eyes and His belief whether it was really a masterpiece or not. That is what makes Him the Master. Isn’t it?
(If we hold ourselves to high standards and work with passion & with everyone’s best interest in mind, we will always do our best work and in turn we will please ourselves and others.) Despite this idea it was only in private the the Master was able to produce a Masterpiece.But I ask, was it the 1st or the last that was the Masterpiece?
February 7th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
The first was as much a masterpiece as the last. A masterpiece can only be percieved when seen as a finished product, not in it’s making. That is why the versions observed by the pupil could not be fully appreciated.