The first is self-deception: focusing on small proportionate gains is often an excuse to ignore a big negative picture. I learned this from a Zen Buddhist monk in Japan. Masahiro was one of my favorite students when I was teaching English in Kobe in the 1990s. He had recently inherited his father’s temple and made a good living from funeral ceremonies, where his chanting and calligraphy skills were put to good use. But apart from that and his bald head, we had a lot in common. Almost the same age, we would go drinking, smoking, wenching, playing football, and singing karaoke together. He would often drive back to his temple drunk in the early hours of the morning. I wondered how he squared this lifestyle with his role as a spiritual mentor. There was only one way to find out. “Masahiro, can I talk to you about religion?” “Sure. Anything,” he beamed. “Well, perhaps this is too British a way of thinking. But in my understanding a priest or a monk should set an example. Do you agree?”
What do You think about When A Billion Chinese Jump?
