The Tale of the Rich Man and the Master Painter

All that is Worth While is Worth Waiting For

This is one of my most beloved tales of wisdom and one that while not specifically about health and healing, speaks volumes about the Tao/Dao and of pursuing what really matters with humility and patience.

Before the story, let’s reflect a bit on our current world of so-called advancement, technology, and mass productivity.

Just recently, I was in the search for a bookshelf to house my growing book collection. After days of searching, I could not find a piece that was made of real, solid wood and that reflected long lasting beauty and quality. I did run across hundreds of particle wood, ready to assemble, mass produced options. Plastic, particle wood, mass produced junk surrounds us and invades our homes, from our eating utensils to picture frames to synthetic rugs and plastic plants in plastic pots. All instantly available, as cheap and poorly made as you can tolerate, and in several colors / designs for you to choose.

This same lackluster mentality is reflected in the service industries. When is the last time you actually had a server earn their tip? Care, attention and genuine desire to serve are a rarity. Sadly, the same can be said of our keystone institutions: Healthcare, Justice, and Government.

I grew up in a different world. I was taught to put my best into anything I did, no matter how mundane or unimportant. To take pride in everything I completed as my signature remained in all that I touched. To take care and appreciate those tools and items that I was fortunate to own.

My dad had a machete that was over 100 years old and he cleaned and oiled it after every use. He passed it on to my older brother. When I moved out to go to college, my mother gave me a kitchen knife that had been made for her great grandmother. It was incredibly sharp, even though it had an inward wear curve from decades of cutting. Tables and chairs used to be made of real wood or sturdy metal, with heavy duty vinyl or ornamental canvas cushions that were made with care and made to last. Old timers like myself will remember that vinyl that was used American made cars long before leather seats became a thing. It was high quality, durable, functional, comfortable, and it looked great. All of these items are just material things yes, but all of them made to provide more than a life-time of utility. More than that, to combine beauty with utility and to celebrate the improvement they provided and the need that these items met. The effort to craft or produce and the care and desire to help improve people’s lives went into each item whether a mundane spoon or a wooden dining table.

My Growing Library

When did everything lose this care, pride and value and become so cheap, flimsy, and trashy? Why did it become preferred to throw things away and just get another? We are now in a consumption society driven by capitalist economics where innovation is no longer driven by need. The beast must be fed and people must get their whims met instantly.

Ok,on to our parable.

Chinese Rich Merchant

There once lived a wealthy merchant. He possessed many fine things – silks spices and jewels from all over the known world. Yet, his greatest desire was to own a piece of calligraphy created by the renowned Master Lao. Master Lao's brushstrokes were said to capture the very essence of nature and emotion. It was like he breathed life into every brush stroke.

The merchant, eager to possess such a masterpiece, sent a messenger to Master Lao with a generous offer and a request for a specific poem to be written in his exquisite hand. Master Lao accepted the commission, impressed by the merchant's enthusiasm and willingness to pay handsomely for his work.

Days turned into weeks, and the merchant grew increasingly impatient. He sent messengers to Master Lao's studio, each time returning with the same message: "The Master is contemplating the characters," or "The Master is seeking the perfect paper." The merchant, accustomed to swift transactions in his business dealings, could not understand this seemingly endless delay. He imagined the Master leisurely sipping tea, perhaps sketching a few characters here and there, while he, the wealthy patron, waited.

Finally, after months had passed, the merchant decided to visit Master Lao himself. He arrived at the Master's humble studio, expecting to see a room filled with unfinished works and scattered materials. Instead, he found the Master meditating before a blank scroll, a single brush in his hand. The merchant, barely containing his frustration, exclaimed, "Master Lao! The wait has been months! When will the piece be finished?"

Master Lao opened his eyes, a serene smile on his face. He explained that calligraphy is not merely about putting ink to paper, it is about capturing spirit and bringing it to life. The artist had been contemplating the chosen poem, understanding its depth and beauty. The delay was for preparation, not idleness.

Inspired by the merchant's presence or perhaps the culmination of his long meditation, Master Lao dipped his brush in ink and began to paint. With swift, fluid movements, ink flowed onto the paper. The brushstrokes seemed to dance, each line and stroke conveying power and meaning with extraordinary depth.

The merchant watched in stunned silence, his impatience replaced by awe. The masterpiece was complete within minutes.

It was not the poem that he had requested, yet its beauty and energy reached deep into his soul and he broke into tears. It was the most powerful depiction of a dragon he had ever seen, impossibly combining calligraphy and painting. It was what the master felt and captured at that very moment, and it was of such beauty that it defied description.

The delay was not a hindrance, but a necessary part of the creative process. The time spent in contemplation and preparation had allowed the Master to tap into the Tao and imbue the work with a spiritual richness that money alone could not buy.

He left Master Lao's studio with the completed work. The piece was no longer a mere object of his wealth, but a profound testament to the artist's dedication and the value of time and patience in the pursuit of true mastery. True mastery benefits all.