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Presence
Sun Tzu was training a fighting cock for the Lord of Chu. After one week he was asked whether the bird was ready. Sun Tzu replied, “Not yet! He is too spirited, too quarrelsome, and too eager to seek out a fight.”
After two weeks Sun Tzu’s answer was, “Not yet. He still bristles with aggression and pride when he sees another bird.”
Another week passes and Sun Tzu’s response is still, “Not yet. His fighting spirit is not yet diminished, and arrogance gleams in his eye.”
At the end of the fourth week, Sun Tzu said, “Now he is ready. When he hears the crowing of another cock, he pays no attention at all. If you look at him, you would think he is a cock made of stone so still is his demeanour, so centred his inner being. His inner quality radiates beyond him. He has no need to fight, because no other cock will dare face him.”
From: More Magic of Metaphor, Crown House Publishing, 2004
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Last modified:
Friday, 30. March 2007